FAISALABAD – Sindh beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by eight runs and secured their second win in the ongoing National T20 Cup at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium.
The Asad Shafiq-led side scored 176 runs for the loss of six wickets after they were asked to bat.
The opening pair of Khurram Manzoor and Ahsan Ali provided a solid foundation with an 83-run opening stand in 10.1 overs.
The partnership ended with the dismissal of Khurram, who scored 35 off 32 with five fours.
But, Ahsan kept going from the other end and cracked a brilliant 37-ball 64, hitting eight fours and three sixes. The 25-year-old was later named man-of-the-match.
One-drop batsman Saad Ali was the other notable scorer with 20 off 18.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had used five bowlers and all picked up a wicket each.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa wobbled earlier in the chase as they were 48 for three in 5.5 overs due to two back-to-back wickets of Fakhar Zaman (15 off 11) and Mohammad Mohsin, who registered a golden duck, off Mohammad Hasnain’s bowling in the fifth over of the innings.
A 52-run partnership for the fourth-wicket between captain Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed denied any further inroads to Sindh bowlers.
Rizwan kept the contest alive till the very last over, scoring 43-ball 70, before he was dismissed on the third ball of the last over.
The wicketkeeper-batsman struck six fours and two sixes during his stay at the crease.
Anwar Ali was the pick of the bowlers for Sindh, taking three wickets for 30 runs in three overs.
Scores in brief:
Sindh 176-6, 20 overs (Ahsan Ali 64, Khurram Manzoor 35, Saad Ali 20)
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 168-6, 20 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 70, Israrullah 28, Iftikhar Ahmed 20; Anwar Ali 3-30, Mohammad Hasnain 2-29)
