Balochistan defeats Southern Punjab by 3 wickets in National T20 Cup:
Southern Punjab: 173/5
Balochistan: 178/7 (20/20 overs, target 174)
Balochistan won the match by 3 wickets.
Balochistan defeated Southern Punjab in the second semi-final of the National T20 Cup. Player of the Match, Amad Butt snatched the victory from Southern Punjab’s jaws as he struck 29 runs off 14 balls. Southern Punjab scored 173 runs for 5 wickets after 20 overs while batting first. Balochistan finished their chase on the last ball of the match, scoring 178 runs at the cost of 7 wickets. Balochistan now advances to the final of the National T20 Cup, where they will play against Northern on 24 October.
For seeing his side home, Amad Butt is the Man of the Match.#BALvSP #NationalT20Cup pic.twitter.com/qCSRBHs9ml
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 23, 2019
Southern Punjab’s Malik and Hafeez batted outstandingly:
Balochistan won the toss and elected to bowl first in the second semi-final of the National T20 Cup. Southern Punjab sent Umar Siddiq and captain Shan Masood to bat first. SP’s openers got dismissed without making any reasonable additions to the team’s total. Umar Siddiq scored 6 runs off 9 balls before he was bowled by Ali Shafiq, while SP’s captain Shan Masood got bowled by Yasir Shah after making just 10 runs off 14 balls.
Mohammad Hafeez stayed on the front foot as he played a beautiful innings of 65 runs off 41 balls. Mohammad Hafeez struck a total of 9 fours and a six to achieve his score. Hafeez and Shoaib Malik also shared a 72 run partnership, before Hafeez got bowled by Ali Shafiq on the first ball of the 16th over of the match. Shoaib Malik, on the other hand, also played an exceptional innings of 64 runs off 40 balls for his team. Shoaib Malik hit 6 fours and 2 sixes in his innings.
Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez both played a major role in bringing Southern Punjab’s total to 173 runs after 20 overs. Balochistan’s Ali Shafiq claimed 2 wickets for 31 runs after his 4 overs. Yasir Shah, Akif Javed, and Hussain Talat took 1 wicket each for their team.
Hussain Talat and Amad Butt win the match for Balochistan:
Balochistan required 174 runs off 120 balls to win the match and qualify for the final of the National T20 Cup. Imam-ul-Haq and Awais Zia came to bat first for their team. Imam-ul-Haq lost his wicket to Mohammad Irfan on the second ball of the second over of the match. Awais Zia contributed 31 runs off 26 balls before getting dismissed by Zahid Mahmood.
Bismillah Khan got lbw by Aamer Yamin after scoring 11 runs, while Imran Farhat got stumped on Mohammad Hafeez’s delivery after playing an innings of 20 runs off 17 balls. Balochistan was 4 down on 79 runs, still requiring 95 runs off 62 deliveries.
Balochistan’s captain Haris Sohail and Hussain Talat shared a partnership of 52 runs to keep the chase alive. Haris Sohail got bowled by Wahab Riaz after scoring 22 off 19 balls. Hussain Talat played a much-needed innings of 42 runs off 29 balls to bring Balochistan back into the game. Hussain Talat struck 7 fours before getting caught by Shoaib Malik on Wahab Riaz’s delivery. Hussain Talat’s innings brought Balochistan to 154/6, where they still needed 20 runs off 9 balls.
Match Summary!
Another semifinal, another last ball finish at Iqbal Stadium.
Balochistan clinch victory by 3 wickets.
Here is a look at the winning moment!#BALvSP #NationalT20Cup pic.twitter.com/hr5z1Ntwc8
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 23, 2019
Amad Butt, the star of the day, won the match for Balochistan as he smacked 14 balls for 29 runs with 3 fours and 2 sixes. Amad Butt’s undefeated innings brought Balochistan to victory, as he struck the last ball of the match for a six to take his team to the final of the National T20 Cup. Balochistan finished on 178/7 after 20 overs.
