Iftikhar, Farhan bat KP to big win over Sindh

LAHORE: Aggressive Iftikhar Ahmed and Sahibzada Farhan batted Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to a seven-wicket triumph over Sindh in the 25th match of the National T20 Cup here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday evening.

After Sindh scored 152 for six, KP easily reached 154 for three in 18 overs. Iftikhar smashed three sixes and five fours in his unbeaten 55 that came off 34 balls while Farhan in his 49 not out that came off 37 balls hit five fours and a six.

KP lost their opener Mohammad Haris at 19 when his personal score was seven in the 4th over. His partner Aamer Azmat was run out in the 6th over at 48. Azmat scored a-run-a-ball 18 with one four.

Musadiq Ahmked kept the other end for a while to get 23.

Sohail Khan and Zahid Mahmood took one wicket apiece.

Earlier, Shan Masood and Anwar Ali guided Sindh to what they believed was a safe total.

Sindh lost opener Khurram Manzoor quickly. Sharjeel Khan and Shan Masood carried the innings from there and scored 51 together to put Sindh in a strong position.

Sharjeel managed 26 with two boundaries and a six. Shan struck 54 runs off 37 balls, laced with five boundaries and a six.

Skipper Anwar Ali smashed 34 runs near the end off 27 balls, hitting three sixes. Danish Aziz scored 13 off 11 balls.

For KP, Iftikhar Ahmed took two wickets while Asif Afridi and Niaz Khan managed one each.

On Thursday night, Sindh’s opener Sharjeel Khan and bowler Rumman Raees steered their team to a comprehensive 45-run victory over Southern Punjab.

Sharjeel’s century took Sindh to 196 for seven. Southern Punjab were bowled out for 151 in 18.5 overs. Sindh’s Rumman Raees ripped apart SP batting line with a hat-trick, as he dismissed Hassan Khan, Aamer and Naseem Shah.

Tayyab Tahir scored 32 runs off 23 balls, hitting six fours. Agha Salman (21), Moinuddin (11), Mohammad Imran (29), Aamer Yamin (27) and Zia-ul-Haq (12) could not save their team’s blushes.

Sharjeel lifted Sindh from 43 for two to 189 for five, scoring 101. He added 56 runs with Saud Shakeel, 53 with Sarfraz Ahmed and 37 with Anwar Ali.

Sharjeel cracked 13 shots across the ropes and four over it as he faced just 56 balls in his hunt for the fifth century of the T20 format. Shan Masood made 15-ball 22, Saud Shakeel got 19-ball 29, Sarfraz 12-ball 13 and Anwar Ali 12-ball 17.