Balochistan emerged victorious Thursday in the 9th match of the Pakistan Cup series, beating Islamabad by 3 wickets, after managing to successfully chase the massive 316 runs target at Faisalabad’s Iqbal stadium.
With 5 runs required off the last 3 balls,Sohail Tanvir concluded the match in a truly splendid style with a huge six.
Captain Azhar Ali remained the highest scorer from the Balochistan side, with 80 runs off 92 balls. Significant contributions were made by Umar Akmal with 59 runs and Awais Zia with 45 runs. Islamabad s bowling attack put in a good effort with Mohammad Sami managing to attain 3 wickets while Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas and Arsal Sheikh taking a single wicket each.
Earlier, Kamran Akmal’s Islamabad team won the toss and elected to bat against Balochistan and set a total target of 315 with a loss of 8 wickets.
Islamabad team played a fabulous innings against Balochsitan, with the highlights being Kamran Akmal’s magnificent innings of 134 runs and Imam-ul-Haq significant contribution of 102 runs.
Bilawal Bhatti remained the leading wicket ticker from Balochsitan s side. Usama Mir managed to send 2 Islamabad players back to the pavilion while Awaiz Zia and Sohail Tanvir managed to grab a single wicket each.
Islamabad team, who were also the winners of Pakistan Super League (PSL) title, had stepped on the ground with enthusiasm while Balochistan team players were ready to a give tough time to their opponents.
Led by Kamran Akmal, Islamabad’s team included Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Irfan, Nasir Jamshed, Zafar Gohar and Sharjeel Khan and coached by Mansoor Rana and Sabih Azhar.
Meanwhile Balochistan was led by Pakistan ODI skipper Azhar Ali and included Babar Azam, Junaid Khan, Umar Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul and Bilawal Bhatti. Ijaz Ahmed and Taimur Azam are coaching the Balochistan side.
Proper arrangements have been ensured while the authorities have also directed to monitor the whole tournament that will conclude on May 1.
