RAWALPINDI: Sindh wicketkeeper batter Sarfaraz Ahmed’s valiant knock of unbeaten 62 runs went in vain as Central Punjab’s (CP) Aamer Yamin held his nerves calm to defend 21 runs in the final over to bolster his side to a maiden victory in the ongoing National T20 Cup 2022. Set to chase a commendable 189, Sindh fell 11 runs short in the end despite a blistering and gritty knock by wicketkeeper batter Sarfaraz as he could not get any support from the rest of the batters.

Sindh were off to a flying start to their run chase as the right-handed young opener Saim Ayub took on the CP bowlers and scored at a rapid pace. His partner, Sharjeel, however, who was struggling to get going, perished in the fourth over after scoring a snail-paced nine. Saim then joined hands with Omair Yousuf and added 30 runs for the second wicket before Shoaib Malik trapped him in his legs in the seventh over.

He scored a quickfire 35 off 17 deliveries, laced with four boundaries and two sixes. Sindh lost another wicket in the next over and were slipped to 65/3 as all-rounder Saad Khan perished cheaply for a mere one. Sarfaraz then joined Omair at the crease and anchored the run chase with a 53-run partnership for the fourth wicket. The pair appeared solid and had brought their side back in the hunt before the latter fell in the 15th over after scoring 37 off 29 deliveries. Following his departure, Sindh began to lose wickets at an alarming rate, while Sarfaraz held his ground firm and kept the scoreboard ticking single-handedly.

All-rounder Anwar Ali was the only batter who provided some support to Sarfaraz to pull off the match, while the rest of the batters could not enter the double-figures. Sarfaraz remained unbeaten with his quickfire knock of 62 off just 37 deliveries, laced with five boundaries and two sixes. Usama Mir shone with the ball for CP as he bagged three wickets, while Mohammad Ali claimed two. Shoaib, Qasim Akram, and Yamin, on the other hand, made one scalp each. Batting first, CP managed to put on a decent 188/5 in the allotted 20 overs, thanks to the fifties from Faizan Khan and Shoaib.

Faizan top-scored for the side with a blistering 55 off a mere 24 deliveries including six boundaries and four sixes, while Shoaib followed back with 54 off just 33 deliveries with the help of four boundaries and two sixes. Tayyab Tahir and Irfan Khan also contributed with 33 each and bolstered the side to finish at a decent total. For Sindh, Abrar Ahmed and Sohail Khan led the way with two wickets each, while Saim struck out a batter.

Published in The Daily National Courier, September, 07 2022

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