RAWALPINDI: Mohammad Ali’s four-wicket haul followed by Mohammad Haris’ quickfire half-century led the Stallions to a resounding six-wicket victory over the Panthers in the 11th match of the T20 Champions Cup here at the Rawalpindi Stadium on Sunday.
Placed first, the Panthers posted a commendable total of 168/7 in their allotted 20 overs, courtesy of Haider Ali’s in-form half-century.
The Shadab Khan-led side, however, made a contrasting start to their innings as their hard-hitting opener Sharjeel Khan (four) came back in the second over with just 12 runs on the board.
After the initial hiccup, Haider joined hands with wicketkeeper batsman Umar Siddiq to anchor the innings.
The duo batted cautiously to add 61 runs for the second wicket until the opening batsman was run out by Ali in the 11th over. He scored 29 off 30 deliveries with the help of three boundaries.
The right-arm pacer struck again in the next delivery, dismissing Panthers captain Shadab Khan for a golden duck.
Haider then put together an important partnership of 63 runs for the fourth wicket before both fell in an eventful 18th over.
Haider remained the Panthers’ top scorer with a 49-ball 73, studded with 10 boundaries, including five sixes, while Mubasir made 30 off 19.
Mohammad Ali was the standout bowler for the Stallions, taking four wickets for 28 runs in his four overs, while Mohammad Amir Khan took two wickets.
Set to chase 169, the Stallions won off the fourth delivery of the final over to seal their fourth victory in the ongoing tournament.
Leading the way was captain Mohammad Haris, who scored a thrilling half-century and top-scored a 35-ball 61.
Haris was also involved in the decisive third-wicket partnership with Hussain Talat, who made a significant contribution with his 32 off 25 balls.
After both batsmen died in just one over, veteran Shoaib Malik (21*) and Mohammad Mohsin (15*) batted sensibly at the back and led their team over the line with an unbeaten 34-run partnership.
