KARACHI: Abdul Rehman’s quick turnout in the chase led Malir Malangs to a seven-wicket victory over Karachi Knights in the 16th match of the 4th season of the Karachi Tape Ball Premier League (KTPL) here at the Moin Khan Academy on Sunday.
Put into bat first, the Knights racked up a massive total of 100/1 in the first innings thanks to a swashbuckling half-century from Jahangir Shah.
The opening goal hit two fours and seven sixes on his way to a 17-ball 51 top score.
He was supported by captain Shafi Ullah and Kamran Arif who made unbeaten 24 and 12 respectively.
Captain Majid Ali took the lone wicket for the Malangs.
In response, a fifth-wicket recovery partnership between Abdul Rehman and Mimran Khan took Malangs to a fighting total of 92/6.
Mimran remained the top scorer for the Malangs with an 18-ball 45, laced with two fours and five sixes, while Rehman made an eight-ball 31.
Shafiq Ur Rehman was the standout bowler for the Knights, taking three wickets for 25 runs in his two overs, while Jahangir Khan, Zuhair and Wakeel Shah each took a scalp.
Despite leading by eight runs, the Knights’ batting unit failed to capitalize on the momentum and managed to score 61/7, thus setting a meager target of 70 runs for the leaders.
Skipper Shafi Ullah fought a lone battle for his side in the second innings as he played a gutsy knock of 24 runs off 15 balls while the rest of the Knights’ batsmen failed to accumulate double figures.
Awais Saleem and Mian Ghulam Ali jointly led the Malangs’ bowling attack in the second innings with three wickets each, while Majid Ali and Safi Ullah took a scalp each.
Chasing a modest target of 70 runs, the Malangs comfortably won the winning runs, losing just two wickets and five balls to spare.
Leading the way was Abdul Rehman, who made an unbeaten 32 off 11 deliveries, with two fours and three sixes.
For the Knights, Shafiq, Wakeel and Jahangir took one wicket each.
The seven-wicket win strengthened Malir Malangs’ grip at the top of the KTPL Season 4 standings with 10 points from five matches, while Karachi Knights remained at the bottom.
