Irfan Khan Niazi smashed his first List A century with a spectacular 100 runs off 56 balls, leading the Lions to a commanding 35-run victory over the Markhors in the high-scoring eighth match of the inaugural Champions One-Day Cup at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, on Friday.
Khushdil Shah also played a pivotal role, scoring 74 runs off 45 balls.
Markhors’ Innings
Chasing an imposing target of 368, the Markhors ended their innings at 332-9 after 50 overs. Fakhar Zaman started strong, scoring 82 runs off 72 balls, including eight fours and four sixes, before being dismissed by Khushdil. Zaman’s wicket marked the beginning of a batting collapse for the Markhors. Salman Agha and Abdul Samad tried to keep the innings afloat, contributing 69 runs off 39 balls and 42 runs off 37 balls, respectively, but their efforts were insufficient to secure a win.
Other batsmen like Iftikhar Ahmed (25), Mohammad Rizwan (20), and Bismillah Khan (20) failed to build on their starts. The lower order struggled, with La,ran Ghulam (8), Mohammad Imran (19), and Zahid Mahmood (8) unable to make significant contributions. Shahnawaz Dahani finished not out with 3 runs off 6 balls.
For the Lions, Aamer Yamin (2-54), Ahmed Daniyal (2-66), Khushdil Shah (2-67), and captain Shaheen Shah Afridi (2-86) each took two wickets, though Afridi was somewhat expensive. Mohammad Asghar was economical, bowling 10 overs for just 37 runs without taking a wicket, while Mohammad Taha also went wicketless, giving away 18 runs in his 6 overs.
Lions’ Innings
Opting to bat first, the Lions had a solid start with openers Abdullah Shafique (52) and Imam-ul-Haq (51) both scoring fifties. However, the day belonged to the young Irfan Khan, who delighted the crowd with his unbeaten century off just 56 balls, striking 10 fours and 5 sixes.
Khushdil Shah also contributed significantly, scoring 73 runs off 45 balls with 10 boundaries and 5 sixes. Omair Yousuf (30 off 33) and Mohammad Taha (31 off 37) provided important support in boosting the Lions’ total. Aamer Yamin managed only 6 runs in the death overs, while Sajjad Ali remained not out with a quick 6 off 4 balls.
For the Markhors, Zahid Mahmood took 2 wickets for 49 runs, while Mohammad Imran (1-85), Mohammad Imran Randhawa (1-76), and Iftikhar Ahmed (1-64) each picked up one wicket. Kamran Ghulam and Salman Agha both went wicketless, conceding 15 and 16 runs, respectively.
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