Faislabad-Lake City Panthers secured a spot in the Bahria Town Champions ODI Cup final after defeating UMT Markhors by 7 wickets in the qualifier at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, on Tuesday. The highlight of the match was the career-best performance of Panthers spinner Saeem Ayub, who took five wickets and scored 33 runs.
UMT Markhors, batting first, were bowled out for 137 runs in 36 overs. Lake City Panthers achieved the target in 23.4 overs, losing just 3 wickets. This was the first time in the tournament that the team batting first suffered a defeat.
Marquez won the toss and elected to bat first, but the entire team was bowled out for a paltry 137 runs. The Markhors had a disappointing start, with Haseebullah being dismissed by Ali Raza in the first over for just 3 runs.
In the next over, Muhammad Hasnain took the wickets of Kamran Ghulam (22) and captain Muhammad Rizwan (0) on consecutive balls. When Hussain got Fakhrzaman out for 11 in the fourth over, Markhors’ score was only 25 runs for 4 wickets.
Three of these four wickets that fell were due to brilliant catches by wicketkeeper Usman Khan. Salman Ali Agha and Iftikhar Ahmed managed to add 77 runs to the score, but their partnership was eventually broken when Iftikhar Ahmed was run out after scoring 39 runs.
Salman Ali Agha scored 52 runs with the help of one six and four fours and was dismissed by Saeem Ayub. This was his third half-century in the tournament. Saeem Ayub’s spin bowling easily wiped out Markhors’ batting, taking 5 wickets for just 24 runs, his best bowling figures in List A ODI.
Muhammad Hasnain gave 25 runs and dismissed 3 players. The Panthers had to lose 3 wickets to reach the target of 138 runs. Saeem Ayub got out after scoring 33 runs with the help of 6 fours.
Umar Sadiq played an innings of 35 runs with the help of one six and 5 fours. After that, Usman Khan made his team’s win possible by playing a brilliant innings of 54 runs not out, with the help of four sixes and five fours.
With this win, Lake City Panthers have secured a spot in the final, while UMT Markhors will face the winner of the match between Allied Bank Stallions and Norpur Lions in the second eliminator.
The winner of the second eliminator will face Lake City Panthers in the final on September 29. The Allied Bank Stallions and Norpur Lions will face each other in the first eliminator on Wednesday.
The Lake City Panthers’ victory was a testament to their team’s strength and strategy. Their bowling and batting lineup performed exceptionally well, making it difficult for UMT Markhors to make a comeback.
Saeem Ayub’s career-best performance was the turning point in the match, and his spin bowling proved to be too much for the Markhors’ batsmen. The Panthers’ win has set up an exciting finale, and cricket fans will eagerly await the final match.
Scoreboard:
UMT Markhors: 137 (36 overs)
Salman Ali Agha 52, Iftikhar Ahmed 39
Saeem Ayub 5/24, Muhammad Hasnain 3/25
Lake City Panthers: 143/3 (23.4 overs)
Usman Khan 54* (not out), Umar Sadiq 35, Saeem Ayub 33
The Bahria Town Champions ODI Cup has provided a platform for talented cricketers to showcase their skills, and the competition has been intense. The final match promises to be an exciting encounter, and fans will be eagerly waiting to see which team emerges victorious.
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