MULTAN: At the Multan Cricket Stadium on Sunday, spinner Zahid Mehmood and the batsmen shone to help Sindh defeat Central Punjab (CP) by five wickets and secure a place in the 2022 National T20 Cup final. By choosing to bat first, CP were limited to 179 runs, which Sindh chased down in 19.2 overs with the help of some outstanding batting and a four-wicket haul by Zahid Mehmood.

Shajeel Khan, the outstanding opener for Sindh, was dismissed for 11 runs and was unable to play; however, Saim stepped up to the plate and scored 46 runs in just 24 balls. Anwar Ali hit a scorching 32 runs in 13 balls, while Omair Yousuf slammed 51 runs in 36 balls after captain Saud Shakeel 22 (18) was dismissed by the young Qasim Akram.

Usmana Mir scored twice for CP, and Aamer Yamin, Waqas Maqsood, and Qasim each took one victim. Thanks to Mohammad Faizan’s half-century and Irfan Khan’s 36-run knock, CP had previously scored 179 runs. Including six fours and three maximums, Faizan scored 52 runs in 31 balls, while opening partner Muhammad Akhlaq scored 28 runs in 15 balls.

Qasim managed to score 25 runs in 18 balls, compared to Irfan’s 36 runs in 27 balls. Danish Aziz, Asif Mehmood, and Sohail Khan each grabbed a wicket for Sindh. Zahid was phenomenal for Sindh, taking four wickets while only allowing 20 runs to be scored in four overs. In the event’s grand finale, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will square off.

Published in The Daily National Courier, September, 20 2022

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