Southern Punjab score third consecutive win, Sindh beat Northern in National T20 2nd XI tournament

Karachi:Southern Punjab recorded a crushing seven wicket win over Balochistan in the National T20 2nd XI tournament at the National Stadium, Karachi on Thursday. This was Southern Punjab’s third consecutive victory; they remain the only unbeaten side in the event and now have six points from three games and are at the top of the table.

In the second match of the day, Sindh overcame Northern by three wickets to register their third win in four games.

Balochistan opted to bat first against Southern Punjab, the decision backfired as left-armer Zia-ul-Haq ran through the Balochistan batting with a four-wicket haul, conceding 18 runs in his four over spell. Muhammad Imran and Zulfiqar Babar took two wickets each while two batsmen were dismissed run out.

Fahad Iqbal (22) and Gulraiz Sadaf (21) were the only two Balochistan batsmen to offer some resistance.

Southern Punjab chased down the target in 15.5 overs for the loss of three wickets. Openers Mukhtar Ahmed (29) and Zeeshan Ashraf (25) added 47 for the first wicket. Muhammad Mohsin 18 not out and Naveed Yasin 11 not out took Southern Punjab home, Atif Jabbar took two wickets for Balochistan.

Batting first, Northern posted 140 for the loss of six wickets after they were asked to bat first by Sindh captain Rameez Raja Jr.

Rameez left the field due to his mother’s death and was replaced by Jahid Ali in the playing eleven with wicketkeeper Saifullah Bangash taking over as captain.

Northern’s innings included a 53-ball 76 by opener Shoaib Ahmed, Shoaib hit 10 fours and one six in his innings. Usama Mir with 16 not out was the second highest scorer along with Sarmad Bhatti who also scored 16. Hassan Khan and Muhammad Umer took two wickets each.

Saifullah led from the front with the bat as Sindh survived some anxious moments before reaching the target with four balls and three wickets to spare. Saifullah remained unbeaten on 47 off 27 balls, his innings included eight fours. Jaahid scored 31 off 24 balls. Raza Hasan and Noman Ali took two wickets each for Northern.

Scores in brief:

Balochistan v Southern Punjab, National Stadium, Karachi

Balochistan 100 all out, 19 overs (Fahad Iqbal 22, Gulraiz Sadaf 21; Zia-ul-Haq 4-18)

Southern Punjab 101 for 3, 15.5 overs (Mukhtar Ahmed 29, Zeeshan Ashraf 25; Atif Jabbar 2-21)

Result: Southern Punjab won by 7 wickets

Northern v Sindh, National Stadium, Karachi

Northern 140 for 6, 20 overs (Shoaib Ahmed 76; Hassan Khan 2-24, Muhammad Umer 2-28)

Sindh 144 for 7, 19.2 overs (Saifullah Bangash 47 not out, Jahid Ali 31; Raza Hasan 2-19, Noman Ali 2-30)

Result: Sindh won by 3 wickets