Northern beat Sindh by 66 runs

Faisalabad :Northern beat Sindh by 66 runs in the 10^th match of the ongoing National T20 Cup at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium.

Imad Wasim-led Northern scored 191 for seven in 20 overs after opting to bat first.

Sohail Akhtar cracked a 36-ball 63, smacking six fours and three sixes, and crafted a 102-run partnership with Umar Amin, who scored 36 runs from 25 balls which had two fours and three sixes.

Late blows from Asif Ali and Imad Wasim helped Northern post an imposing total.

Asif scored 30 runs – which had three fours and two sixes – at a strike rate of over 187 and Imad scored 27 from 19 balls.

Once again, Mohammad Hasnain was the pick of the bowlers for Sindh as the right-arm pacer picked up two wickets for 32 runs.

The opening pair of Khurram Manzoor and Ahsan Ali provided a decent start to Sindh’s chase but once the two batsmen were back in the pavilion, Sindh lost control of the chase and were all-out for 125 in 17.4 overs.

Ahsan’s 29 off 20 – with three fours and a six – was the best batting performance in the innings.

For Northern, Shadab Khan led the attack with three for 28 in four overs. Mohammad Amir picked up two wickets for 18 runs.

Sohail was named man-of-the-match for his batting exploits.

At the end of the fifth day of the National T20 Cup, Balochistan lead the points table with six points, coming from three wins, while Northern and Sindh are placed second and third with two wins each.

At the bottom of the table are Central Punjab with a single win in three matches. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Southern Punjab, placed at four and five, also have one wins each, but their better net run rate see them above Central Punjab.

Scores in brief:

Northern 191-7, 20 overs (Sohail Akhtar 63, Umar Amin 36, Asif Ali 30, Imad Wasim 27; Mohammad Hasnain 2-32)

Sindh 125 all-out, 17.4 overs (Ahsan Ali 29; Shadab Khan 3-28, Mohammad Amir 2-18)