Southern Punjab make it five out of five, beat Sindh by five runs in National T20 2nd XI tournament

Karachi:Southern Punjab won a thrilling National T20 2nd XI tournament match against home side Sindh by five runs at the National Stadium, Karachi on Monday. With the win, Southern Punjab maintained their unbeaten run in the tournament and have qualified for the semi-finals with a 100 percent record, winning each of their five group matches.

Southern Punjab were asked to bat first by Sindh captain Rameez Raja Junior. In-form opener Zeeshan Ashraf scored a 28-ball 36, his innings included four fours and one six. Maqbool Ahmed top-scored with 50 off 43 balls, his innings included three fours and three sixes. Sindh pacers Muhammad Umer and Shahnawaz Dhani bowled with control and accuracy, snaring three wickets each.

In reply, Sindh endured a late-order collapse and ended-up losing the game with five wickets falling for the addition of 11 runs. Sindh were 134 for four and finished on 145 for nine with right-arm pacer Ataullah who bowled the final over of the match taking four wickets for 25 runs. Opener Jahid Ali top-scored with 40 off 30 balls, Rameez made 28 runs while Rameez Aziz scored 27.

Muhammad Ali Khan provided valuable support to Ataullah by taking three wickets for 32 runs in his four overs.

Scores in brief:

Southern Punjab v Sindh, National Stadium, Karachi

Southern Punjab 150 for 9, 20 overs (Maqbool Ahmed 50, Zeeshan Ashraf 36; Shahnawaz Dhani 3-21, Muhammad Umer 3-27)

Sindh 145 for 9, 20 overs (Jahid Ali 40, Rameez Raja Jr 28, Rameez Aziz 27; Ataullah 4-25, Muhammad Ali Khan 3-32)

Result: Southern Punjab won by five runs