Na Maloom Afraad
Man of Tomorrow
TRIBUNE > SPORTS > CRICKET > HAIER CUP PAKISTAN > ROUND 1
ROUND 1 - BRENDON McCULLUM, KANE WILLIAMSON AND QUINTON de KOCK SHOW THEIR CLASS
The tournament began with Punjab Lions taking on the defending champions, Rest of Pakistan Rams at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Being forced into bat first by Punjab Lions, Rest of Pakistan Rams could only manage to score 246 for the loss of 7 wickets in their 50.0 overs. No one really clicked when Rest of Pakistan Rams needed it the most except for Ravindra Jadeja. His partnerships with Shane Watson, Azhar Mahmood and Umar Gul encouraged Rest of Pakistan to show some fight and his unbeaten innings of 74* took Rest of Pakistan Rams to a respectable total. Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Aamir and Mitchell Starc proved to be a bit too much for Rest of Pakistan's batsmen to face. In reply to that total, Punjab Lions started off slow but steady. Sami Aslam and David Warner added 53 runs for the opening wicket before Sami Aslam was victimised by Mohammad Irfan. But the lack of ability to pick wickets after regular intervals allowed Kane Williamson to steer Punjab Lions to an easy win. He stayed unbeaten on 86 off 94 balls and was awarded the Man of the Match.
The second match of the tournament was played between FATA Falcons and Gilgit Baltistan Jaguars at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Once again, the team that won the toss enforced their opponents to bat first, in this case, FATA lost the toss and were forced to bat first. The local boy, Ali Waqas looked really good but was unfortunate to miss his fifty by just 3 runs. Shoaib Malik, was successful in achieving his fifty. He and Ali Waqas added 72 runs for the third wicket without panicking, even when they lost their first two wickets for 14 runs. After James Anderson, Fakhar Zaman and Yuvraj Singh struck early to get rid of the top order, Zulfiqar Babar joined the party to remove the middle & lower order to restrict/bowl out FATA for 202. Usman Khan Shenwari started Gilgit Baltistan's chase by striking on the first ball to remove Fakhar Zaman for a golden duck. But even after that, Brendon McCullum, Jaguars' captain, did not panic and played like He usually does to guide Gilgit Baltistan to a convincing win by 7 wickets. He ended the game, and brought up his hundred with a four.
The third match of the tournament was played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium between Combined Services Cheetahs and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Panthers. Cheetahs were forced to bat first after they lost the toss. Rohit Sharma and Glenn Maxwell added 60 runs off 61 balls, and 68 runs off 71 balls respectively. Michael Clarke was unfortunate to miss his fifty by just 3 runs. Zohaib Khan was slightly expensive but was effective enough to pick 3 major wickets of Haris Sohail, Rohit Sharma and Michael Clarke. Adnan Rasool went wicketless for the Panthers, but was extremely economical by giving only 11 runs in 6.0 overs. Panthers started their chase really well but were derailed by some fantastic bit of bowling from Zafar Gohar. He dismissed the set Tillakaratne Dilshan, and later dismissed Younis Khan and Asad Shafiq very cheaply. He later claimed the wickets of Sohail Tanvir and Tim Southee to complete his 5-wicket haul. His bowling efforts helped Cheetahs win the game.
The last match of round 1, was played between Balochistan Bears and Sindh Dolphins at Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah. Balochistan's decision of batting first after winning the toss cost them the match. They were bowled out for 230 in the 44th over with Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal being their top-scorers. Ahmed Shehzad added 44 runs off 52 balls, and Umar Akmal added 41 runs off 48 balls. Sohail Khan and Andre Russell picked 3 wickets each. Sohail Khan was the most economical bowler for the Dolphins. Sindh chased that total down without any trouble in the 38th over to hand the Bears a humiliating loss. Quinton de Kock's innings was a treat to watch.
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