National T20 Cup: Aslam half-century gives Islamabad maiden win

Opener makes 61 to steer side to seven-wicket victory over FATA

Nabil Tahir September 08, 2016

Aslam’s blistering knock saw him smash four boundaries and a six as Islamabad registered their first win of the tournament. PHOTO COURTESY: PCB

KARACHI: An unbeaten opening knock of 61 runs by Sami Aslam guided Islamabad to their first win of the tournament as they defeated FATA by seven wickets in their National T20 Cup encounter at the Multan Cricket Stadium yesterday.

Electing to bat first, FATA were dismissed for 139-4 as Junaid Khan, Zohaib Ahmed and Adil Amin took a wicket apiece. Umar Siddiq (51) was FATA’s highest scorer.

Chasing 140, Islamabad reached the target with seven wickets and six balls to spare as man of the match Aslam struck four boundaries and a six in his 50-ball stay to steer his side to a win. Afaq Raheem scored 26 off 24 balls to contribute to the total, while Muhammad Irfan Junior claimed two scalps and Aamer Yamin one for FATA.

Lahore Whites demolish Karachi Blues

Aslam, meanwhile, was delighted to help his side win their first match following a disappointing spell in England with the national side. “I just came back from England where I was not able to perform for Pakistan in one-dayers, but I am glad that I scored here to help my team win their first match.”

The 20-year-old credited a patient approach with the bat as the reason for his success. “I tried to stay on the crease and hit shots with less risk as the score was not high so I played a bit slow, and I reaped the rewards.”

Islamabad captain Yasir Hameed praised the bowlers for managing to restrict FATA to a lower total. “The bowlers, especially Junaid Khan, bowled really well and did not let the batsmen score runs which helped us a lot. We wish to see a similar performance in the next three matches.”

Zimbabwe’s Raza to play for Lahore Whites

Meanwhile, in the match on Tuesday, three wickets by Faraz Ahmed helped Karachi Whites register a three-wicket win over Lahore Blues.

Electing to bat first, Lahore Blues were restricted to 142-8 as Ahmed ran riot, while Azam Hussain dismissed two batsmen. Asif Raza (44) was Lahore Blues’ top scorer.

In reply, Karachi Whites reached the target with three wickets and two balls to spare as wicketkeeper-batsman Muhammad Hasan scored 41 off 21 balls hitting nine boundaries. Ahmed Bashir and Zafar Gohar took two wickets each for Lahore Blues.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8^th, 2016.

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