Razzaq powers Lions to T20 glory

Lahore Lions ride on brutal Abdul Razzaq 29-ball onslaught to lift Twenty20 Cup beating Karachi Dolphins by 37 runs.

Hosts Lahore Lions rode on a brutal Abdul Razzaq 29-ball onslaught to lift the Faysal Bank Twenty20 Cup in front of a record home crowd, beating Karachi Dolphins by 37 runs at the Gaddafi Stadium.

Razzaq, often Pakistan’s saviour with the bat towards the end of the innings, arrived at the crease after discarded Pakistan openers Nasir Jamshed and Ahmed Shehzad had given their team a stunning start to the final as Lahore opted to bat first.

The opening stand yielded 72 runs in less than eight overs and as Razzaq’s whirlwind 71 took just 29 balls, Dolphins were left ruing a Khalid Latif drop at long-off when Razzaq had scored just 28.

The allrounder plundered 43 off the last 14 balls that he faced as he flicked, pulled and drove the visitors to agony with 57 runs coming  off the last three overs of the Lions’ innings.

Razzaq’s assault was felt by all Karachi bowlers as he hit six sixes and four fours in just 39 minutes. Lahore also owed their total to a poor fielding display by Karachi with various misfields resulting in boundaries and adding unwanted runs in front of a boisterous crowd that erupted every time the ball touched the bat.

Dolphins’ captain Shahid Afridi did threaten an upset briefly, carrying on his earlier form into the final but his dismissal, with his side still needing 71, sent the crowd into a frenzy with the result all but sealed.

Shahzaib Hasan, the only batsman to have scored a century in the tournament, also shone briefly – a 16-ball 33 – but failed to emulate his earlier performances. Lions’ captain Mohammad Yousuf, after a decent international comeback on the tour of England, could not have wished for a sweeter return to cricket as he lifted the trophy under the floodlights.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 17^th, 2010.