Umar Akmal negated all his critics by performing at the right time for Lahore Lions, hammering 38 of just 18 balls to chase down a 136-run target and set up a six-wicket win against Mumbai Indians on Saturday at Raipur during the Champions League T20 tournament.
Sent in to bat first, Mumbai were slow from the beginning. With wickets falling at regular intervals no batsmen except Aditya Tare (37) was able to score ample runs. Michael Hussey showed some resistance at the top but was sent home by Wahab Riaz, who bagged two wickets. Aizaz Cheema took two wickets on consecutive balls to strike another blow to Mumbai’s pace.
In reply, Lahore started well with a strong partnership from Ahmed Shahzad and Nasir Jamshed. Shehzad fell on 34 to give skipper Muhammad Hafeez a chance to walk in. Jamshed coupled with the captain to add a few more runs but got stumped on 26. Saad Nasim joined the show but could add only 6 runs to the total.
In came the blistering Akmal to save the day for the Lions. He scored prolifically throughout the match but with 13 runs required he smashed two sixes on consecutive balls to tie the score in the 19th over. He then guided a full-toss towards the boundary while punching his fist in the air — it was a well-crafted victory.
Later, speaking at the presentation ceremony, Muhammad Hafeez credited the fine bowling performance for setting up the pace for victory and also admired Akmal’s classic batting.
“I think bowlers did their job nicely,” said Hafeez. “The later overs were very good, everyone bowled well. I knew one good partnership would make the difference, and Akmal was exceptional.”
Published in The Express Tribune, September 14th, 2014.
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