Sports

Zubair, Bismillah steer Quetta Bears to win

Team breezes past Larkana Bulls in second Group A fixture .

September 18, 2014

KARACHI: Opener Zubair Khan’s unbeaten century and wicketkeeper Bismillah Khan’s 50 led Quetta Bears to an effortless 10-wicket victory over Larkana Bulls in their second Group A fixture of the Haier T20 Cup at the National Stadium, Karachi on Thursday.

Both sides began their campaigns with defeats. Bulls suffered a five-wicket loss at the hands of Karachi Dolphins and Bears lost to Hyderabad Hawks by seven wickets.

Zubair’s 77-ball 111, which included 15 fours and a six, helped Bears reach the 165-run target with an over to spare. The opener was well-supported by captain Bismillah, who was unbeaten on 52 off 37 balls.

Earlier, a four-wicket haul from Ghulam Muhammad kept Bulls at 164-6 after their openers Ahsan Ali and Asif Babar added 116 in 14 overs. Ghulam, however, dismissed the top three Bulls batsmen while the rest of the line-up was unable to add quick runs before the overs ran out.

Cheetahs grab four-wicket win over Zebras

In the other match of the day, Fata Cheetahs bounced back into the tournament as a brilliant partnership of 87 runs by Asif Afridi and Muhammad Naeem Senior helped their team defeat Karachi Zebras by four wickets in the sixth match of the tournament.

Both Group B sides experienced differing fortunes in their opening games, with Zebras registering a 14-run win over Multan Tigers and Cheetahs suffering a massive eight-wicket defeat at the hands of former champions Rawalpindi Rams.

Chasing 139, man-of-the-match Afridi, who was out on a duck in his first match against the Rams, came into action when his team was in trouble while facing Zebra attackers. He scored a dazzling half-century, scoring 52 in 37 balls with two sixes and two boundaries, and also bagged two wickets while conceding 24 runs.

Naeem’s 45 off 37 balls with five fours also helped Cheetahs reach 141 with two balls to spare. Tabish Khan claimed two wickets for 17 while Rumman Raees and Azam Hussain picked up one scalp each.

Earlier, Zebras were restricted to 141 as Zeeshan Khan took three crucial wickets by giving away 17 runs. Khurram Manzoor (33), Adnan Baig (27) and Sheharyar Ghani were the top scorers for the losing side.

Meanwhile in a late night match on Wednesday, Manzoor scored his second T20 century – 109 off 73 balls – to lead Zebras to a 14-run victory against Multan Tigers. Manzoor hit four sixes and 12 fours in his innings to play his part in posting 170-5.

Chasing 170, Tigers were restricted to 156 for the loss of seven wickets in their allotted overs. Zain Abbas (45) and Gulraiz Sadaf (28) were the top scorers. Shahzaib Ahmed took four wickets while giving away 32 runs.