JUBILANT: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Fighters was a proud team on the final day of the tournament after the players from the region claimed their second title in a space of three months. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/EXPRESS
KARACHI: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Fighters were crowned champions of the Haeir Pentangular Cup on Sunday as they defeated Balochistan Warriors by six wickets in a lacklustre final at the National Stadium, Karachi.
The K-P outfit added a new chapter in Pakistan cricket’s history by claiming their second title in a row after winning the National Twenty20 championship.
Fighters’ Muhammad Rizwan inflicted the most damage with the bat in his 103-run innings, while Junaid Khan was the pick of the bowlers with five wickets.
“I can’t be more happy and proud of the fact that my batting paved the way for my team’s win,” Rizwan told The Express Tribune. “Moreover, we played with unity, which was the driving force behind today’s achievement.”
Adil Amin scored 58 off 88 balls hitting seven boundaries to consolidate Fighters’ innings after opener Israrullah walked backed cheaply for eight runs off Ziaul Haq.
The other opener, Mukhtar Ahmed, trotted to 27 off 48 balls, while Adnan Raees struck five boundaries to compile his 36 runs off 37 balls.
From Warriors’ side, Ehsan Adil, Zia, Kashif Bhatti, and Azhar Ali took one wicket each.
An uninspiring batting performance by Warriors
The Balochistan team never stood a chance to take a solid footing in the match after they were restricted to 238, courtesy of resourceful bowling and equally good fielding that Fighters put up after captain Junaid won the toss and decided to field.
Warriors made a sluggish start as skipper Azhar Ali, fresh from his 72 against Punjab Badshahs the other evening, had to leave the crease after scoring 21 off 27 deliveries when paceman Muhammad Sami caught and bowled him on the last ball of his third over.
Junaid then dismissed Bismillah Khan (12) in his fifth over and Sohaib Maqsood (one) and Usman Salahuddin (six) in his next over.
Sami Aslam was the only notable player from Warriors as he scored half of the total in his 123-ball 119 runs, smashing 13 boundaries and one big hit before he was sent packing by Junaid.
No other player was able to stand for long in the face of a strong Fighters’ bowling attack as Junaid took five wickets for 45, Yasir Shah and Zafar Gohar bagged two each and Sami grabbed one to dismiss Warriors on 238.
“The team selection was a good one as we got a chance to field all 15 players and every player performed admirably,” said winning captain Junaid.
Meanwhile, Warriors skipper Azhar said he will take positives out of the match despite the loss.
“I have tried to gain valuable experience from this tournament and I’m glad I did exactly that,” said Azhar. “It was a matter of pride for me to lead such a good team who displayed a fighting spirit throughout the tournament.”
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