President’s Cup Silver League: Naseem shines as Falcons upset HBL

Knock of 58 runs from 41 balls topples star-studded side by four wickets

KARACHI: Naseem Khan’s 58-run flurry helped Abbottabad Falcons stun star-studded HBL with a four-wicket win in their Group-II match of the Haier President’s Silver Cup One-Day Tournament played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore yesterday.

Chasing a target of 257, Abbottabad neared the target slowly with Sohail Akhtar (45) , Khalilullah (42) and Sajjad Ali (39) chipping in with important knocks.

But it was the onslaught by Naseem which left HBL in shock as he scored a 41-ball 58, hitting a six and eight boundaries as Falcons finished at 257-6 with two balls to spare.

Aftab Khan picked up two wickets for the losing side to remain the only standout bowler for HBL.

Earlier, HBL had posted 256-7 in their allotted quota of 50 overs after being asked to bat first. Hasan Raza remained unbeaten on 59 runs, which came off 55 balls, while Asad Shafiq scored 47.

Falcon’s trio of Azizur Rehman, Ikramullah and Shakeel Ahmed claimed two wickets apiece.

In another match, Rana Navedul Hasan’s century propelled Wapda to an emphatic 138-run win over Silakot.

Batting first, Wapda were bowled out for 264 in 49 overs as Rana made an exact 100 runs with three sixes and six strikes to the fence, while Adnan Raees chipped in with a valuable 81-run knock as Hasan Ali and Bilal Asif took four wickets each.

In reply, Stallions crashed on 126 in 39.4 overs as Waqas Maqsood took three wickets for Wapda, while two scalps each went to Asif Afridi and Khalid Usman.

Meanwhile, Kashif Naved’s all-round show – an unbeaten 43-run knock and two wickets – gave Multan Tigers a shocking four-wicket triumph over SSGC at the LCCA Ground in Lahore.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 25^th, 2015.

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