KARACHI: The 3rd PPL (One-Day) Blind Cricket Super League 2020, commenced at Karachi.
Match 1 – Islamabad Vs Sindh; Venue: Rashid Latif Cricket Academy, Karachi
Match of the event was played between Sindh and Islamabad. Sindh won the toss and decided to bowl first.
Islamabad started well and their 1st wicket fell at the score of 58 runs when Kamran Akhtar was run out after scoring 35 runs. Muhammad Shahzaib then turned the table on Islamabad with his lethal deliveries and sent Muhammad Ayyaz and dangerous Muhammad Rashid to pavilion without allowing them to open their accounts.
Anees Javed’s 68 and Ehtisham’s 77 runs innings gave some respectability to Islamabad total and little cameo from Safdar 17 balls 38 runs helped to set total of 317 runs on the board in stipulated 40 overs. For Sindh, Muhammad Shahzaib took 3 wickets for 46 runs in his 8 overs spell, while Nisar Ali took 2 wickets for 58 runs in 8 overs.
Sindh’s start wasn’t good, they lost Shahzaib Hyder in the 2nd over, he made only 7 runs. Abdul Razzaq was the 2nd wicket to fall after scoring 16 runs. Sanaullah and Nisar Ali helped Sindh to reach 105 runs in 12 overs, but the flurry of wickets in the 13th over bowled Aneed Javed opened the gate of fight back for Islamabad. Sanaullah made 26 runs and Nisar Ali scored 47 runs, Noman was dismissed on duck. Sindh was hovering at 107 for 5 wickets and 211 runs still required to win. But Naeem Ullah and Muhammad Faisal played rationally, knitted 193 runs partnership for 6th wicket and took their team out of whirlpool. Naeem Ullah was adjudged LBW on the bowling of Muhammad Idrees, he made 77 runs. Muhammad Faisal scored his maiden ton at first class level and remained unbeaten on 104* runs off 77 balls.
Sindh chased the target of 318 runs in 37.1 overs for the loss of 6 wickets. Anees Javed and Muhammad Idrees took 2 wickets each and Ehtesham claimed 1.
Result: Sindh won by 4 wickets
Man of the Match: Muhammad Faisal
Match 2 – Punjab Vs KPK; Venue: PAF Faisal Airbase Ground, Karachi
KPK won the toss and put Punjab into bat. Punjab with the help of 232 runs opening stand between Moeen Aslam and Iftikhar Tiger set the huge total of 416 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in allotted 40 overs. Moeen Aslam played a terrific inning of 147 runs off 95 balls and Iftikhar Tiger scored 71 runs. Muhammad Akram, Habib Taj and Muhammad Ijaz shared a 1 wicket each.
KPK tried its best to reach the mammoth target of 417 runs but fell 41 runs short of the target. Tahir Ali’s devastating inning of 134 runs off 85 balls went in vain. Muhammad Akram 59 runs and Riasat Khan’s 48 runs inning couldn’t make desired impact and Muhammad Ijaz’s unbeaten 42 runs didn’t take his team home, he ran out of partners from the other side. KPK was bowled out on 375 runs in 36 overs. Yasir Malik was the pick amongst the bowlers, he claimed 3 wickets while Zafar Iqbal, Israr Hassan and Fakhar Abbas claimed 1 wicket each.
Result: Punjab won by 41 runs
Man of the Match: Moeen Asla
