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LEICESTER (England), Sept 18: Naved Latif played a captain’s innings to guide the Faisalabad Wolves to victory in the inaugural International Twenty20 Club Championship (partly reported in Sunday’s edition). The Pakistan star kept a cool nerve in the Wolves’ run chase and finished the game off in style with a six over long on as they overcame the Chilaw Marians with eleven balls to spare in the final.
Naved hit two sixes in his unbeaten 45 made off 33 deliveries and defied a fightback led by Nimesh Perera, who took three wickets.
The Wolves had appeared to be coasting to their victory target of 133 as they reached 96-2 with little trouble, Mohammad Hafeez stroking six fours in his 31 while Asif Hussain supported him well.
But it was when Perera dismissed Asif, Ijaz Ahmed and Mohammad Salman in quick succession that the Wolves’ nerves began to jangle.
Bowlers had maintained a tight stranglehold on the strokemakers as the Sri Lankans posted a modest total of 132.
The flamboyant Sri Lankan batsmen struggled to break the shackles with only Nimesh Perera scoring freely in his innings of 37 off 33 deliveries to help his side pass three figures.
That had looked an unlikely prospect as the Marians lost early wickets, but Perera shared a stand of 36 with Hasantha Fernando.
Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal was the pick of the Faisalabad bowlers with 2-25 and he dismissed Perara and Fernando in quick succession.
Scoreboard
CHILAW MARIANS:
C.S. Fernando lbw b Ahmed 0
T.M.I. Mutaliph c Imran b Sami 25
W.A.D.A.P. Perera run out 0
M.K. Gajanayake st Salman b Hafeez 14
K.H.K.R. Fernando c Sami b Saeed 20
L.J.P. Gunaratne b Imran 0
M.M.D.N.R.G. Perera c Ijaz b Saeed 37
P.C. Jayasundera run out 5
O.L.A. Wijesiriwardene run out 3
D. Hettiarachchi lbw b Ahmed 2
P.U.M. Chanaka not out 2
EXTRAS (B-1, LB-10, W-13) 24
TOTAL (all out, 19.5 overs) 132
FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-13, 3-32, 4-65, 5-66, 6-102, 7-108, 8-122, 9-127.
BOWLING: Ahmed Hayat 3.5-0-29-2 (3w); Samiullah Niazi 4-0-19-1 (2w); Mohammad Hafeez 4-0-21-1 (2w); Imran Khalid 4-0-27-1 (1w); Saeed Ajmal 4-0-25-2 (1w).
FAISALABAD WOLVES:
Mohammad Hafeez lbw b Hettiarachchi 31
Abdul Mannan c H. Fernando b Chanaka 8
Asif Hussain b N. Perera 26
Naved Latif not out 45
Ijaz Ahmed Jr c C. Fernando b N. Perera 0
M. Salman st C. Fernando b N. Perera 4
Imran Khalid not out 7
EXTRAS (LB-3, W-6, NB-4) 13
TOTAL (for five wkts, 18.1 overs) 134
FALL OF WKTS: 1-15, 2-54, 3-96, 4-96, 5-118.
DID NOT BAT: Tauqir Hussain, Ahmed Hayat, Samiullah Niazi, Saeed Ajmal.
BOWLING: Chanaka 3-0-24-1; K.H.K.R. Fernando 3-0-23-0 (2w); Hettiarachchi 3-0-18-1; Wijesiriwardene 2-0-25-0 (2nb, 1w); Gunaratne 4-0-20-0 (1w); M.M.D.N.R.G. Perera 3.1-0-21-3.
RESULT: Faisalabad Wolves won by five wickets.
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Naved Latif.—Agencies
