KARACHI: Fit-again Pakistan batsman Sohaib Maqsood put on a regal show to guide Balochistan Warriors into the final of the Cool & Cool presents Haier Pentangular One-day Cup with a sensational one-wicket victory against Punjab Badshahs at the National Stadium here on Saturday.

Requiring to score at 7.64 per over to reach 316 in 41.2 overs to finish second behind Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Fighters in the standings on net run-rate, the Warriors sprinted to their target in 41 overs for the loss of nine wickets.

The result was made possible for the Warriors by the extraordinary hitting from the blazing bat of Sohaib, who in a brilliantly-paced innings, smoked 15 boundaries and four sixes in a blistering 125 from only 83 deliveries. Diving with immense power, Shoaib went ballistic after completing 50 off 54 balls and sped to his third List ‘A’ century in 70 balls as the next 50 came off mere 16 balls. Left-arm paceman Waqas Maqsood, back in the attack in the 30th over, was bludgeoned for successive sixes – A effortless flick over square leg followed by a power-packed drive over cover.

Usman Salahuddin (31 off 29, three boundaries) also played a critical part in the stupendous run-chase. First he helped Sohaib put on 87 in 47 balls before keeping his cool in the final overs despite wickets tumbling at the other hand.

Captain Azhar Ali also made a huge impact with 72 off only 56 deliveries (12 fours) before he was tragically run out while backing up at the non-striker’s end. The drive from Sohaib broke the stumps after ricocheting off bowler Wahab Riaz’s fingertips.

At the halfway stage, the Badshahs were favourites to chalk up their fourth win that would have carried them into Sunday’s final against the Fighters who topped the standings. But Sohaib’s audacity and brilliant shot-making changed the complexion of a tremendous one-day match.

Sohaib’s wonderful knock overshadowed an equally superb 158 from discarded Pakistan opener Nasir Jamshed who blasted a career-best 158 from 140 balls as the Badshahs reached 315-5.

The Badshahs thrived on a magnificent start provided by Nasir and Ali Waqas who combined to share the ongoing competition’s highest partnership of 220 in 237 balls on another featherbed of a pitch.

Nasir, who was dropped on 142 by Azhar on his own bowling off a top-edged pull, played lovely strokes on both sides as he slammed 21 boundaries and two sixes.

Ali once again missed out on a second List ‘A’ century when he was stumped by Bismillah Khan off Zulfiqar Babar for 86 just five days after making 99 against Federal United. The 25-year-old from Faisalabad hit 10 fours during his 118-ball knock.

Scoreboard

PUNJAB BADSHAHS:

Nasir Jamshed st Bismillah b Azhar158

Ali Waqas st Bismillah b Zulfiqar86

Umar Akmal c Zia b Kashif8

Shahid Yousuf c Sohaib b Zia36

Imad Wasim b Rahat5

Wahab Riaz not out6

Umar Siddique not out3

EXTRAS (LB-2, W-11)13

TOTAL (for five wkts, 50 overs)315

FALL OF WKTS: 1-220, 2-244, 3-286, 4-301, 5-309.

DID NOT BAT: Saad Nasim, Raza Hasan, Mohammad Talha, Waqas Maqsood.

BOWLING: Ehsan Adil 7-1-25-0 (1w); Zia-ul-Haq 7-1-57-1 (2w); Rahat Ali 7-0-67-1 (1w); Zulfiqar Babar 9-0-58-1; Kashif Bhatti 10-0-52-1 (1w); Azhar Ali 10-0-54-1 (1w).

BALOCHISTAN WARRIORS:

Azhar Ali run out72

Bismillah Khan c Wahab b Raza30

Sohaib Maqsood c Waqas b Talha125

Sami Aslam c Nasir b Raza11

Ayaz Tasawwar lbw b Wahab8

Usman Salahuddin not out31

Kashif Bhatti st Umar Siddique b Imad3

Zulfiqar Babar b Imad 7

Ehsan Adil c sub b Talha11

Zia-ul-Haq b Wahab 2

Rahat Ali not out1

EXTRAS (LB-10, W-1)11

TOTAL (for nine wkts, 41 overs)316

FALL OF WKTS: 1-78, 2-129, 3-162, 4-185, 5-272, 6-277, 7-287, 8-309, 9-313.

BOWLING: Mohammad Talha 8-0-62-2 (1nb, 1w); Waqas Maqsood 4-0-46-0 (2w); Raza Hasan 7-0-53-2; Imad Wasim 10-0-74-2 (1w); Wahab Riaz 10-0-70-2 (5w); Saad Nasim 2-0-7-0 (1w).

RESULT: Balochistan Warriors won by one wicket.

UMPIRES: Khalid Mahmood and Ghaffar Kazmi.

TV UMPIRE: Tahir Hussain.

MATCH REFEREE: Mohammad Anees.

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Sohaib Maqsood.

SUNDAY’S FINAL: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Fighters vs Balochistan Warriors (1:00pm).

Published in Dawn January 11th , 2014

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play