KARACHI: A brilliant bowling display from rookie paceman Mohammad Irfan enabled Water Power Development Authority (Wapda) canter to the Haier Silver League One-day Cup title with an eight-wicket rout of Hyderabad Hawks in a lop-sided final in Lahore on Sunday.

Irfan, a 19-year-old who hails from Nankana Sahib, marked his List ‘A’ debut on a dream note at the Gaddafi Stadium by picking up four wickets for only 12 runs in 10 overs with half of them maiden as the Hawks were shot out for a measly total of 117 after Wapda skipper Rana Naved-ul-Hasan chose to field at the toss.

Wapda didn’t need second invitation to earn promotion to the top tier Gold League competition next season by reaching their modest target midway through the 28th over. Aamir Sajjad led the chase by striking 65 from 67 deliveries.

Dominating the unfinished third-wicket partnership of 98 in 137 balls with Ayaz Tasawwar (32 off 73 balls, two fours), Aamir hit eight boundaries and one six, a straight blow against off-spinner Nasir Awais to reach his half century. Aamir also had the honour of hitting the winning runs, a four through the midwicket area off Nasir.

Mir Ali Talpur excelled with the new ball to get rid of both Wapda openers, Mohammad Fayyaz and Iftikhar Ahmed, but he was left to rue the fact that his team didn’t put a decent score on the board to put pressure on their opponents who had suffered a shock seven-wicket defeat against the regional side in the opening game of the Triangular Stage last Wednesday.

It was Irfan who proved the Hawks’ nemesis. Coming into the playing XI to replace fellow paceman Mohammad Ali Bhutta who was hit in the face a few days ago during practice, the debutant made life miserable for the batsmen after coming on first change.

After left-arm pacer Waqas Maqsood had made the initial breakthrough by having Zeeshan Gul caught behind for a fifth-ball duck, Irfan — a product of Rana Naved’s cricket academy in Sheikhupura — sent back Hawks skipper Azeem Ghumman for seven, via a splendid low catch at mid-on by Adnan Raees.

Faisal Athar, the tournament’s leading batsman with 446 runs, was then bowled by a fine delivery for no score while facing his seventh delivery before Irfan bagged his third wicket when Shoaib Leghari was taken behind by Riffatullah Mohmand for another duck.

At that stage, it seemed the Hawks would not even reach 60 with half the side back in the pavilion for 31 runs. However, wicket-keeper Mohammad Awais and Lal Kumar then initiated a fightback by adding 39 when misfortune struck them again with Lal retiring at the total of 70-5.

Mir Ali, who had taken up Lal’s place, became the fourth man to depart without scoring when Irfan took the catch to provide Pakistan spinner Zulfiqar Babar his solitary success of the innings. Awais, the top-scorer with a 70-ball 32 (four boundaries), then fell to Irfan with the score on 81.

Waqas returned to dismiss Asif Mahmood for nine. Lal was caught in the cover by Khalid Usman off Rana Naved for 24 (60 balls, two fours) before the former Pakistan all-rounder bowled Nasir Awais to terminate the Hawks innings.

Irfan was adjudged man-of-the-match to the sheer delight of his captain, while Zulfiqar bagged the best bowler award for grabbing 14 wickets during the event.

Faisalabad Wolves captain Fahim Ashraf won the most outstanding cricketer prize for his all-round prowess (132 runs, 10 wickets and four catches).

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Mohammad Khan gave away prizes in a ceremony which was also attended by director domestic cricket Intikhab Alam.

Wapda won Rs500,000 along with the winners’ trophy while the Hawks settled for the runners-up trophy and Rs250,000.

Scoreboard

HYDERABAD HAWKS:

Mohammad Sadam run out 10 Zeeshan Gul c Riffatullah b Waqas 0 Azeem Ghumman c Adnan b Irfan 7 Faisal Athar b Irfan 0 Mohammad Awais c Riffatullah b Irfan 32 Shoaib Leghari c Riffatullah b Irfan 0 Lal Kumar c Khalid b Rana Naved 24 Mir Ali Talpur c Irfan b Zulfiqar 0 Asif Mahmood c and b Waqas 9 Babar Khan not out 15 Nasir Awais b Rana Naved 4

EXTRAS (LB-7, W-9) 16

TOTAL (all out, 43.5 overs) 117

FALL OF WKTS: 1-2, 2-24, 3-25, 4-25, 5-31, 6-76, 7-81, 8-87, 9-107.

BOWLING: Rana Naved-ul-Hasan 7.5-0-26-2 (2w); Waqas Maqsood 10-0-34-2 (6w); Mohammad Irfan 10-5-12-4; Zulfiqar Babar 8-1-20-1; Khalid Usman 8-1-18-0 (1w).

WAPDA:

Mohammad Fayyaz c M. Awais b Mir Ali 10 Iftikhar Ahmed lbw b Mir Ali 8 Ayaz Tasawwar not out 32 Aamir Sajjad not out 65

EXTRAS (LB-1, W-5) 6

TOTAL (for two wkts, 27.3 overs) 121

FALL OF WKTS: 1-18, 2-23.

DID NOT BAT: Riffatullah Mohmand, Adnan Raees, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Khalid Usman, Zulfiqar Babar, Waqas Maqsood, Mohammad Irfan.

BOWLING: Mir Ali Talpur 6-1-19-2 (2w); Babar Khan 9-0-42-0 (2w); Asif Mahmood 5-1-24-0 (1w); Nasir Awais 7.3-1-35-0.

RESULT: Wapda won by eight wickets.

UMPIRES: Ahsan Raza and Ahmed Shahab.

TV UMPIRE: Shozab Raza.

MATCH REFEREE: Aziz-ur-Rehman.

OFFICIAL SCORER: Abdul Hameed.

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Mohammad Irfan.

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2015

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