Karachi: NCA Youth XI outclassed Malaysia in all departments of the game, registering a four-wicket win to level the two-match T-20 series at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Sunday.

Batting first after winning the toss, Malaysia scored 139 for the loss of six wickets with Vikandeep Singh playing an unbeaten knock of 57 off 48 balls with the aid of seven boundaries.

On the other hand, Shafiq Sharif contributed a quick-fire 34 off 25 balls which included four boundaries and two big sixes.

For the NCA Youth XI, Rafiullah was the most successful bowler who took four wickets for 27 runs in four overs.

Chasing 140 to win, NCA Youth XI lost two wickets early in the second over but responsible batting from Haris Sohail (55 runs) guided the home team to a four-wicket victory over the visitors.

Nabi Gul also chipped in with a vital 39 runs off 33 balls which included four boundaries. For the visitors, Derek Michael took three wickets for 21.

Later on, talking to the media, NCA Youth XI coach Abdul Majeed said they made a good comeback in the second match after going down in the first T20 while stating that the young players improved their fielding apart from restricting the opponents to a small total.

“These matches had helped us see the potential of young players especially those selected from the remote areas. And I am glad that some players were really good as well as ripe to represent at the next level in the future,” maintained Majeed.

On his part, Malaysian cricket team manager Shankar Retinam thanked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for playing host and the hospitality provided to them during the tour.

“It was an honour to come here and play at the famous Gaddafi stadium. Winning and losing are part of the game but our players learned a lot during the 10-day stay here which was a great exposure for us,” remarked Retinam.

Talking about security issues in Pakistan, manager of the Malaysian team said that everything was perfectly alright while stating that they had a great time in Pakistan. “In fact, we are thinking to come over here again in April just before the start of the World League to practice at the NCA.”

Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2017