KARACHI: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kamran Ghulam scored a century to lead his side to a six-wicket win over Balochistan in their Pakistan Cup third-round match here at the State Bank Stadium on Wednesday.

In the round’s other matches, Central Punjab beat Southern Punjab by 25 runs while Sindh edged Northern by 29 runs.

Kamran hit 123 off 115 balls to help Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chase down a decent 313-run target by Balochistan, who were put into bat after losing the toss.

The seasoned right-hander plundered the Balochistan bowlers for six fours and as many sixes. He was ably supported by Waqar Ahmed’s 86-ball knock of 87, which was studded with nine fours and two sixes.

The duo combined for 125 runs for the third wicket before Pakistan white-ball mainstay Khushdil Shah smashed 47 off 50 as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa crossed the finish line.

Earlier, Bismillah Khan’s onslaught of 88 runs off just 69 balls proved crucial for Balochistan. The right-handed batter smashed 11 fours and two sixes in his knock. Imran Butt added 76 off 80.

In a low-scoring fixture at the NBP Sports Complex, all-rounder Aamer Yamin’s economic show with the ball help Central Punjab defend a 153-run total.

Aamer conceded just 19 runs in his six overs and took two wickets as Southern Punjab were bundled out for just 128 runs. Spinner Zafar Gohar claimed three victims while Usama Mir bagged two scalps.

Zafar also made a crucial contribution with the bat, hitting 36 off 43 balls with the help of three fours and two sixes after Central Punjab opener Mohammad Faizan added 40 off 51.

At the UBL Sports Complex, half-centuries by Danish Aziz and Saim Ayub and three wickets from Shahnawaz Dahani gave Sindh their first win of the tournament.

Put into bat, Sindh scored 327-5 as left-handed Danish struck seven fours and four sixes during his 50-ball 82. He was equally supported by southpaw opening batter Saim, who scored 77 off 80 balls, studded with 11 fours and one six. For Northern, spinner Mehran Mumtaz bagged two wickets for 43.

In return, Northern fell 30 runs short of the target and were bowled out for 298 in the 48th over. Umar Akmal top-scored for his side with a 58-ball 95, which included 10 fours and five sixes. Zeeshan Malik scored 87 off 86, hitting 10 fours and three sixes.

Summarised scores:

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beat Balochistan by six wickets

BALOCHISTAN 313-8 in 50 overs (Bismillah Khan 88 not out, Imran Butt 76; Ihsanullah 3-72, Mohammad Imran 2-69); KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA 314-4 in 49 overs (Kamran Ghulam 123 not out, Waqar Ahmed 87; Khurram Shahzad 2-58)

Central Punjab beat Southern Punjab by 25 runs

CENTRAL PUNJAB 153 in 34.2 overs (Mohammad Faizan 40, Zafar Gohar 36; Arafat Minhas 3-30, Hassan Khan 3-35); SOUTHERN PUNJAB 128 in 34.4 overs (Hassan Khan 32 not out; Zafar Gohar 3-42, Aamer Yamin 2-19)

Sindh beat Northern by 29 runs

SINDH 327-5 in 50 overs (Danish Aziz 82 not out, Saim Ayub 77; Mehran Mumtaz 2-43); NORTHERN 298 in 47.4 overs (Umar Akmal 95, Zeeshan Malik 87; Shahnawaz Dahani 3-60)

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2022