LAHORE: Khurram Shehzad starred with a career-best bowling haul as Faisalabad Wolves cantered to a comprehensive 63-run win over Bahawalpur Stags in the opening fixture of the third Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 Cup at the Gaddafi Stadium here on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old Khurram, duly adjudged Man-of-the-Match, returned figures of four for 20 from his four-over stint of off-spinners as the Stags slumped to 91-8 from their allotted quota of overs in pursuit of a 155-run target.
The Stags never really got going in their chase once Khurram had dismissed Imranullah Aslam and Kashif Siddique with the first deliveries of the opening over and two more as the Stags lost half their side for 59 by the 11th over.
Barring Hammad Tariq, who managed to strike three fours and one six in his 31-ball knock of 28, it was a feeble batting display from a side that earlier in the season had reached the semi-finals of the National Twenty20 Cup at the same venue.
Earlier, the main talking point of the match was the presence in the Wolves’ line-up of Pakistan Test and one-day captain Misbah-ul-Haq who had returned from the tour of South Africa in the wee hours of Tuesday.
Misbah, the Wolves skipper, showed no signs of being jet-lagged as he struck an unbeaten 22 off 20 balls with one six and one four to help his team post 154-4.
Having won the toss and elected to bat first in the Group ‘B’ fixture, the Wolves top-order fired with Farrukh Shehzad hitting five boundaries and a six in a 20-ball 30 before he was first out in the sixth over with 37 on the board.
Ali Waqas, promoted to open, played a sedate innings of 39 (41 balls, five fours), while letting Asif Ali dominate the second-wicket partnership of 59. Asif bludgeoned a brace of sixes and three fours in scoring 34 from 25 deliveries.
Paceman Fahad Masood was easily the pick of Stags’ bowling with two for 14 in four overs.
Scoreboard
FAISALABAD WOLVES:
Farrukh Shehzad c Zulqarnain b Fahad 30
Ali Waqas c Zulqarnain b Talha 39
Asif Ali c Zulqarnain b Imranullah 34
Misbah-ul-Haq not out 22
Khurram Shehzad c Bilal b Fahad 19
Jahandad Khan not out 1
EXTRAS (LB-2, W-7) 9
TOTAL (for four wkts, 20 overs) 154
FALL OF WKTS: 1-37, 2-96, 3-113, 4-153.
DID NOT BAT: Mohammad Salman, Imran Khalid, Ehsan Adil, Samiullah Khan Niazi, Asad Ali.
BOWLING: Kamran Hussain 4-0-29-0; Fahad Masood 4-0-14-2 (1w); Kashif Siddique 3-0-25-0 (2w); Bilal Khilji 1-0-10-0; Ansar Javed 3-0-24-0; Imranullah Aslam
2-0-17-1; Mohammad Talha 3-0-33-1 (2w).
BAHAWALPUR STAGS:
Imranullah Aslam c Salman b Khurram 0
Hammad Tariq b Khurram 28
Kashif Siddique c Ali Waqas b Khurram 0
Moinuddin c Asif b Khurram 15
Kamran Hussain run out 12
Bilal Khilji c Samiullah b Imran 5
Fahad Masood b Asad 2
Rehan Rafiq b Ehsan 3
Ansar Javed not out 9
Mohammad Talha not out 13
EXTRAS (W-2, NB-2) 4
TOTAL (for eight wkts, 20 overs) 91
FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-0, 3-25, 4-58, 5-59,
6-63, 7-67, 8-69.
DID NOT BAT: Zulqarnain Haider.
BOWLING: Khurram Shehzad 4-0-20-4 (1w); Imran Khalid 4-0-23-1; Samiullah Khan Niazi 4-0-10-0; Asad Ali 4-0-22-1; Ehsan Adil 4-0-16-1 (1nb, 1w).
RESULT: Faisalabad Wolves won by 63 runs.
UMPIRES: Akram Raza and Raweed Khan.
TV UMPIRE: Kamal Merchant.
MATCH REFEREE: Saadat Ali.
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Khurram Shehzad.
