MULTAN: An unbeaten 42-run partnership off just 18 balls between Anwar Ali and Omair Bin Yousuf helped Sindh beat Central Punjab by five wickets in the second semi-final of National T20 at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Sunday evening.

Requiring 25 runs from two overs to win in pursuit of 180-run target, right-handed Anwar (32) dispatched Ahmed Daniyal for three sixes and a four to collect 24 runs in the penultimate over.

Omair (51) completed his half-century and secured the final berth for Sindh for the first time since the inception of new domestic structure on the second ball of the final over.

The game was pretty neck and neck but spinner Usama Mir tipped the scales in Central Punjab’s favour in the 11th over when he took two wickets on three balls which included the prized scalp of Sindh’s opening batter Saim Ayub who scored 46 on 24 balls and Sarfaraz Ahmed (0).

Earlier, the decision to bat first from Qasim Akram paid dividends as Central Punjab’s opening batters went berserk from the start and scored 77 runs in the powerplay — the most runs in this edition.

In the very next over after the powerplay Mohammad Akhlaq (28) got trapped lbw by leg-spinner Zahid Mehmood. The pair of Akhlaq and Mohammad Faizan knitted a 78-run partnership off 38 balls.

Faizan even after losing his opening partner continued to play big shots and brought up Central Punjab’s 100 in the 10th over, the fastest 100 of the ongoing tournament.

Faizan top-scored for his side, scoring 52 off 31 balls and smoked six fours and three sixes. Qasim (25) and experienced Shoaib Malik (nine) failed to make an impact in Central Punjab’s batting and went in quick succession. But Irfan Khan Nizai kept the score going and played an unbeaten knock of 36, which included two fours and as many sixes.

Omair Bin Yousaf and Zahid Mahmood shared the player of the match.

Brief scores:

Sindh beat Central Punjab by five wickets.

Central Punjab: 179-8 in 20 overs (Mohammad Faizan 52, Irfan Khan Niazi 36 not out, Muhammad Akhlaq 28, Qasim Akram 25; Zahid Mehmood 4-20); Sindh: 185-5, 19.2 overs (Omair Bin Yousuf 51 not out, Saim Ayub 46, Anwar Ali 32 not out; Usama Mir 2-30).

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2022