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Pakistan National T20 Cup

PostPosted: Fri Oct 02, 2020 7:40 pm
by The Professor
This has passed me by but is going on for the next two and a half weeks and boasts a hugely impressive galaxy of Pakistan stars.

Today Khyber Pakhtunkhwa scored a decisive victory thanks to 5-20 from Shaheen Afridi. Fresh from his 6-19 for Hampshire against Middlesex, the fast bowler was back in fine form and limited Balochistan to 152-9. KP managed to overhaul that in 17 overs.

KP have won one and lost one and are fourth out of six whilst Balochistan are one above them on NRR. Northern are in the lead with 2 from 2.

Re: Pakistan National T20 Cup

PostPosted: Sat Oct 03, 2020 10:53 pm
by The Professor
A score of 77 from Sohaib Maqsood was not enough for Southern Punjab to overturn Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's score of 200.

The North Western side have now won 2 of their three games and are second in the table.

Re: Pakistan National T20 Cup

PostPosted: Sun Oct 04, 2020 7:47 pm
by The Professor
Northern Pakistan made it 4 wins in 4 as they comprehensively beat Sindh. 84 at the top of the order from Zeeshan Malik helped NP to a total of 204 - a score that Sindh never looked able to chase.

Re: Pakistan National T20 Cup

PostPosted: Mon Oct 05, 2020 7:58 pm
by The Professor
Shaheen Afridi is in a rich vein of form. He got his third fiverfer in 5 games across two continents today as Khyber beat Sindh. The Pakistan bowler has now got 18 wickets since his sixfer for Hampshire.

He has also propelled himself into joint second place, alongside David Wiese and Shakib Al Hasan, for most five-fers in T20 cricket. At the age of 20 you feel he will have no difficulty getting two more and surpassing Malinga's total of 5.

Almost as a sidebar - KP won.

As did Baolchistan to tie on points with KP thanks to another player who is in fine form. Imam-ul-Haq got 94 yesterday and followed it up with 80 for two wins on the spin.

Re: Pakistan National T20 Cup

PostPosted: Tue Oct 06, 2020 8:01 pm
by The Professor
A lot of team's in this tournament are letting their openers run away with it to allow them to go on and take the spils. Fakhar Zahman did as much today as Khyber won their fourth game in 4 days. 66 from Zahman saw Khyber to 158-7 whilst Central Punjab only got 149 before being bowled out with 4 balls left.

Northen Punjab won their game today to make it 5 in 5 for them as those two teams top the table.

Re: Pakistan National T20 Cup

PostPosted: Fri Oct 09, 2020 7:18 pm
by The Professor
Babar Azam did not waste too much time on his return to domestic cricket. After being in quarantine for two weeks after his stint playing for Somerset, Azam scored 86 (52b, 4*11, 6*2, SR 165.38) to help Central Punjab get just their second win in 6 games. CP who have looked so ineffective thus far in the tournament blew away the total of 166 in 17 overs. Will be fascinating to see how Azam will effect the rest of their campaign.

Re: Pakistan National T20 Cup

PostPosted: Sun Oct 11, 2020 9:43 pm
by The Professor
It is not only Babar who is in good touch in this tournament.

Imam-ul-Haq has bagged three totals out of four that were over 80 with an average of 67 (thanks to a score of 2 against Northern). Today he scored 92 but faced a load of criticism. He played a slow inns, refused single in the last over for his century when the non-striker was Bismillah Khan (a proper power-hitter batting on 15 off 5). Sindh managed to reel in their score of 174 comfortably.

Sindh are now 4th with Balochistan second

Re: Pakistan National T20 Cup

PostPosted: Mon Oct 12, 2020 9:57 pm
by The Professor
Pakistan have a very full compliment of successful openers on their hands. Today it was the turn of Fakhar Zaman to impress as his 68 from 34 balls helped Khyber to 205-4. In reply Southern Punjab were humbled to 132 all out.

Ahmed Bashir made sure the bowlers got some recognition too as his 4-23 helped limit Baolchistan to 125-8. Central Punjab polished that off in just 13 overs.

Khyber are still second whilst Central move up to fourth.

Re: Pakistan National T20 Cup

PostPosted: Tue Oct 13, 2020 10:38 pm
by The Professor
Southern Punjab pulled off a shock by recording a win against resurgent Central Punjab. SP who had only won one of their previous five games put on 205 in their 20 overs. It was tight at the death but CP ended up three runs a drift.

Mohammad Abbas is not the world's finest T20 bowler but his 3-42 was the game changer. His death bowling was what won it for SP.

Re: Pakistan National T20 Cup

PostPosted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 9:58 pm
by The Professor
Khyber got very close to pulling off a bit of a heist against Southern Punjab but couldn't complete the job at the death.

Mohammad Rizwan did a lot of the heavy lifting with a 68 ball 99 but his tram needed 20 off 11 balls and then 6 off the final ball which he could not muster.

Khyber's loss allows Northern Punjab to extend their lead at the top of the table.

Re: Pakistan National T20 Cup

PostPosted: Thu Oct 15, 2020 7:48 pm
by The Professor
The amount of quality openers that Pakistan boast is pretty phenomenal. Haider Ali (8x4 5x6) was the pick of the crop today as his 86 off 50 balls saw Northern Pakistan to one run short of 200. Balochistan whimpered to 160.

In the second game it was not an opening batter who impressed.....shockingly we had to wait until the fourth wicket partnership before Sohaib Maqsood turned it on for Southern Punjab....however that was only in the second over. Coming in at 5-2, Maqsood's 67 helped SP to 191. A total that Sindh could get nowhere near. They were all out for 121 in the 16th over. SP's second win in a row could not lift them off the bottom of the table.

Northern Pakistan are still head and shoulders above the rest of the competition.

Re: Pakistan National T20 Cup

PostPosted: Fri Oct 16, 2020 8:25 pm
by The Professor
Not often a fivefer goes unrewarded, howver Wahab Riaz's 5-21 saw him on the losing side after the Khyber batsmen couldn't keep up the pressure he had set. This must be even more galling as this was a top of the table tussle - meaning Northern are now six points clear at the top of the table.

Southern Punjab went on the attack in their chase of 161 against Balochistan. They are 4th in the league but had a poor NRR.....until tonight. The LOWEST strike rate for SP was 160 with the highest being 366.66 - 33 off 9. Sohaib Maqsood was the most impressive of the gang as he combined explosivity with longevity in his 81 off 29.

Re: Pakistan National T20 Cup

PostPosted: Sat Oct 17, 2020 8:08 pm
by The Professor
Tomorrow marks the final of this tourno - Southern Punjab vs Khyber.

Performance of the Semis came from a side that didn't make it. Sindh missed out on a final spot but Khurram Manzoor has impressed with the most runs in the tournament. He added another 74 today to take his total to 408.

Re: Pakistan National T20 Cup

PostPosted: Sun Oct 18, 2020 11:02 pm
by The Professor
Fakhar Zaman made the extra match count as his 67 in the final saw his Khyber team lift the trophy and to see him top the standings for most runs.

Re: Pakistan National T20 Cup

PostPosted: Sat Oct 02, 2021 8:16 pm
by The Professor
Shoaib Malik turned back the clock and got 85* off 47 balls today as Central Punjab beat Sindh.