Panthers beat Stallions after in the High Scoring Match

Panthers vs Stallions match in Champions One-day cup saw yet another batting-first team’s victory. In the 9th consecutive match, the chasing team failed to reach the target.

In Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium, Panthers team under Saim Ayub faced Stallions lead by his Zalmi fellow, Muhammad Haris. Saim Ayub decided to bat first after winning the toss (which was obvious). Fans’ eyes were on Babar Azam, the star of Stallions previous victory, who was ready to take the advantage of Shadab Khan’s absence.

Saim Ayub and Azan Awais opened the innings for Panthers. The opening pair was looking solid and managed to utilize the powerplay perfectly. The 100-run opening stand was enough pressurize the bowling side. Azan Awais lost his wicket after scoring a fifty.

After the first wicket, Usman Khan joined the captain Saim Ayub for yet another 100-run partnership, shattering the bowling lineup. Saim Ayub scored his tournament best 156 runs, with the help 7 maximums. Usman Khan played a crucial innings of 75 runs, which came of just 47 deliveries.

After the fall of Saim and Usman’s wickets, Stallions came back stronger. They managed to grab back to back wickets but it was too late for them. Panthers added a score of 344 after losing 7 wickets on the scoreboard. Adil Amin conceded just 21 runs in 8 overs with an economy of 2.62. Zaman Khan took 4 wickets after conceding 90 runs during his 10-over expensive spell.

The score was too high to be chased especially on this pitch. Stallions, in the second innings, had a very dull start. They lost 3 important wickets during the powerplay. Shan Masood, Muhammad Haris, and Babar Azam walked away scoring 8 (11), 19 (14), and 5 (9) runs respectively.

Also Read: Babar lightens up the Iqbal Stadium with a stunning hundred

Hussain Talat and Tayyab Tahir gave the support to shivering side. Hussain Talat scored 63 off 72 runs while Tayyab Tahir turned the table with his much-needed century. He scored 109 off 120 deliveries and gave easy catch to the bowler, Arafat Minhas, after taking the game to the other end. Zaman Khan further added 42 runs off just 16 balls in the death overs. He smashed the 6 sixes and 1 four.

In the last over, 22 runs were required for Stallions to win the match and 21 for tie. Stallions had 2 wickets in the hand. But things did not work. Stallions lost both wickets back to back, resulting in the defeat by 20 runs. Mubashir Khan took 3 wickets from Panthers’ side, Muhammad Hasnain and Ali Raza manage to take 2, 2 each. Saim Ayub was awarded the ‘Man of the Match’ award for his brilliant performance.