RAWALPINDI: Opening batter Hasan Nawaz’s quickfire half-century remained the cornerstone of Lions’ three-wicket victory over leaders Stallions in the 14th match of the Champions T20 Cup here at the Rawalpindi Stadium on Tuesday.
Put into bat first, the Stallions managed to score 168 all out from their allotted 20 overs despite in-form Hussain Talat’s 43 runs down the order.
Openers Shamyl Hussain and Maaz Sadaqat gave the Stallions a decent start with a 46-run partnership, lasted with the former’s dismissal in the sixth over. Hussain scored a run-a-ball 18.
Skipper Mohammad Haris then joined Sadaqat for a brief 17-run partnership and walked back in the ninth over after scoring a nine-ball seven.
Following his dismissal, the Stallions lost two more wickets in quick succession, including that of set opener Sadaqat, who scored an anchoring 34 off 27 deliveries.
Experienced batter Shoaib Malik and Hussain Talat then joined hands to launch recovery and had added 40 runs for the fifth wicket until right-arm pacer Musa Khan broke the budding partnership by getting rid of the former, who scored 22 off 16.
His dismissal sparked a middle-order collapse, which saw the Stallions losing wickets at an alarming rate. But, Talat remained firm and ticked the scoreboard single-handedly before finally perishing on the penultimate delivery of the innings.
Talat remained the top-scorer for the Stallions with a 29-ball 43, laced with five fours and a six.
Musa led the bowling charge for the Lions with three wickets, while Khushdil Shah and Shahid Aziz bagged two each.
In response, the Lions chased down the 169-run target for the loss of seven wickets and six balls to spare, thanks to Hasan’s sensible half-century.
The opening batter single-handedly oversaw the Lions’ pursuit until his dismissal in the 15th over and remained the top-scorer for the side with a 54-ball 74, studded with eight fours and three sixes.
Following his dismissal, the Lions suffered another massive dent to their pursuit as Khushdil perished for a run-a-ball 10, leaving them needing 40 runs from 22 deliveries.
But a match-defining 34-run partnership between Rohail Nazir and Shahid, coming from just 13 deliveries, steered Lions over the line.
Rohail scored an unbeaten 26 off 12 deliveries, while Shahid made 13 off six balls.
For the Stallions, Shoaib Malik and Sadaqat bagged two wickets each, while Usman Tariq, Mohammad Ali and Mohammad Amir Khan shared three wickets between them.
The three-wicket victory lifted the Lions to the third in the Champions T20 Cup standings with six points in six matches, while the Stallions remained at the top with eight points in as many games.
