Lions 367 for 6 (Irfan 100*, Khushdil 73, Shafique 52, Imam 51) beat Markhors 332 for 9 (Fakhar 82, Salman 69, Yamin 2-54, Daniyal 2-66, Khushdil 2-67) by 35 runs
Irfan Khan‘s 56-ball ton and
Khushdil Shah‘s all-round heroics handed Lions their first win and snapped table-toppers Markhors’ unbeaten streak. The result meant that all eight games in the Champions One-Day Cup have been won by the team batting first.
Abdullah Shafique (52) and
Imam-ul-Haq (51) laid the platform for Lions with a 110-run opening stand to allow Omair Yousuf (30) and Mohammad Taha (31) to cruise along in the middle overs.
However, both pairs of batters fell in quick succession. Zahid Mahmood dismissed the openers before Iftikhar Ahmed and
Mohammad Imran got Yousuf and Taha respectively. But at 181 for 4, Khushdil joined Irfan for a dazzling fifth-wicket stand to lift Lions to a total beyond 350.
The duo hit 12 fours and eight sixes in their 147-run partnership, off just 80 balls, as Lions breezed past 300 in the 45th over. Khushdil fell for 73 off 45, Irfan was on the same score with 20 balls to go. Irfan then went on to smash two sixes and fours each in his remaining 10 balls to reach the three-digit milestone and lift Lions to 367 for 6.
Fakhar Zaman got off to a blistering start, handing Shaheen Shah Afridi another poor opening spell in the process. Ahmed Daniyal was taken down at the end of an 80-run opening powerplay but he fought back by removing Bismillah Khan and then Kamran Ghulam in the space of five overs.
The wickets slowed Markhors down and Khushdil got Fakhar caught behind and Iftikhar caught and bowled to further derail the chase. Captain Mohammad Rizwan was run out in the 33rd over for 20 and the equation was now 176 required off 108 balls. Handy knocks from Abdul Samad (42) and Salman Agha (69) took Markhors past 300, but Aamer Yamin and Afridi dismissed the two set betters and pick another wicket each to seal the win for Lions.
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