Pakhtoons prevail
dubai — The Pakhtoons bandwagon continues to rumble on. After becoming the only unbeaten team in the group stage with two victories from two fixtures, there was no halting Shahid Afridi’s men as they marched into the semifinals of the T10 League.
In the first of the play-offs on Saturday night, the Pakhtoons pulled off a last-ball thriller against the Bengal Tigers at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Their six-wicket victory was built on team effort through opener Ahmed Shehzad, Fakhar Zaman as well as Afridi and Englishman Liam Dawson, the duo starring with both bat and ball. The identity of their opposition in the last four will be known after the remaining play-offs.
The Bengal Tigers’ innings was given impetus by David Miller with the South African conjuring the highest individual score of the League so far.
The 28-year-old southpaw stroked an unbeaten 68 from 26 deliveries, a knock that had an astonishing seven sixes and three boundaries.
That as well as opener Johnson Charles’ 12-ball 28 with three sixes and two boundaries and Darren Bravo’s 19 not out off 14 balls with a boundary and a six saw the Bengal Tigers post a competitive 126 for two in their allotment.
Dawson, who was named Man of the Match, continued to use his leftarm to good effect with the 27-yearold removing opener Cameron Delport after the South African had made a run-a-ball nine.
Afridi, on the other hand, had Charles leg before. The Pakistan pace trio of the towering Mohammad Irfan, Umar Gul and Sohail Khan, came under Miller’s assault and leaked runs.
And quite on the contrary, it was a subdued start from the Pakhtoons with opener Tamim Iqbal, Friday’s half-centurion, kept quiet by the Bengal Tiger bowling attack.
But, luckily enough for the Pakhtoons, the chase was kept going by Shehzad. Iqbal scratched around for a 10-ball eight with just a lone boundary before he was caught by Aamer Yamin off Anwar Ali.
The Pakhtoons were to be in a spot of bother as Shehzad followed Iqbal almost immediately, after making 38 from 17 deliveries with the help of five boundaries and two sixes. Shehzad was caught by Miller off Zahir Khan.
Afridi and Fakhar Zaman kept things on the move with the former showing glimpses of his old self with two lusty sixes off Zahir Khan and Aamer Yamin. Afridi had a boundary too off Yamin, following a miss-field at third man.
But just as he promised more to come, UAE pace bowler Mohammad Naveed nipped those thoughts with a fiery delivery which had Afridi middle stump in two pieces. A replacement stump had to be called for, as it housed the stump cam. Afridi’s 23 came from 10 balls.
Zaman followed a little later after scoring 31 from 11 balls with four sixes and one boundary but despite the wickets falling, they had ensured that the target was well within reach.
Dawson and Dwayne Smith then saw them out, remaining unbeaten on 19 and nine respectively. Dawson’s knock came from five balls and included two sixes and a boundary.
james@khaleejtimes.com