Kabul Zwanan clinch last-over thriller
sharjah — The inaugural Gulbahar Afghanistan Premier League (APL) got rolling with a last-over thriller between the Paktia Panthers and Kabul Zwanan, with the latter edging it with a three-wicket win at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday night.
Englishman Laurie Evans reignited Kabul Zwanan’s chase of 219 which had been stop-start, by blitzing 79 from just 39 deliveries with six sixes and five boundaries as Zwanan won with five balls to spare.
Earlier, Zwanan captain Rashid Khan almost rued his decision to have a bowl as the Paktia Panthers openers Mohammad Shahzad and Ihsanullah Janat put the bowlers to sword after which Zimbabwean allrounder Sikandar Raza conjured the top score for them.
Podgy he may be but looks can be deceiving as Shahzad transferred all his brutal power to his arms to club 67 from 39 deliveries and then Raza hustled an unbeaten
40-ball 78 with an astonishing seven sixes and five boundaries.
Whatever Rashid threw at them hardly made a difference as Shahzad and Janat dealt in boundaries and sixes. It also didn’t help that the bowling was a bit wayward, with them having given away 13 extras — four leg byes and nine wides by the time the Panthers had reached 100 for no loss in just nine overs.
Shahzad smacked left-arm pacer Fareed Ahmad Malik off his pads for a six to bring up his 50 off just 34 balls with seven boundaries and three sixes and then followed it up with another six.
But Kabul Zwanan finally got the breakthrough with left-arm spinner Zahir Shehzad removing both the openers in his third over.
The 20-year-old greenhorn had Ihsanullah caught by Laurie Evans for 27 from 19 balls with three boundaries and a six, while Shahzad’s massacre was put to an end after he was castled.
After what looked like a highlights package, a bit of calm returned for Rashid, only but briefly. Raza made sure that then rollicking start given by his captain and Ihsanullah wouldn’t go in vein.
Raza piled on the misery as the bowlers went for bucket load of runs. American pacer Ali Khan went for 53 runs in his four overs, while Fareed Ahmad conceded 41 in his three overs.
Quite surprisingly, leg-spinner Rashid Khan went wicketless although he was a tad unlucky on a few occasions as his threatening googlies missed the stumps.
Amidst the onslaught, Zahir Shehzad returned with two for 36.