Pakhtoons outclass Arabians to go top

sharjah — South Africans Colin Ingram and Cameron Delport starred in Pakhtoons’ eightwicket win over Maratha Arabians in a T10 Super League match at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday night.

The win puts them on top of the Super League standings after collecting eight points, while Marathas are second on six.

Coming together with the team needing 63 from 32 balls, the pair remained undefeated as they surpassed Marathas total of 125 with four balls to spare.

Ingram was unbeaten after playing a belligerent unbeaten 42 which came from only 13 balls and was studded with five maximums and two fours. Giving him good company was Delport on 36 from 23 balls with two fours and two sixes.

Prior to them it was wicketkeeper Shafiqullah Shafiq whose set the ball rolling during the chase by striking 35 from just 16 balls with four massive sixes and a four. This was after they lost their star batsman Andre Fletcher. The tournament’s top scorer with 215 runs could add only 10 more runs to his tally, as he was bowled by Roelof van der Merwe.

Maratha Arabians were riding high after their crushing defeat of Rajputs in their previous match. Having reduced them to 63 for 7, the lowest in a T10 format, they achieved those runs in five overs.

Pakthoons, on the other hand, too came into the match after drubbing Bengal Tigers by seven wickets.

Earlier, Maratha Arabians, put into bat, lost both openers — Hazratullah Zazai (4) and Alex Hales (6) in quick succession.

But Najibullah Zadran and Kamran Akmal went on the offensive. Najibullah was the first to depart but his 36 from 14 balls (three sixes and two fours) gave the Marathas some confidence and Akmal built on it to hit 25 from 14 (1 six and two fours).