Fletcher flexes his muscles in Pakhtoons win over Sindhis
WINDIES BATSMAN SCORES AN UNBEATEN HALF TON IN 9-RUN VICTORY
Pakhtoons posted the second highest score of the T10 League but Sindhis chased it brilliantly to entertain the crowd before falling short by eight runs at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Pakhtoons’ Andre Fletcher once again played a stupendous unbeaten knock of 68 of 29 balls with five sixes and six boundaries to help Pakhtoons post 137-6. Sindhis made 129-8 through Thisara Perera’s 47 off 13 balls in a run-chase thriller.
Sindhis won the toss and elected to bowl. Pakhtoons got off to a bad start with Cameron Delport getting run out to the first ball of the match. Fletcher, who cracked a brilliant half-century on the third day against Rajputs, continued the same manner. He hit Parvin Tambe for two boundaries and six off the first over.
Shafiqullah Shafiq, who joined Fletcher, hit Jofra Archer for three sixes in the second over and two of them were consecutive.
Sri Lanka’s Isuru Udana, who bowled the third over, was hit by Shafiq for four boundaries and a six to take 23 runs off the over. The crowd cheered Shafiqullah for hitting all the balls to the boundaries except one.
Mohammad Nawaz bowled a brilliant fourth over tying down both the batsmen by giving away just four runs. Ben Cutting ended Shafiqullah innings but having him sweep uppishly to Archer for 45.
Tambe, who was reintroduced for the sixth over, removed Colin Ingram for 7. Fletcher continued to hit hard and hit Udana for a six and boundary. Sindhis fielders too aided him by dropping catches.
In the eighth over, Fletcher was at his best. He hit Nawaz for a six, followed by two boundaries and two more sixes to take 27 runs off that over. Cutting, who was reintroduced got Dawson out for 2 and that brought Boom Boom Shahid Afridi to the crease. He obliged the crowd by hitting a four to long-on but fell to the first ball from Archer in the next over. Archer also clean bowled David Willey, who hit him for a six. Fletcher remained unbeaten on 68 and helped Pakhtoons record the second highest score of the T10 league.
Stroking well
Sindhis’s opener Anton Devcich began aggressively hitting the first two balls from Sohail Khan for boundaries but go run out off the third ball. Khan removed next man David Malan with the last ball of the over.
Skipper Shane Watson hit Mohammad Irfan for a six to long off but his partner Ben Cutting fell to the last ball of the second over. With the score board reading 18 for 3 in two overs, Samiullah Shenwari joined Watson who began stroking brilliantly. Watson hit Willey for a six to long off and two boundaries but fell the last ball of that over 29. When Afridi trapped Shenwari too for 8, Sindhis’ half the side were back in the pavilion for 47 at the half way mark. When everything was down, Thisara Perera hit Willey for three sixes in the sixth over. Nawaz too hit Afridi for a six while Perera whacked
Irfan for two consecutive sixes but fell to the last ball of eighth over for 47 off 13 balls. Khan bowled a brilliant ninth over giving just nine runs and also ending Nawaz’s knock of 13. Isuru Udana hit Sharafuddin for a six.