RAWALPINDI – Nurpur Lions pacer Shahid Aziz successfully defended 16 runs to give his team an eight-run win over Lake City Panthers in the Bahria Town Champions T20 Cup crucial match at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
Panthers, set 161 to win, finished on 152-6 in their allotted overs with Danish Aziz scoring an unbeaten 38 off 27 balls. Opener Umar Siddiq scored a 28-ball 38.
Sajid Khan struck two sixes in his eight-ball 17 while Amad Butt scored an unbeaten 13-ball 16 but those were not enough. For Lions, spinner Sharoon Siraj bagged three wickets for 19.
The victory gives Lions eight points from seven matches and a better net run-rate lifts them to second. Markhors are top of the table with 10 points while Stallions are third with eight points.
The defeat leaves Panthers on fourth with six points while Dolphins are pointless with six defeats in as many matches.
Sent into bat, Lions had a solid start with Imam-ul-Haq and Hasan Nawaz putting 85 in 7.2 overs. Imam cracked eight boundaries and a six in his 36-ball 57 while Hasan’s 22-ball 41 were spiced with three sixes and four boundaries. But once Nawaz fell to Sajid Khan the innings fell apart.
Lions slumped from 110-1 to 160 all out with four balls of the stipulated 20 overs remaining unused.
Shahzaib Khan 16 and Khushdil Shah with 13 were the other batters with double figures. Leg-spinner Usama Mir returned with figures of 4-23 in his four overs while pacer Mohammad Wasim Jnr took 2-22.
