RAWALPINDI: Inspired by a magnificent unbroken century partnership between Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Rizwan, Peshawar overwhelmed Karachi Blues by seven wickets to retain their Cool & Cool presents Haier Mobile T20 Cup crown at the Pindi Cricket Stadium here on Tuesday night.

The final provided thrills and spills associated with the shortest form of cricket with both sides having equal chance of winning the trophy.

Karachi Blues had come into the title-deciding clash with desire to bring to an end to an unwanted tag of having never celebrated lifting a national T20 trophy. However, for the sixth time country’s biggest cricketing nursery were found licking their wounds in a final as Iftikhar and Rizwan took the game way firmly in Peshawar’s favour with a defining 110-run stand in 58 balls after the champions had lost their third wicket at 68.

Batting with composure and with some luck, Iftikhar and Rizwan completed excellent half-centuries. Rizwan, the wicket-keeper/batsman understudy to Sarfraz Ahmed in the Pakistan side, guided his partner through a difficult phase when Karachi Blues had wrested the initiative with the crucial wicket of Riffatullah Mohmand.

Chasing had been Peshawar’s chief strength in this competition and Zohaib Khan’s winning the toss surprised no one upon calling correctly on the spin of the coin.

Riffatullah set off in a similar fashion in pursuit for 178 as he had done in the semi-final victory over Sialkot on Monday night, blasting his way to 43 off 23 deliveries while hammering six fours and two sixes; the second of which off Anwar Ali was actually awarded by TV umpire Ahmed Shahab after replays confirmed Rumman Raees Khan on the square leg boundary had actually touched the skirting with the towel hanging out from the behind of his trousers.

Anwar, however, scalped Riffatullah before Israrullah and Musadiq Ahmed also departed to bring together Iftikhar and Rizwan.

Rizwan was declared man-of-the-match for combative 58 with his 34-ball featuring eight boundaries sixes and one six. Iftikhar made 57 from 40 balls with four sixes and two fours.

Salman Zaib, the debutant left-arm paceman, suffered most as his four overs yielded 50 runs and no wicket. Shahid Afridi bowled superbly to take one for 21 but the left-arm pacers Rumman Raees Khan and Abdul Ameer paid heavily for being wayward on the night when Peshawar deservingly held the centre stage for the second time after making headlines last year in Karachi when they tamed Lahore (Lions) in the final.

For head coach Abdul Rehman it was a moment of triumph as his charges did him proud by bowling, fielding and batting according to a well-set plan.

Karachi Blues had more stars than Peshawar in their line-up but collectively they were outplayed almost from ball one. Several batsmen got a start but barring Khurram Manzoor and Sarfraz none one could really come to terms with the Peshawar bowling which was once again shrewdly managed by Zohaib.

Peshawar drew the first blood with the third delivery of the final when Shahzaib Hasan flicked Imran Khan Sr to midwicket where Adil Amin held an excellent catch after almost dropping the ball at the first attempt.

Khalid Latif had swiftly moved to 23 from 15 balls with five boundaries before being outfoxed by another well-disguised slow one from Imran Khan Jr and offered a simple return catch to the bowler.

Khurram clobbered three sixes, puling left-arm paceman Taj Wali first up and moved across his stumps to clipped Imran Sr and Taj over the long leg area.

Peshawar batsman Mohammad Rizwan completes a run during the National T20 Cup final against Karachi Blues at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. — APP

But having reached 41 off 24 balls with two fours as well, Khurram found himself short of the crease on a second run taken by Asad Shafiq when the powerful throw broke the stumps at the bowler’s end.

Peshawar were over the moon and joy multiplied further at the departure of the big-hitting Shahid Afridi who just couldn’t get going at all. Clearly bamboozled by Imran Jr in a tremendous 12th over that yielded, the Pakistan T20 captain was responsible for Asad’s downfall on the last ball of that over. Trying to hit over the top in a bid to break the shackles, Asad only managed to thick edge a stunning one-handed diving catch to wicket-keeper Rizwan.

Afridi, received warmly by the jam-packed crowd, was fortunate to collect six runs in one stroke when Adil dropped him on the long-off fence and found ball landing over the line. But Zohaib extracted sweet revenge on the very next ball, which was also the last of his spell, as Afridi sliced a chance to Imran Jr at short third man.

Fawad Alam also left the scene after adding 36 with his captain, offering Imran Jr another catch after scoring 19 off 13 balls.

Sarfraz, who demoted himself to let Afridi bat up the order, played some great strokes to strike six boundaries in a chirpy 26-ball innings of 47 not out to give Karachi Blues a total they could defend at least.

The 27-year-old Swat-born Imran Jr bagged three wickets for 26 runs after giving only six from his first two overs.

Scoreboard

KARACHI BLUES:

Khurram Manzoor run out 41

Shahzaib Hasan c Adil b Imran Sr 0

Khalid Latif and b Imran Jr 23

Asad Shafiq c Rizwan b Imran Jr 19

Shahid Afridi c Imran Jr b Zohaib 15

Fawad Alam c and b Imran Sr 19

Sarfraz Ahmed not out 47

Anwar Ali c and b Imran Jr 7

Rumman Raees Khan run out 0

Salman Zaib not out 0

EXTRAS (LB-1, W-4, NB-1) 6

TOTAL (for eight wkts, 20 overs) 177

FALL OF WKTS: 1-1, 2-53, 3-83, 4-95, 5-105, 6-141, 7-168, 8-173.

DID NOT BAT: Abdul Ameer.

BOWLING: Imran Khan Sr 4-0-35-2 (1nb, 2w); Taj Wali 3-0-39-0 (1w); Imran Khan Jr 4-0-26-3; Zohaib Khan 4-0-38-1 (1w); Iftikhar Ahmed

2-0-17-0; Adil Amin 3-0-21-0.

PESHAWAR:

Riffatullah Mohmand c Salman b Anwar 43

Israrullah c Rumman b Ameer 9

Iftikhar Ahmed not out 57

Musadiq Ahmed lbw b Afridi 4

Mohammad Rizwan not out 58

EXTRAS (LB-1, W-4, NB-2) 7

TOTAL (for three wkts, 18.5 overs) 178

FALL OF WKTS: 1-48, 2-55, 3-68.

DID NOT BAT: Adil Amin, Mohammad Fayyaz, Zohaib Khan, Imran Khan Sr, Taj Wali, Imran Khan Jr.

BOWLING: Anwar Ali 4-0-34-1 (1w); Rumman Raees Khan 3-0-33-0; Abdul Ameer 3.5-0-39-1 (1w); Shahid Afridi 4-0-21-1; Salman Zaib

4-0-50-0 (2nb, 2w).

RESULT: Peshawar won by seven wickets.

UMPIRES: Ahsan Raza and Shozab Raza.

TV UMPIRE: Ahmed Shahab.

MATCH REFEREE: Musaddeq Rasool Khan.

OFFICIAL SCORER: Shakeel Ahmed.

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Mohammad Rizwan.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2015

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