Bureau Report
MUZAFFARABAD: Rawalakot Hawks on Tuesday have defeated Muzaffarabad Tigers by 7 runs in the final of Kashmir Premier League (KPL) at the Muzaffarabad Cricket Stadium.
Muzaffarabad Tigers, while chasing a target of 170, managed to scored only 162 runs in 20 overs.
Tigers’ Zeeshan Ashraf remained prominent and scored 46 runs off 26 balls. Zeeshan Ashraf was followed by Muhammad Hafeez (29), Muhammad Waseem Jr. (22), and Sohail Tanveer (21).
Hawks’ bowler’s Asif Afridi and Hussain Talat gave a stellar performance with each bagging 3 wickets each. Skipper Shahid Afridi also sent 2 players back to the pavilion.
In the first innings, Hawks’ Kashif Ali remained prominent and scored a half-century with 54 runs. Kashif Ali was followed by Bismillah Khan (30), Sahibzada Farhan (28), and Umar Amin (23).
At the bowler’s end, Tigers’ Muhammad Hafeez and Usama Mir managed to snatch 2 wickets each.
Squads
Muzaffarabad Tigers
Muhammad Hafeez (c), Zeeshan Ashraf (wk), Sohaib Maqsood, Sohail Akhtar, Inzamam ul Haq, Anwar Ali, Sohail Tanveer, Muhammad Wasim Jr., Usama Mir, Usman Arshad, Arshad Iqbal
Rawalakot Hawks
Umair Amin, Bismillah Khan (wk), Sahibzada Farhan, Kashif Ali, Danish Aziz, Hussain Talat, Shahid Afridi (c), Imran Randhawa, Asif Afridi, Zaman Khan, Muhammad Irfan Jr.
Sent into bat first, openers Umar Amin and Bismillah Khan provided a solid start to Hawks in an all-important final contest. They made the most of the powerplay and scored 53 runs together in 6.3 overs.
Bismillah scored 30 runs off 19 balls with the help of four boundaries and a six whereas Umar made 23 before falling to Mohammad Hafeez.
Sahibzada Farhan scored 28 runs off 21 balls with the help of a boundary and two sixes followed by an eye-catching knock of Kashif which included five boundaries and three sixes. Mohammad Imran Randhawa made 17 off 12 balls including two boundaries.
Hafeez and Usama Mir bowled well for the Tigers as they both took two wickets each. Mohammad Wasim Jr and Arshad Iqbal took a wicket each.
