In a thrilling encounter at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Lions emerged victorious over Markhors by 35 runs, snapping the latter’s unbeaten streak in the Champions One-Day Cup.
Lions’ openers Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq provided a solid foundation with a 110-run partnership. Omair Yousuf and Mohammad Taha continued the momentum, but their dismissals brought Irfan Khan and Khushdil Shah together.
Irfan Khan played a blistering knock, reaching his century off just 56 deliveries. Khushdil Shah, known for his power-hitting, contributed with a quickfire 73 off 45 balls. The duo’s 147-run stand propelled Lions to a formidable total of 367 for 6.
Markhors’ chase got off to a flying start with Fakhar Zaman scoring at a rapid pace. However, Ahmed Daniyal’s double strike and Khushdil Shah’s dismissal of Fakhar and Iftikhar Ahmed put the brakes on their progress.
Despite valiant efforts from Abdul Samad and Salman Agha, Markhors fell short of the target. Aamer Yamin and Shaheen Shah Afridi picked up crucial wickets in the latter stages to seal the victory for Lions.
Irfan Khan’s unbeaten century and Khushdil Shah’s all-round performance proved decisive in Lions’ first win of the tournament. The result also marked the first time in the competition that a team batting second had failed to chase down the target.
