In a thrilling climax to the inaugural Champions One-Day Cup, Panthers emerged victorious over Markhors by five wickets in Faisalabad. Inspired by the brilliance of Mohammad Hasnain, Panthers chased down Markhors’ modest total of 122 with ease.
Hasnain, who has been in scintillating form throughout the tournament, continued his wicket-taking spree by claiming three crucial scalps. His efforts extended his lead at the top of the wickets charts to 17, a significant margin over his nearest rivals. Arafat Minhas also played a pivotal role, registering remarkable figures of 2.4-1-1-3 to dismantle Markhors’ batting lineup.
Markhors, led by Iftikhar Ahmed, won the toss and opted to bat first. However, their innings was plagued by early setbacks. Zain Abbas and Kamran Ghulam departed cheaply, leaving Fakhar Zaman and Haseebullah Khan to rebuild the innings. The duo forged a promising partnership of 56 runs, but their progress was halted by the introduction of Sajid Khan.
The offspinner dismissed Haseebullah with an arm ball and then induced Fakhar to miscue a shot, leaving Markhors reeling at 82 for 4. Hasnain then returned to wreak further havoc, removing Iftikhar and Abdul Samad in quick succession. Minhas and Shadab Khan mopped up the tail, with Markhors losing their last eight wickets for a mere 40 runs.
In response, Panthers openers Umar Siddiq and Abdul Bangalzai laid the foundation for the chase with a brisk 50-run partnership. Bangalzai’s 43-ball 41 eased the pressure on Panthers, but Markhors fought back with wickets. Shahnawaz Dahani dismissed Siddiq, while Akif Javed and Mohammad Imran shared four wickets between them.
However, the damage had already been done, and Panthers were cruising towards victory. Unbeaten cameos from Shadab Khan and Rizwan Mehmood sealed the deal, guiding Panthers to a five-wicket triumph and the inaugural Champions One-Day Cup title.
