North, Johar secure victories in KPL Season 2

KARACHI: North Hawks edged past Gulshan Stallions by 10 runs, while Johar Bears registered a thumping nine-wicket victory over Liyari Eagles on the seventh day of the Karachi Premier League (KPL) Season 2 here at Naya Nazimabad Cricket Ground on Thursday.

In the 13th match of the tournament, Rafay Safdar’s 3/23 eclipsed Sami Afridi’s brisk half-century to give the Hawks their third victory.

Batting first, the Hawks registered a commendable total of 160/7 on the board, courtesy of Rabish Ahmed’s late fireworks.

Rabish smashed three fours and a six on his way to top score for the Hawks with a 22-ball 34. He was followed by opener Shahzar Hassan and Qadir Khan, who made 28 and 27 respectively.

For the Stallions, skipper Shahzaib Ahmed took two wickets, while M Abiss, Rumail Ahmed, Zia Ullah and Jaleel Khanzada made one scalp apiece.

In response, the Stallions could accumulate 150/8 in the allotted 20 overs despite a strong start to the pursuit.

Openers Sami and Mubashir Nawaz laid a solid foundation with an 86-run partnership, which lasted with the former’s dismissal in the 12th over.

Sami remained the top-scorer for the Stallions with a 34-ball 54, laced with two fours and five sixes.

His opening partner Mubashir Nawaz fell an over later after scoring a cautious 33 off 43 deliveries.

The back-to-back dismissals sparked a collapse, which halted the flow of runs and the Stallions eventually fell 10 runs short.

Rafay Safdar was the standout bowler for the Hawks, picking up three wickets. Zain Anwer and Suleman Khan claimed two wickets each, while Dawood Khan struck once.

In the 14th match of the KPL Season 2, Akbar Khan’s unbeaten half-century scripted the Bears’ dominant win over the Eagles.

Batting first, the Eagles only managed 121 runs before getting bundled out in the penultimate over.

Hannan Achakzai top-scored with a 32-ball 33, followed by Hamza Ali Choudhry (20) and in-form Umar Akmal (17).

Mirza Ahsan Jameel starred with the ball for the Bears, taking three wickets. He was followed by Yaqoob Jan, Rehman Ghani and M Ismail, who bagged two wickets each.

In response, the Bears raced to the victory for the loss of just one wicket and 67 balls to spare.

Leading the way for the Bears was opening batter Akbar, who smashed three fours and five sixes and top-scored with an unbeaten 51 off 28 deliveries.

He was supported by wicketkeeper batter Sohail Khan, who struck four fours and as many sixes on his way to a 16-ball 43.

For the Eagles, Abbas Khan picked the solitary wicket.

The Hawks strengthened their second position in the KPL Season 2 standings with six points in four matches while the Bears rose to the third with four points in as many matches.