Bowlers give Abbottabad winning start to National T20 Cup

MULTAN: A combined bowling effort, followed by Kamran Ghulam’s unbeaten knock, powered Abbottabad to a seven-wicket victory in the fifth match of the National T20 Cup here at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Abbottabad captain Yasir Shah’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss paid dividends as his bowling unit laid a solid foundation for a massive victory by booking Rawalpindi for a meagre 104 in 18.3 overs.

Leading the bowling charge for Abbottabad were Arshad Iqbal and Shahab Khan, who picked up three wickets each, while Khalid Usman, Fayyaz Khan and Yasir chipped in with one scalp apiece.

Middle-order batter Mubasir Khan remained the top-scorer for Rawalpindi with a 20-ball 24, followed by wicketkeeper batter Taimur Khan, who sedated 23 off 15 deliveries.

Skipper Mohammad Nawaz (17) was the other batter to amass double figures, while the rest of the Rawalpindi batters struggled against a ruthless Abbottabad bowling attack.

In response, Abbottabad comfortably knocked the winning runs for the loss of just three wickets and 41 balls to spare, thanks to Ghulam’s unbeaten cameo.

The Pakistan international remained the top-scorer for Abbottabad with 37 not out from 27 deliveries, comprised of three fours and a six.

Openers Shahzaib Khan (19) and Sajjad Ali Hashmi (16) as well as middle-order batter Mohammad Arif (18) made important contributions.

For Rawalpindi, Kashif Ali, Mohammad Faizan and Saad Masood could pick up a wicket apiece.

The seven-wicket victory put Abbottabad at the top of the Group C standings with two points, while Rawalpindi succumbed to the bottom.