Greens ease past Gold to go atop in National Champion Cup standings

MULTAN: Fakhar Zaman's brisk century, followed by Mohammad Hasnain's three-wicket haul, propelled Pakistan Greens to a resounding 128-run victory over Pakistan Gold in the fourth match of the National Champions Cup 2026 here at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Friday.

The defeat, which was their second in as many games, complicated the Gold's chances of qualifying for the four-team final as they remained at the rock bottom with zero points and a negative net run rate of 1.769.

Shaheen Shah Afridi's side, consequently, now need to win their last league-stage match of the National Champions Cup against Pakistan Whites on Sunday at the same venue by a substantial margin to earn a miraculous entry into the summit clash.

On the contrary, the outcome of the recently concluded fixture meant Pakistan Greens pip Pakistan Blues and climbed to the summit of the standings with four points in two matches. The two sides will face each other in their respective final league-stage fixture on Saturday.

Set to chase a daunting 316-run target, the Gold's batting unit could accumulate 186 before getting bowled out in 37 overs despite a spirited half-century by Shamyl Hussain.

The left-handed opener waged a lone battle for the Gold and top-scored with a blistering 40-ball 53, featuring six fours and two sixes, while Haider Ali was the other notable run-getter with his 30.

Right-arm pacer Hasnain was the pick of the bowlers for the Greens as he bagged three wickets for 32 runs in his six overs, followed by Mehran Mumtaz with two, while Fakhar Zaman, Omair Bin Yousuf, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf and Naseem Shah chipped in with one scalp apiece.

Greens skipper Shadab's decision to bat first proved beneficial as they piled up 314 before getting bowled out in 50 overs against Gold, placed at the bottom of the standings.

The Greens, however, got off to a contrasting start to their innings as they lost emerging opener Sameer Minhas (one) in the second over with just six runs on the board.

Following the early stutter, Yousuf joined in-form Zaman in the middle, and the duo dominated the Gold bowling attack to raise a monumental 181-run partnership for the second wicket, which saw the latter bring up his second consecutive century.

Gold captain Shaheen Shah Afridi eventually broke the threatening stand in the 29th over by dismissing Yousuf, who contributed with a 73-ball 74, laced with nine fours and a six.

Zaman, on the other hand, was eventually dismissed by Faisal Akram in the 32nd over and walked back after top-scoring with 115 off 105 deliveries, studded with seven fours and four sixes.

The Greens then suffered another setback to their batting expedition in the 34th over when Saad Khan dismissed wicketkeeper batter Saad Baig (four) and brought the total down to 208/4.

After the flurry of wickets, skipper Shadab and Farhan Yousaf stabilised the innings by putting together an anchoring 72-run partnership, which culminated in the 44th over as Abdul Subhan dismissed the emerging middle-order batter, who chipped in with a 37-ball 40.

Subhan struck again in his next over, getting experienced all-rounder Faheem Ashraf (two), while Shaheen made two scalps in the penultimate over to stop the flow of runs for the Greens.

Greens skipper Shadab, however, was eventually sent back by Mohammad Imran Randhawa on the third delivery of the final over, after scoring 61 off 51 deliveries, comprising four fours and two sixes.

For the Gold, Subhan and Shaheen picked up three wickets, while Randhawa, Saad and Akram made one scalp apiece.