With a lower-order blitz and a three-wicket haul, Shadab Khan helped the Lake City Panthers defeat the Nurpur Lions by 84 runs in the Champions One Day Cup 2024.
The Panthers were bowled out for 283 after captain Shadab Khan won the toss and opted to bat at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, the venue of the entire tournament.
An early burst from Lions captain Shaheen Shah Afridi (3-57), Sirajuddin (2-49), and Aamer Yamin (2-33) reduced the Panthers to 51-4 inside 10 overs before Mubasir Khan (90 off 97 balls, 10 fours, three sixes) and Haider Ali (84 off 99, five fours, three sixes) brought them back into the game.
Mubasir and Haider added 144 for the fifth wicket in only 152 balls, but the innings needed further impetus once the former fell after dominating the stand. That came from Shadab, who blasted 37 in 29 balls with five fours.
At 262-5 after 43.1 overs, the Panthers would have backed themselves to score in excess of 300, but they caved in against Ahmed Daniyal (3-47), losing five wickets for 21 runs in 22 balls to fold for 283.
It was never going to be an easy target in a tournament in which the side batting first have won every match until now, that too by at least 50 runs. The Lions soon became 8-2, then 44-3, before Imam-ul-Haq (60 in 62 balls, five fours, three sixes) provided the innings with some impetus.
Irfan Khan (35 in 50 balls, two fours, one six) hung in with Imam, helping add 83 for the fourth wicket. At one point, the Lions needed 157 in 168 balls with seven wickets in hand. At this point Shadab (3-42) had Imam caught behind, and the Lions slid to 163-8 in no time as Usama Mir also claimed 3-55.
A ninth-wicket stand of 36 between Daniyal and Sirajuddin was not enough to alter the course of the match. The Lions were bowled out for 199 in 35.2 overs.
With one point from two games, the Lions are now fourth on the points table, while the Panthers (23 in three matches) are second.
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