MULTAN: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has registered its fourth consecutive victory as they beat Central Punjab by 29 runs in the National T20 Cup in Multan.
Chasing a target of 179 runs, Central Punjab suffered an early setback when they lost their in-form opener, Abid Ali, in the first over of the innings for five.
Meanwhile, Abdullah Shafique continued to impress as he stitched a 92-run partnership with Kamran Akmal to keep the chase on track. Kamran Akmal scored 47 off 37 deliveries and Abdullah Shafique scored 43 off 37 deliveries with four fours and a maximum.
All-rounder Shoaib Malik broke the important stand as he removed Akmal for 47. Soon after Akmal’s dismissal, pacer Arshad Iqbal claimed the crucial scalp of Shafique.
Later, Central Punjab kept losing wickets at regular intervals as they were bowled out for 149. Junaid Khan, Wahab Riaz, Asif Afridi, and Arshad Iqbal took two wickets each.
Earlier, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa scored 178/7 in their allotted 20 overs after electing to bat first, with opening batsman Fakhar Zaman scoring a half-century. The left-hander scored 66 off 42 balls with the help of three fours and five sixes.
For Central Punjab, young right-arm pacer Ahmed Bashir finished the innings as the most successful bowler after registering figures of 3-32.
