Title-favourites and the newly entrant Lahore Badshahs team continued their good run in the Indian Cricket League Edelweiss 20s Challenge and also proved their superiority as they turned Hyderabad Heroes into Zeroes to register their successive victory in the tournament.
Riding on medium pacer Azhar Mahmood’s five-wicket haul and Imran Nazir’s blazing unbeaten 62, who were later awarded joint man of the match, formidable Badshahs scored a facile nine-wicket lopsided victory over their meek opponents.
Badshahs chased the scanty target of 87 losing out only one wicket after bundling out Hyderabad players cheaply in their second league match of the Edelweiss 20s Challenge played at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium here on Thursday.
Electing to bat, Heroes’ opened the batting with international Jimmy Maher and promising domestic player Anirudh Singh. Azhar Mahmood set the ball rolling for Heroes’ collapse and got the Badshahs their first breakthrough in the very first over castling Jimmy Maher for 5. Heroes’ was bowled out for just 86 in 18.4 overs.
A horrible mix up between the promising Anirudh & Rayudu resulted in the formers run out leaving the Heroes innings reeling at 13/2 in the second over. Badshahs in-form bowler Rana Naved was right into the act as he induced Rayudu’s nick one to slip cordon into the safe hands of Inzamam.
Badshahs bowling was showing its might leaving the Heroes innings tottering at 21/4 at the end of five overs. Justin Kemp & Heroes captain Harris also gave no trouble to the scorers much as they were sent back by the magnificent Badshahs bowling, reeling the Heroes at 31/6 in 7th over.
Heroes’ innings read a dismal 44/6 through the halfway mark with Boje and Razzaq battling it out hard in the middle. Heroes were at 67/6 by the end of the 15th over.
Jimmy Maher (5), Anirudh Singh (5), Ambati Rayudu (3), Stuart Binny (6), Justin Kemp (5) and skipper Chris Harris (0) saddened the prevalent crowd, with their shoddy batting display, turned up so far in the ongoing tournament.
Nicky Boje was the lone fighter who resisted the Badshahs challenge as he scored an unbeaten 39 off 47 deliveries. Boje cracked five boundaries and added crucial 38 runs with Abdul Razzaq (10, 18 balls) for the seventh wicket.
Some exceptional bowling from the likes of international stalwarts Saqlain, Sami ably supported by medium pacer Shahid Nazir kept a tight leash on the scoring rate. Azhar Mahmood was too good for the tail-enders bundling the Heroes innings for only 86.
In reply Badshahs opened its innings with the two attacking Imrans’ Farhat & Nazir. Abdul Razzaq provided an early breakthrough to his team sending back the dangerous Farhat for 4 in the very first over.
But it was all that Heroes’ team could done as the lady luck too was not smiling upon the Heroes with an eventful 4th over from Reddy seeing a catch of a no ball being dropped followed with a boundary and again a dropped chance in the slips.
The boundaries started coming thick and fast for the Badshahs bat with Nazir going severe on young Reddy taking him for 21 runs in the 6th over. Badshahs were handsomely placed at 55 for the loss of only one wicket at the end of the over
Nazir was dealing in boundaries and his partnership with the next batsman Humayun Farhat was worth 70 runs in only 46 balls taking team’s total to 74/1 in the 8th over. Nazir hit three sixes and eight boundaries with Humayun Farhat (18 n.o, 1x6).
Two big sixes of spinner IS Reddy by the mercurial Imran Nazir took the Badshahs home in style for a comprehensive victory.
Brief Scores: Hyderabad Heroes 86 in 18.4 overs (Nicky Boje 39 n.o., Azhar Mahmood five for 13, Naved-ul-Hasan two for 19, Mohammad Sami two for 12) lost to Lahore Badshahs 90 for one in 9.4 overs (Imran Nazir 62 n.o., Humayun Farhat 18 n.o,).
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