LAHORE: Bahawalpur Royals fired in the all-important Pakistan Junior League (PJL) final before bowlers decimated Gwadar Sharks to power the side to be crowned as the inaugural champions.
Batting first, the Royals finished at a massive total of 225/3 in their allotted 20 overs, thanks to a disciplined performance from their top four batters.
The Royals’ openers Basit Ali and Shahwaiz Ifran provided the side with a solid foundation as they added 95 runs for the first wicket before Momin Qamar provided a much-needed breakthrough to the Sharks.
Basit scored 35 off 23 deliveries, laced with four boundaries and two sixes.
Momin then struck again in his next over to remove Shahwaiz, who was the core aggressor of the flying first wicket stand.
He top-scored for the Royals with a quickfire 79 off just 32 with the help of seven boundaries and six sixes.
Mohammad Tayyab Arif and Nangeyalia Kharote then put on another brilliant partnership for the Royals as they accumulated 97 runs for the third wicket before the former fell in the 19th over briefly after amassing his half-century.
He scored 56 off 34, including seven boundaries and a six, while Kharote remained unbeaten on 47.
For Sharks, Momin led the way with two wickets, while Mohammad Shoaib made one scalp.
Set to chase a mammoth 226, the Sharks’ batting lineup bundled out for 140 in 15 overs despite a brilliant half-century from Shamyl Hussain.
The left-handed batter put on a fight with a magnificent 67 off just 34 deliveries with the help of seven boundaries and four sixes.
Besides Hussain, no other Sharks batter could chip in significantly in the run chase and only two of them – Arafat Minhas (19) and Danial Ibrahim (20) – could amass double-figures.
Mohammad Zeeshan and Kharote were the picks of the bowlers for the Royals as they bagged three wickets each, while Sajjad Ali claimed two.
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