Bowlers drive Gwadar Sharks to maiden PJL victory

LAHORE: Gwadar Sharks bowlers displayed a combined effort to decimate Rawalpindi Raiders’ on a paltry 116 and powered their side to a resounding 34-run victory in the third match of the ongoing Pakistan Junior League (PJL).

Batting first on the invitation of the Raiders’ captain Habibullah, the Sharks put on a decent performance with the bat to pose a commendable 150/5 in the allotted 20 overs.

Left-handed batter Arafat Minhas top-scored for his side with a magnificent knock of 40. His 24-ball innings featured three boundaries and two sixes.

Besides Arafat, foreign batter Luc Martin Benkenstein chipped in with a vital 33 up the order and laid a solid foundation for a competitive total. He faced 25 deliveries and smashed four boundaries.

The rest of the Sharks batters also made important contributions with the bat and the side as a result set a decent target for the Raiders.

Afnan Khan was the pick of the bowlers for the Raiders as he bagged three wickets for a mere 20, while Usman Khan and Amir Hassan struck out a batter each.

Set to chase 151, the Raiders’ batting lineup failed completely and skittled for a skimpy 116 in 19 overs, thus, handing a remarkable 34-run victory to the Sharks.

Aseer Mughal and Wahaj Riaz resisted with gritty knocks of 26 and 23 respectively, while the rest of their batters seemed clueless against the Sharks’ bowling attack.

Mohammad Shoaib led the bowling attack for the Sharks with astounding figures of 3/12, while Benkenstein, Momin Qamar, and Arafat claimed two wickets each. Mohammad Ismail, on the other hand, made one scalp.

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