Irfan’s ton hands Markhors first loss as Lions prevail in high-scoring contest

FAISALABAD: Irfan Khan Niazi’s swashbuckling century remained in the spotlight as the Lions registered a 35-run victory over leaders Markhors in the eighth match of the Champions One-Day Cup here at Iqbal Stadium on Friday.

Chasing a daunting 368-run target, the Markhors could accumulate 332/9 in the allotted 50 overs despite brisk half-centuries by Fakhar Zaman and Salman Ali Agha.

Openers Bismillah Khan and Fakhar gave the Markhors a flamboyant start with an 88-run partnership.

The opening stand was majorly dominated by Fakhar while Bismillah (20) rotated the strike until he fell victim to Ahmed Daniyal in the 12th over.

With Bismillah’s dismissal, the Markhors began to lose wickets at regular intervals including their set batter Fakhar, who remained the top-scorer with a 72-ball 82 with the help of eight fours and four sixes.

The Markhors were in a state of bother as they were 192/5 in 32.1 overs, needing a further 176 runs.

All-rounder Salman Ali Agha kept Markhors in the hunt with belligerent hitting. He put together important partnerships with Abdul Samad (42) and Mohammad Imran (19).

Agha had steered Markhors in touching distance with a quickfire half-century but skipper Shaheen Afridi struck gold for the Lions by getting rid of him in the 46th over.

Salman Ali Agha remained a notable run-getter for the Markhors with a 39-ball 69 with the help of seven fours and four sixes.

The Lions’ bowling attack then kept the Markhors’ tail at bay and reduced the Champions One-Day Cup’s top-placed side to 332/9.

For the Lions, Shaheen, Aamer Yamin and Ahmed Daniyal took two wickets each.

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Lions’ captain Shaheen Shah Afridi’s decision to bat first bore fruits as his side registered the highest total of the tournament’s history thus far.

The Lions had a commanding start to their innings with their openers Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique scoring half-centuries.

The opening pair added 110 runs to the total until both fell victim to Zahid Mahmood, who struck in his successive overs to reduce the Lions to 117/2 in the 22nd over.

Imam smashed seven boundaries on his way to a 56-ball 51 while Abdullah made 52 off 64 balls with the help of four boundaries including two sixes.

Following their dismissals, Omair Bin Yousuf and Mohammad Taha anchored the Lions’ innings in the middle with a 56-run partnership for the third wicket.

The duo, however, fell in quick succession, leaving the Lions reeling at 181/4 in 33.3 overs. Omair made a 33-ball 30 while Taha scored 31 in 37 balls.

Irfan Khan then joined forces with hard-hitting batter Khushdil Shah to turn the tide in the Lions’ favour.

The pair dominated the Markhors’ bowlers amid their match-defining 147-run partnership for the fifth wicket.

Irfan was the core aggressor of the crucial stand while Khushdil anchored his way through. The left-handed batter finally perished in the 47th over after a magnificent 73 off just 45 balls, laced up with four fours and five sixes.

Meanwhile, Irfan Khan continued his baton charge and brought up his well-deserved century in just 56 balls on the fourth delivery of the final over.

He remained the top-scorer for the Lions with a 56-ball 100, which featured 10 fours and five sixes.

Zahid Mahmood bagged two wickets for the Markhors while Mohammad Imran and Iftikhar Ahmed made one scalp each.

It is pertinent to mention that Markhors are at the summit of the Champions One-Day Cup standings with 37 points in three matches while the Lions are fourth with one point in two matches.

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