As Pakistan Shaheen continued their brilliant run in Australia, they sealed a four-wicket win against Melbourne Renegades in another low-scoring match of the ongoing Top End T20 series. As a result, they are now placed second on the table with only one loss. On the other hand, the Renegades, with same number of wins, sit just a spot below them. Northern Territory continue hitting the first place.
Talking about the match, being put into bat first, Renegades were under the pump from the beginning, losing wickets at regular intervals to be bowled out for 107. Renegades’ best batting came from Jai Lemire, scoring 23 runs off 23 balls, while Blake Macdonald threw in 18 and Will Sutherland 16.
Jahandad Khan spearheaded bowling for Shaheen, who was able to bag 3 wickets at the cost of 19 runs, included bowling by Arif Yaqoob, Mohammad Imran Jr and Faisal Akram, all of whom captured 2 wickets each. Mubassir Khan joined in taking 1 wicket.
Pakistan faced some early setbacks while chasing a below-par target of 108 runs. Captain Mohammad Haris attempted to put the innings back on an even keel and scored 17 before he too was dismissed, leaving the Shaheens in a poor position.
However, it was a crucial partnership that followed, as Omair Bin Yousuf and Usman Khan came together. Omair made his way to 25 from 21, in his role, while Usman anchored the chase with a dogged innings, to be undefeated on 38 from 36 with one boundary and a six.
Although the Shaheens stumbled here and there with the dismissals of Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan, they became successful in chasing the target in the 18th over, due to the composed knocks of Mubassir Khan and Jahandad Khan.
Of the two wins, one in the series is against Perth Scorchers and Tasmania Tigers, while having encountered a defeat from Melbourne Stars. So all in all, the team looks quite comfortable in its course through the tournament.
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