AbuBakar Associates went against NZ Sports in the final match of Victory Premier League. The match was played on 7th October at Young Fighter Ground.
Najeeb Ullah and Malik Karar Ali opened the innings for NZ Sports. Najeeb displayed a stunning effort, as he smashed 66 runs off 58 balls. However, Malik on the other hand lost his wicket on 1 run only on Shahzaib Ahmed’s ball. Associates displayed a good and a collective effort with the ball and with fielding. Four of their bowlers, Shahzaib Ahmed, Sheroz Khan, Adnan Shah and Muhammad Zaheer bagged a wicket each. In addition to this, 2 of the batters were run out. Hence, the momentum of the batting side loosened. None of the batter was able to make a significant impact and posted a total of 130 runs only.
Abdul Basit Ghauri and Aijaz Sawati opened the innings for Associates. Both the openers scored 18 runs each, hitting 7 boundaries collectively. The bowlers made the effort to restrict the batter, hence, Jamal Uddin and Maaz Khan bagged 2 wickets each. However, Muhammad Zaheer and Muhammad Faizan Khan Bari were responsible for stabilising the innings. Zaheer smashed 42 runs off 30 balls at a strike rate of 140. Faizan added 33 runs to the score and remained not out. Both these innings were crucial in leading the team closer to the target.
As a result, Associates chased the target with 4 wickets to spare and were crowned Champions of the Victory Premier League.
