In the 24th Challengers Cup, Hill Park CC were matched in a contest against Saadi Associates.
Hill Park batted first, posting a formidable opening partnership. Shah Hussain secured a classy 52 off 41 balls and his partner Fauz ul Hasan registered 86 runs off 54 deliveries. Dominating most of the first innings, Hill Park kept the rate ticking at above 8 runs an over. Ali Naveed was the only bowler who operated at an economy rate of under 6, picking 1 wicket for just 17 runs in his 4 overs. Hill Park set Saadi Associates a target of 173.
The second innings featured Hill Park bowlers defending the target well. They picked wickets upfront and did not let anyone from the top order settle for too long. Fahad Hussain at No. 5 top-scored for his side with a half century but wickets at the other end kept on falling. Asif Feroze and Yasir Manzoor kept things tight in the bowling department, securing 3 wickets each. As the run-rate kept creeping up, Saadi Associates succumbed to the scoreboard pressure and lost their wickets trying to hit boundaries. They were bowled out inside 18.2 overs having managed just 135 runs.
Hill Park CC won the match by 37 runs.
