Hill Park CC came up against Proud Pakistan CC in the group match of the 13th Challengers Cup and the match proved to be an exhillerating battle that went right down to the final ball.
Hill Park batted first and the top three, Rameez, Zaheer and Waleed made 48,30 and 33 respecitvely at more than a run a ball to lay the foundations of a huge score. But Jawwad and Lal Hussain had other ideas as they bowled brilliant lines and lengths, picking up 3 and 4 wickets respectively to apply the breaks on the Hill Park innings and restricted them to 158 at the end of the 20 overs.
A mouth watering chase was expected with both teams coming hard at each other and they did not disappoint. Proud Pakistan lost both openers cheaply, but big man Jawwad's lucky day with the ball brought him excellent luck with the bat as he cleverly maneuvered the fielders, and set in for the long haul. Asif and Nabeel continued to pick wickets from the other end but Jawwad was set on taking the team across the line. With wickets tumbling all around him, it came down to the final ball off the final over with 1 needed and only 1 wicket in hand. Jawwad set on 84 had to watch the action from the non strikers end as Noman bunted the ball close to the pitch and ran but a direct hit from the wicket keeper meant Noman was shot of his ground and the match ended in an unbelievable tie, sending all the crowds that had gathered into complete ecstacy.
