In the opening match of the Champions One-Day Cup at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, the Markhors significantly outperformed the Panthers with a decisive 160-run victory. The Markhors established a formidable 348-run total in their first innings.
Faced with this challenging target, the Panthers struggled from the start. The Markhors’ bowlers dominated, leading to the early dismissal of opener Abdul Bangalzai for just four runs in the third over. His fellow opener, Saim Ayub, managed 20 runs before succumbing. The Panthers’ situation worsened when Azan Awais was run out after making only one run.
Continuing his aggressive performance, Naseem Shah of the Markhors dismissed Usman Khan and Haider Ali for eight and two runs, respectively. By the 8.3 over, the Panthers had lost five batters for just 41 runs.
Panthers’ captain Shadab Khan also fell cheaply, scoring four runs before being taken out by Akif Javed. Despite efforts from Mubasir Khan and Amad Butt, who put together a 59-run partnership, the team continued to falter.
By then, the Panthers were all out for 187 runs, concluding the match with a significant loss.
Markhors’ batsman Kamran Ghulam had hit his seventh List-A century earlier, contributing significantly to their high score.
Mohammad Hasnain and Mubasir Khan each took two wickets for the Panthers, who began their campaign with a resounding victory.
