Peshawar Panthers are the new national Twenty20 champions in the Haier Cup on Sunday as they defeated defending champions Lahore Lions by seven wickets in the final at the National Stadium of Karachi.
Lions opted to bat first and were kept silent by Panthers’ bowlers Taj Wali and Imran Khan in the first six overs. Imam ul Haq scored an unbeaten 52 off 41 balls but saw all other players taking the long walk back to the dug-out. Abid Ali (22) and captain Azhar Ali (16) were able to make small contributions, while all other batsmen were not able to enter double figures except Tanzeel Altaf who scored 11 runs off eight balls.
Both Panther openers, Rafatullah Mohmand and Israrullah played fearlessly and scored boundaries with ease. Israrullah departed in the fourth over with 20 runs off 14 balls when Qaiser Ashraf caught him LBW.
Iftikhar with an unbeaten 50 runs off 44 balls and Adil Amin with his 33 off 43 deliveries then made sure that Panthers reached home safely.
