Salman Mirza’s four-for and Umar Siddiq’s unbeaten 46-ball 64 helped Lahore Region Blues beat Peshawar Regions to clinch the National T20 Cup in the final at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on Thursday.
Opting to bat first, nothing went in Peshawar Region’s favour, with exception of some resistance by captain Iftikhar Ahmed (34) and Mohammad Zulkifal (32).
Nizar Ali (1), Muhammad Amir Barki (2), Israrullah (2), Maaz Sadaqat (1), Waqar Ahmed (9) and Sahibzada Farhan could not managed to show significant resistance with the bat.
Mohammad Imran (1) and Usman Tariq (7) remained unbeaten.
For Lahore Blues, Salman Mirza (4-21) spearheaded the bowling attack, bagging four wickets with exceptional bowling figure in context to the domestic T20 tournament finale.
Mohammad Irfan (2-20) took two wickets.
Qasim Akram (1-2), Nisar Ahmad (1-16), Mohammad Rizwan (1-27) took a scalp each.
Captain Hussain Talat (0-21) was the only bowler, who remained wicketless
Chasing an erratic target, Lahore Blues faced an early hiccup by losing the Pakistan international player, Imran Butt, who could only managed to score 11 runs.
But another seasoned domestic cricketer, Umar Siddiq showcased his batting experience, ensuring the Hussain Talat-led Lahore chased an equation (111-1, 16 overs) in a boisterous fashion, with four overs spared.
Siddiq was ably supported by Lahore wicketkeeper Junaid Ali, who compiled an unbeaten 30-ball-30
For Peshawar, none of the bowlers could create an impact, with the exception of Usman Tariq (1-20) – widely dubbed as the mystery spinner after appearing for the Quetta Gladiators in the ninth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Nizar Ali (0-26), Iftikhar Ahmed (0-28), Mohammad Amir Khan (0-12), Mohammad Imran (0-24) remained wicketless.
It is pertinent to note that following the conclusion of the 21st edition of the National T20 Cup, the tenth edition of the PSL is slated to happen from April 11.
