UMT Markhors win the first match of PCB Champions Cup

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In the opening match of the Bahria Town Champions One-Day Cup, the University of Management and Technology (UMT) Markhors secured a decisive 160-run victory over the Lake City Panthers at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad. UMT set a challenging target, and the Panthers stumbled early, ending their powerplay at 52-6. They failed to recover from this poor start, leading to a comprehensive win for UMT.

Match Analysis

The Markhors dominated with the ball, with Naseem Shah taking three wickets, Akif Javed claiming two, and Abdul Samad executing a crucial run-out. Among the top six Panthers’ batsmen, only Saim Ayub reached double figures with 20 runs.

Amad Butt, with 72 runs from 84 balls, partnered with Mubasir Khan (33 from 31 balls) and Usama Mir (21 from 20 balls) to form two key partnerships. Despite these efforts, the Panthers were all out for 187 in 34.5 overs.

For the Markhors, Naseem Shah and Akif Javed each took three wickets, while Shahnawaz Dahani added two and Zahid Mehmood claimed one, dismissing top scorer Amad Butt.

Earlier, after being asked to bat first, the Markhors’ opening pair, Fakhar Zaman (17 from 29 balls) and Mohammad Faizan (34 from 37 balls), contributed 38 runs before being dismissed by Mubasir Khan and Mohammad Zeeshan in the ninth and 14th overs, respectively.

With the score at 64-2 in 13.2 overs, Kamran Ghulam (115 from 102 balls) and Mohammad Rizwan (45 from 57 balls) formed a 133-run partnership for the third wicket. Rizwan was out in the 34th over, and Kamran completed his 7th List-A century in the 40th over.

The Markhors added 107 runs in the final ten overs to finish at 347-4, driven by Abdul Samad’s explosive 62 off 25 balls and Iftikhar Ahmed’s unbeaten 57 from 44 balls.

Mubasir Khan and Mohammad Hasnain each took two wickets, while Amad Butt and Mohammad Zeeshan each took one.