Babar Azam's 65 inspires CP [145/8] to a 2-wicket win over Balochistan [142/7] in the Nat T20 Cup

[MenInG]

Balochistan – Imam-ul-Haq (captain), Bismillah Khan (vice-captain and wicketkeeper), Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Akbar-ur-Rehman, Akif Javed, Amad Butt, Ayaz Tasawar, Gohar Faiz, Haris Sohail, Jalat Khan, Junaid Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ibrahim Snr, Umaid Asif and Yasir Shah

Central Punjab – Babar Azam (captain), Hasan Ali (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Ahmed Safi Abdullah, Ahmed Shehzad, Ehsan Adil, Faheem Ashraf, Hussain Talat, Kamran Akmal (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Akhlaq (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Hafeez, Qasim Akram, Saif Badar, Shoaib Malik, Usman Qadir, Wahab Riaz and Waqas Maqsood

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Balochistan have won the toss and elected to bat

 

[Titan24]

Usman Qadir bowling pretty well

 

[Titan24]

Thread title needs to be updated Bal vs Central Punjab. Thanks.

 

[Nasty Naz]

Man, Balochistan is such a bad team. A lot of terrible mediocre domestic players.

Weird to see Haris Sohail still being left out.

 

[Finisher]

Faisal Iqbal has done some terrible picks

Batting looks club level

Saud Shakeel, Agha Salman, Saif Badar could have been getting good game time for them, instead we have to watch Ayaz Tasawur with a career strikerate of 97 and average of 18

 

[PakPremi]

Usman Qadir continues to impress along with some very goodperformances internationally.

 

[PakPremi]

Wahab is better T20 bowlerthan Hasan Ali but will not be in the world cup. He also performed well in the main World Cup.

 

[Nasty Naz]

What a treat to watch Babar. I think he has become the best Pakistani to watch in its history.

 

[A.A.Z]

Even today Babar was dropped by Akif off his own bowling early on.

Needs to bat long to shake that rust off.

 

[shah_1]

Our bowling is not the worry.

It is the lack of batting talent

 

[PakPremi]

Even today Babar was dropped by Akif off his own bowling early on.

Needs to bat long to shake that rust off.

That was half a chance which happens in T20s when you attacking. Nowhere Babar looking rusty.

 

[Darkrai]

This Babar is a terrible leader.

Abdullah has been with the team for a year now without getting many chances, and now Babar doesn't let him play in domestic either-even when the guy was the highest run-getter for CP last season. Meanwhile, his cousin continues to flop with the bat and gloves for a while now and has no future with the Pakistan team. Still, no questions asked.

First, the young opener was made to bat at number 4, and when he succeeded he was dropped. pathetic.

 

[Nasty Naz]

Faheem Ashraf is not a good LOI players.

Odd to see him being sent over Talat as well.

 

[Darkrai]

In other countries, they make sure their young players play as much as possible and play in their correct position.

 

[Omer2002]

This Babar is a terrible leader.

Abdullah has been with the team for a year now without getting many chances, and now Babar doesn't let him play in domestic either-even when the guy was the highest run-getter for CP last season. Meanwhile, his cousin continues to flop with the bat and gloves for a while now and has no future with the Pakistan team. Still, no questions asked.

First, the young opener was made to bat at number 4, and when he succeeded he was dropped. pathetic.

I do agree but i think Abdullah is not a 2020 player although he cant do worse than the other muppetts

 

[Nasty Naz]

Akif Javed looks like such an impressive proper bowler. I hope he stays healthy and plays a full domestic FC season.

 

[Titan24]

Akif with that Wasim Akram vibes delivery to get that wicket of Babar Azam from around the wicket. He actually could have got him earlier but, missed the chance of caught and bowl

 

[Titan24]

Junaid Khan has bowled pretty well today. Needs a really good tournament to get in the radar of Pak or even in the playing XI of PSL again for MS.

 

[Ahmed216]

Junaid Khan has bowled pretty well today. Needs a really good tournament to get in the radar of Pak or even in the playing XI of PSL again for MS.

Still miles better than showbaaz rookies hasnain rauf etc

 

[Titan24]

Junaid has been kind of a hero and now kind of a villain in the same match with these no balls

 

[PakPremi]

Still miles better than showbaaz rookies hasnain rauf etc

Hasnain is not a show off nor he is a bad bowler, especially for a rookie.

 

[MenInG]

 

[PakPremi]

Wahab proving his worth as a bowler and batsman again

 

[Zaz]

Junaid has been kind of a hero and now kind of a villain in the same match with these no balls

Its unforgiveable to be bowling no balls in t20s like he did

Messed it up big time after bowing so well initially

 

[Bewal Express]

Akif Javed looks like such an impressive proper bowler. I hope he stays healthy and plays a full domestic FC season.

Needs a good season of FC gsmes

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

Needs a good season of FC gsmes

Akif, Arshad, Sameen, Dahani, & Shaheen all need to have a good FC tournament, and then hopefully they can be the main pacers for the team for red-ball cricket. Two of the above can play with Hasan and Fahim on foreign tours and hopefully, it'll be a decent attack. Pick seven batters above these and we can have a really competitive red-ball team. Abdullah, Azhar, Ghulam, Babar, Fawad, Saud, Rizwan, Fahim, Hasan, Shaheen, Dahani/Arshad/Akif/Sameen can be a decent team for foreign conditions. Ghulam can bowl efficiently so he can really add balance to the team without playing an extra spinner.

I'm not sure about Zia-ul-Haq but he and Israrullah are my outside picks as back-up to the main bowlers for red-ball. Time to let Abbas play county cricket and make a decent living for himself and then he can later join the coaching team in a couple of years.

Limited overs is just hit-and-miss cricket so you can pick anyone from the available pool and it will not be a lot of difference.

 

[Cric_lover4487]

Why is Kamran Akmal still playing national T20? Shouldn't PCB give opportunity to upcoming players.

 

[Last Monetarist]

Wahab Riaz upstaged a strokeful half-century by Babar Azam and Usman Qadir’s four-fer as Home City Central Punjab stuttered to a two-wicket victory over 2019 runners-up Balochistan in the fourth match of the National T20, which is being produced by the PCB and televised live by PTV Sports.

Wahab followed up his two for 19 with a priceless 20 not out off eight balls with two sixes and a four to earn victory for the star-studded Central Punjab, which required 20 runs off the last 12 balls. Hasan Ali lent Wahab good support deep in the innings with a 16-ball 19 with two fours and six.

Central Punjab’s run-chase was spearheaded by their captain Babar Azam who scored a typical 65 from 45 balls. His entertaining and delightful innings was laced with eight fours and a six. The other Central Punjab batters to reach double figures was Muhammad Akhlaq (14).

Despite making a match out of a small total of 142, Balochistan were left ruing the missed opportunities. When Babar was eight, Akif Javed failed to hold on to a straightforward return catch, while in the critical stages of the innings, Junaid Khan bowled crucial no-balls that not only cost him the wickets but also resulted in easy runs for Central Punjab.

Central Punjab were equally responsible for making life difficult for themselves. After being 73 for two in 9.3 overs in pursuit of a 143-run target, they slipped to 120 for eight in 17 overs – thanks to a combination of poor shot selections and inspired bowing by Junaid (three for 41) and left-arm spinner Kashif Bhatti (two for 15).

However, it remains a mystery why Kashif was introduced in the 10th over and didn’t complete his quota of overs.

Earlier, electing to bat first, No.8 batter Umaid Asif gave some respect to Balochistan’s score when he clubbed three sixes and a four in an 18-ball 32 not out. This included 17 runs off the final over from Hasan, who finished wicketless and conceded 46 runs.

Umaid added 34 runs for the seventh wicket with Kashif, who contributed a run-a-ball 27 with two fours and two sixes.

The bowler to peg Balochistan down was wrist spinner Usman Qadir, who bowled intelligently and smartly to finish with figures of 4-0-25-4.

For Central Punjab, this was their sixth win in 17 National T20 matches since 2019-20, while for Balochistan, it was their 11 loss in 19 matches. While Friday’s victory helped Central Punjab bounce back from Thursday’s 36-run defeat against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it was second successive defeat for Balochistan which had suffered a six-wicket defeat against Northern on the opening day.

Scores in Brief:

Match 4 – Home City Central Punjab beat Balochistan by two wickets

Balochistan 142-7, 20 overs (Umaid Asif 32 not out, Kashif Bhatti 27, Bismillah Khan 21, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 19; Usman Qadir 4-25, Wahab Riaz 2-19)

Home City Central Punjab 145-8, 19 overs (Babar Azam 65, Wahab Riaz 20 not out, Hasan Ali 19; Junaid Khan 3-41, Kashif Bhatti 2-15, Akif Javed 2-31)

Player of the match – Wahab Riaz (Home City Central Punjab)

 

[Bewal Express]

Akif, Arshad, Sameen, Dahani, & Shaheen all need to have a good FC tournament, and then hopefully they can be the main pacers for the team for red-ball cricket. Two of the above can play with Hasan and Fahim on foreign tours and hopefully, it'll be a decent attack. Pick seven batters above these and we can have a really competitive red-ball team. Abdullah, Azhar, Ghulam, Babar, Fawad, Saud, Rizwan, Fahim, Hasan, Shaheen, Dahani/Arshad/Akif/Sameen can be a decent team for foreign conditions. Ghulam can bowl efficiently so he can really add balance to the team without playing an extra spinner.

I'm not sure about Zia-ul-Haq but he and Israrullah are my outside picks as back-up to the main bowlers for red-ball. Time to let Abbas play county cricket and make a decent living for himself and then he can later join the coaching team in a couple of years.

Limited overs is just hit-and-miss cricket so you can pick anyone from the available pool and it will not be a lot of difference.

Sameen Gul has a good seam but he looks overweight and lacks sharpness for a professional fast bowler.

 

[shujaatraza]

Wahab still a better all rounder as compared to Faheem Ashraf. They should be swapping positions. Faheem Ashraf is nothing but a medium pacer now in limited overs.

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

Sameen Gul has a good seam but he looks overweight and lacks sharpness for a professional fast bowler.

I've been following his career since U19 days and he has the capability to surprise batters. Just needs a month or two with a good bowling coach. He's built a bit like Sohail Khan so he may look a bit on the heavy side but he's not really heavy.

 

[Bewal Express]

I've been following his career since U19 days and he has the capability to surprise batters. Just needs a month or two with a good bowling coach. He's built a bit like Sohail Khan so he may look a bit on the heavy side but he's not really heavy.

Doesn't look right to me with his physique but looks to have potential. Fast bowlers should be lean and he isnt

 

[hitthestump]

Why is Kamran Akmal still playing national T20? Shouldn't PCB give opportunity to upcoming players.

There is no quota for upcoming players. Theoretically if Kamran is the best in his position then he should play. If a youngster wants his place then he needs to force him out.

 

[PakEngFan]

There is no quota for upcoming players. Theoretically if Kamran is the best in his position then he should play. If a youngster wants his place then he needs to force him out.

Last year Abdullah Shafique was their highest scorer. Off course he won’t get picked because he’s not the cousin of the captain and young.

 

[Cric_lover4487]

There is no quota for upcoming players. Theoretically if Kamran is the best in his position then he should play. If a youngster wants his place then he needs to force him out.

Ok i get your point. I see same players playing in PSL and now same players are hogging spots in national T20. I was hoping PCB would utilize this opportunity to blood new talent and monitor their progress. Abdullah Shafique warmed bench for national team for last 2 years and now he is warming bench for domestic team. They are wasting precious years of his career. He needs to be out there expressing himself in the field under pressure and learn from it. Players like Kamran, Junaid, Yaser, Khurram etc are unlikely to get opportunity to play for national team regardless of their performance so why not groom young players instead. It would be great for a 18 year old to play matches which are telecasted live. It would be great motivation for them. Just my 2 cents.

 

[hitthestump]

Ok i get your point. I see same players playing in PSL and now same players are hogging spots in national T20. I was hoping PCB would utilize this opportunity to blood new talent and monitor their progress. Abdullah Shafique warmed bench for national team for last 2 years and now he is warming bench for domestic team. They are wasting precious years of his career. He needs to be out there expressing himself in the field under pressure and learn from it. Players like Kamran, Junaid, Yaser, Khurram etc are unlikely to get opportunity to play for national team regardless of their performance so why not groom young players instead. It would be great for a 18 year old to play matches which are telecasted live. It would be great motivation for them. Just my 2 cents.

The players you mentioned won't play international but they have some of the best domestic records. They help keep our local competition somewhat high level which is what it needs to be.

The best thing that Abdullah can do is move to a team like Balochistan - there he will play every game.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

Wahab's batting capabilities are underrated on this forum.

Someone like him could be very useful batting at 8/9 in T20's. Not to forget he is a death overs specialist as well.

No way on earth can you win a WC with guys like Rauf, Hasnain or Dhani. Shaheen and Hasan need better support bowlers.

 

[Zaz]

There is no quota for upcoming players. Theoretically if Kamran is the best in his position then he should play. If a youngster wants his place then he needs to force him out.

Kamran is awful He may come off once in 5-6 games but the guys is consistently clueless in the majority of t20s games he plays

He needs to be put out to pasture and more replaced by a more deserving candidate Enough of this seniority rubbish Its 2021 Pick the best damn players now

 

[shamaan]

There is no quota for upcoming players. Theoretically if Kamran is the best in his position then he should play. If a youngster wants his place then he needs to force him out.

Abdullah shafique was one of the Highest run scores for CP last season