Panthers beat Markhors to win Champions One-Day Cup final

The Panthers won the first-ever Champions One-Day Cup, defeating the Markhors by five wickets in the final match at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad.

Led by Shadab Khan, the Panthers chased down the 123-run target in just 18 overs, after their bowlers took apart the Markhors’ batting lineup in 33.4 overs.

The Markhors chose to bat first but struggled to put up a strong total. Their first batter, Zain Abbas, was dismissed for just 6 runs, caught by Umar Siddiq off Mohammad Hasnain’s bowling.

Fakhar Zaman brought some life into the innings with a knock of 46 runs from 49 balls, including five boundaries and a six, but he was eventually caught by Rizwan Mehmood off Sajid Khan’s bowling.

Kamran Ghulam didn’t last long, scoring only 2 runs before being trapped lbw by Ali Raza, leaving the Markhors in trouble at 26/2.

Haseebullah Khan and Bismillah Khan tried to rescue the innings with scores of 27 and 16, respectively, but both fell before they could build momentum. Haseebullah was bowled by Sajid, and Bismillah was caught by Abdul Bangalzai off Arafat Minhas.

Captain Iftikhar Ahmed, expected to hold the innings together, was out for just 3 runs, falling lbw to Hasnain. Abdul Samad followed shortly after, caught by Sajid off Hasnain’s bowling without scoring.

The lower order didn’t add much, except Zahid Mahmood, who remained unbeaten with 7 runs, and Akif Javed, who made a quick 8 from 8 balls.

The rest of the tailenders fell quickly, with Mohammad Imran and Shahnawaz Dahani both dismissed cheaply by Arafat Minhas. Hasnain and Minhas took three wickets each, while Sajid grabbed two.

In their chase, the Panthers reached the target in 18 overs, but it wasn’t without some hurdles.

Umar Siddiq gave a steady start, but was bowled by Shahnawaz Dahani after making 19 runs off 21 balls. His partner, Abdul Bangalzai, played well for 41 runs from 43 balls, including five boundaries and two sixes, before being caught by Bismillah Khan off Mohammad Imran.

Sajid Khan added 15 runs but was trapped lbw by Akif Javed, while Usman Khan scored a quick 13 off 8 balls before being caught by Zain Abbas, also off Javed’s bowling.

Rizwan Mehmood, who stayed unbeaten with 16 runs from 12 balls, played a key role in the chase despite losing Haider Ali for a duck, bowled by Mohammad Imran. Shadab Khan finished things off, hitting 14 runs off 9 balls, including a boundary and a six, to secure the Panthers’ win.

Together, Rizwan and Shadab made sure there were no more troubles as the Panthers reached their target with 12 balls remaining.