Player Of The Match
100* (56)
Table-toppers Markhors endured their first loss despite fifties from Fakhar and Salman
Irfan Khan made an unbeaten 100 off 56 balls • PCB
Lions 367 for 6 (Irfan 100, Khushdil 73, Shafique 52, Imam 51, Zahid 2-49) beat Markhors 332 for 9 (Fakhar 82, Salman 69, Yamin 2-54, Daniyal 2-66, Khushdil 2-67) by 35 runs
Irfan Khan‘s 56-ball ton and Khushdil Shah‘s all-round heroics handed Lions their first win and snapped table-toppers Markhors’ unbeaten streak. The result meant that all eight games in the Champions One-Day Cup have been won by the team batting first.
Abdullah Shafique (52) and Imam-ul-Haq (51) laid the platform for Lions with a 110-run opening stand to allow Omair Yousuf (30) and Mohammad Taha (31) to cruise along in the middle overs.
However, both pairs of batters fell in quick succession. Zahid Mahmood dismissed the openers before Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Imran got Yousuf and Taha respectively. But at 181 for 4, Irfan joined Khushdil, who made 73 off 45 balls, to ensure Lions carried their dominant position up until the end of the innings.
The duo hit 12 fours and eight sixes in their 147-run fifth-wicket stand, off just 79 balls, as Lions breezed past 300 in the 45th over. Khushdil fell and Irfan was on 73 with three overs to go. Irfan was part of Aamer Yamin being run out but carried on to finish with an unbeaten 100 and lift Lions to 367 for 6.
Fakhar Zaman got off to a blistering start, handing Shaheen Shah Afridi another poor opening spell in the process. Ahmed Daniyal was taken down at the end of an 80-run opening powerplay but he fought back by removing Bismillah Khan and then Kamran Ghulam.
The wickets slowed Markhors down and Khushdil got Fakhar and Iftikhar to further derail the chase. Mohammad Rizwan was run out in the 33rd over and handy knocks from Abdul Samad (42) and Salman Agha (69) took Markhors past 300. But Yamin and Afridi took out the lower order to seal the win for Lions.
