Player Of The Match
37 (29) & 3/42
Like the first four games of the tournament, the fifth match was also won by the side batting first
Haider Ali carried Panthers after Mubasir Khan’s dismissal • PCB
Panthers 283 all out (Mubasir 90, Haider 84, Daniyal 3-47, Shaheen 3-57) beat Lions 199 all out (Imam 60, Shadab 3-42, Mir 3-55) by 84 runs
The Panthers claimed their second successive win thanks to contributions of 90 and 84 from Mubasir Khan and Haider Ali, and an all-round contribution from their captain Shadab Khan. A 144-run fifth wicket partnership between the pair powered the team to 283. The Lions did look well placed just before the halfway mark with Imam-ul-Haq’s second successive half-century guiding them to 127 for three, before a collapse saw them lose their last seven for 72 in 79 balls, giving the Panthers an 84-run win, and keeping the Lions winless.
The Panthers won the toss and batted first; that has been a winning formula all tournament and did not change in the only day game of this competition. Sirajuddin and Shaheen Shah Afridi did give the Lions the perfect start, with four early wickets reducing Shadab’s side to 51 for 4, but a remarkable middle-order recovery got the innings back on track.
The next 211 runs came at over a run a ball for the loss of just one wicket and the Mubasir-Haider pair each looked on the cusp of well-deserved hundreds before falling short of that mark. A cameo from Shadab ensured the Panthers posed an imposing total, even if a late mini-collapse saw them bowled out in under 47 overs.
Mohammad Hasnain, enjoying a solid tournament, gave his side another good start with the wicket of opener Sajjad Ali in the first over. His contribution extended to the fielding, running Omair Yousuf out to leave the Lions three down for 44. But a counter-attacking knock from Imam got the Lions back into the driving seat, as he went after spin and pace alike to lead the Lions’ recovery.
But from the moment Shadab returned and drew an edge from the opener that Usman Khan latched onto, the Lions’ resistance fell apart. Usama Mir and Shadab got stuck into the middle order, which never really replicated the role of their Panthers’ counterparts, and offered minimal resistance as the spinners ripped into them. Hasnain returned to clean Sirajuddin up to seal a convincing win, and maintained the status quo of no chasing side winning in this tournament.
Danyal Rasool is ESPNcricinfo’s Pakistan correspondent. @Danny61000
