Zeeshan Ashraf scored the first century of KPL 2021 as left-hander scored 107 off 62 balls
Muzaffarabad: Zeeshan Ashraf’s heroic knock of 107 off 62 balls helped Muzaffarabad Tigers outclass Kotli Lions in a high-scoring competition in KPL 2021 on Tuesday.
Tigers chased Lions’ 196 runs total in the 19th over at the loss of 5 wickets, thanks to a brilliant display of power-hitting from the left-hand opener.
In-game 08 of KPL 2021, Kotli Lions won the toss and elected to bat first on a batting-friendly wicket of Muzaffarabad Cricket Stadium. Both openers helped the Lions score 48 in the first 5 overs, thanks to a brilliant inning of 35 off 16 by Syed Abdullah. Mohammad Hafeez bowled Kamran Akmal for 23 while Ahsan Ali lost his wicket for 11 when Lions had reached 85 in 10 overs. Asif Ali smashed the Tigers’ bowlers for fun in the second half of the inning as a brutal hitter sent the ball over the rope 5 times, scoring 67 runs off 34 deliveries. Saif Badar and Khalid Usman scored unbeaten innings of 28* and 19* respectively, helping Lions post 195 in 20 overs. Sohail Tanvir, Arshad Iqbal, Usman Yousuf, and Mohammad Hafeez got 1’1 wickets each.
195 was a tough ask for Tigers who had struggled to chase a total last night against Hawks but Zeeshan Ashraf had dangerous intentions as Tigers’ opener won the game for his side single-handedly. Taimur Sultan (4) lost his wicket early, Sohaib Maqsood failed to convert his 17 runs start into a bigger inning while skipper Mohammad Hafeez got run out without facing a delivery but Tigers still found themselves under no pressure as the team crossed 100 runs mark in the 10th over of the inning, all due to one man; Zeeshan Ashraf.
He helped the Tigers reach 150 in the 16th over while 17’15 and 19 runs innings of Sohail Akhtar, Anwar Ali, and Mohammad Wasim Jr. helped Zeeshan get a victory for his side in the 2nd last over of the inning. Wicket-keeper batsman scored his first century in the tournament, hitting the ball for 18 fours and a maximum. Akif Javed of Kotli Lions got 2 scalps.
Muzaffarabad Tigers won the game against Kotli Lions by 5 wickets with 9 balls remaining while the same is the second victory of Tigers in the tournament as they have beaten Overseas Warriors as well in game 02 of KPL 2021. Placed at no.2 in the table, they have 4 points after having played 3 games in the tournament while Lions are still in search of a victory as the team stands at no.5 with just one point.
Leave a Reply