Key points
- Shaheens chase 261, strong opening partnership sets foundation
- Ubaid Shah leads bowling with four wickets for 41
- PCC XI post 260, aided by Harrison and Rew
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Shaheens secured a five-wicket victory over the Professional County Club (PCC) Select XI to clinch the three-match one-day series 2-1 on Sunday at the 1st Central County Ground, thanks to match-winning half-centuries from Azan Awais and Haider Ali.
Ubaid’s four-fer, Azan and Haider half-centuries hand Shaheens series win
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Chasing a target of 261, the Shaheens got off to a commanding start, with openers Azan Awais and Shamyl Hussain putting on a solid 102-run partnership, putting the home side’s bowling under considerable pressure.
Azan played with great composure, reaching a well-earned half-century.
The opening partnership was broken in the 19.5th over when Shamyl, who scored 40 off 55 balls, was dismissed by Calvin Harrison.
Muhammad Suleman then came to the crease and made an immediate impact, finding the boundary with ease and clearing the ropes three times.
Suleman’s dismissal
He compiled a brisk 44 off 40 deliveries, including four fours and three sixes, before being dismissed with the score on 131-1 after 24 overs.
In the following over, Pakistan lost their third wicket as captain Saud Shakeel was dismissed by Tom Lawes for just one run, leaving the team on 171-3 at 31.2 overs.
Haider Ali joined Azan Awais at the crease, and the pair continued to build the innings steadily.
Azan looked set for a century but fell short, scoring a crucial 88 off 104 balls, hitting 12 boundaries and a six. His dismissal came at 204-4 in 36.4 overs.
With only a few runs needed for victory, the Shaheens lost their fifth and final wicket when Mubasir Khan was dismissed by Harrison, who claimed his second wicket. Mubasir scored 11 off 12 balls.
Haider remained resolute and brought up a composed half-century, steering the Shaheens to a well-earned win.
Remaining not out
The right-handed batsman was unbeaten on 55 off 40 balls, striking five fours and three sixes, while Rohail Nazir remained not out on six as they chased down the target in 46.4 overs.
Earlier, PCC XI elected to bat first but suffered an early blow when in-form opener Will Smeed was dismissed by Ubaid Shah for eight runs. The hosts found themselves 11-1 after 3.2 overs.
Captain Luc Benkenstein attempted to steady the innings but failed to rotate the strike effectively and was dismissed by Musa Khan for 14.
In the very next over, Ubaid struck again, removing Hamza Shaikh for 13 on the final ball of the powerplay, reducing PCC to 53-3 after 10 overs.
Tom Lawes and Ollie Sykes then forged an important 86-run partnership to revive the innings. Lawes narrowly missed out on a half-century, falling to Mir Hamza for 49 off 52 balls with the score at 139-4 in 22.4 overs.
Crucial partnership
Sykes completed his fifty but was dismissed soon after for a well-played 64 off 56 balls, leaving the hosts on 169-5.
Rocky Flintoff added 13 before being run out by Mubasir Khan, and Musa Khan took the wicket of Dan Douthwaite for seven, pushing the score to 184-7.
Wicketkeeper Thomas Rew and Calvin Harrison then put together a valuable 66-run stand for the eighth wicket, helping PCC cross the 200-run mark and edge closer to a defendable total.
The partnership was broken when Saud Shakeel dismissed Harrison for 34 off 27 balls.
In the next over, Ubaid claimed his third wicket by bowling Rew for 44. The innings concluded at 260 in 46.4 overs after Scott Currie was run out by Muhammad Suleman for three.
For Pakistan, Ubaid Shah was the standout bowler, taking 4 wickets for 41 runs in 9.4 overs. Musa Khan claimed two wickets, while Mir Hamza and captain Saud Shakeel took one wicket each.
