RAWALPINDI: Opening batters Fakhar Zaman and Khawaja Nafay smashed quickfire half-centuries to propel Markhors to a thumping eight-wicket victory over Dolphins in the 15th match of the Champions T20 Cup here at the Rawalpindi Stadium on Wednesday.
The thumping victory lifted Markhors to the top of the standings with 10 points in six matches, while Dolphins, who suffered their sixth consecutive defeat, have been knocked out of the five-team tournament.
Chasing a modest 140-run target, Fakhar and Nafay laid a solid foundation for the run chase with a magnificent 113-run opening partnership.
The match-winning partnership eventually concluded in the 12th over when Shayan Sheikh dismissed set batter Fakhar Zaman.
The left-handed batter scored 53 off 34 balls, laced with eight boundaries and a six.
Shayan then struck again on the next delivery to dismiss Mohammad Faizan for a golden duck but his back-to-back strikes were far from changing his side’s fortune.
Skipper Iftikhar Ahmed (13 not out) then joined Nafay in the middle and made sure there were no further hiccups in the run chase with an unbeaten 27-run partnership.
Emerging opener Nafay top-scored for the Markhors with an unbeaten 66 from 44 balls, studded with 10 boundaries including three sixes.
Put into bat first, the Dolphins only managed to score 139/8 in their allotted 20 overs despite an anchoring half-century by Waqar Ahmed.
The top-order batter top-scored with a 47-ball 55, which featured six boundaries and a six.
Besides him, Qasim Akram (31) and skipper Faheem Ashraf (20 not out) made notable contributions while the rest of the Dolphins’ batters struggled against Markhors’ bowling unit.
Nisar Ahmed was the pick of the Markhors’ bowlers, taking four wickets for 22 in his four overs, while Akif Javed bagged two.
- Fakhar Zaman
