An unbeaten 136 by Umar Akmal helped Balochistan topple Punjab by six wickets in the opening match of the Mughal Steel Pakistan Cup 2019 at the Pindi Cricket Stadium here on Tuesday. Umar arrived at the crease with his side struggling at 66 for three in pursuit of a 295-run target, and immediately took control of the proceedings before guiding Balochistan to victory with four overs to spare. Umar belted 14 fours and five sixes in a 108-ball innings after having reached his half-century from 37 balls and the three figures from 86 balls. On his way to his 136 not out, Umar also bettered his previous List A best of 124.
Umar added 120 runs for the fourth-wicket with opener Awais Zia (75, 76b, 7×4, 1×6)), before finishing the job with the experienced left-hander Fawad Alam (37 not out off 40 balls) in an unbroken 110-run fifth-wicket partnership. Earlier, Punjab scored 294 before being bowled out in 49.4 overs. Saad Ali top-scored with a polished 73 from 86 balls with six fours, and put on 87 runs for the sixth wicket with Sohail Tanvir, who used the long-handle effectively while clubbing five sixes and two fours in a 59-ball 68.
Iftikhar Ahmed was the other batsman to score a half-century. He was dismissed after scoring 54 off 57, while Khurram Manzoor contributed a 49-ball 36.Punjab pacer Haris Rauf took two wickets for 48 runs in his 10 overs, while Umar Khan also collected two wickets conceding 54 runs in his 9.4 overs.
Scores in brief:
Balochistan beat Punjab by six wickets
Punjab 294 all out, 49.4 overs (Saad Ali 73, Sohail Tanvir 68, Iftikhar Ahmed 54, Khurram Manzoor 36; Haris Rauf 2-48, Umar Khan 2-54) VS Balochistan 296 for four, 46 overs (Umar Akmal 136 not out, Awais Zia 75, Fawad Alam 37 not out)
Player of the match – Umar Akmal (Balochistan).