Haaris Ayaz of the Dolphins was the hero of the match who scored 13 runs off eight balls at a stage when his team needed quick runs to give some respectability to their total. Then Haaris tormented the Panthers’ batsmen with his accurate off-spin bowling and grabbed 3 for 24 to earn the Man of the Match award.

The Dolphins’ openers partnered for a decent 77-run stand when their captain Moin Khan won the toss and elected to bat first.

Agha Sabir played an 18-ball enthralling innings and scored 40 with the help of one six and eight fours. Khurram Manzoor also made a useful contribution of 33 off 20 balls. He dispatched seven fours.

Unfortunately the remaining batsmen joined in a regular procession to the pavilion. Moin, who had scored a breathtaking century a day before was bowled cheaply by Sajid for 16. The Dolphins ended with 178 for 9.

The Panthers lost two quick wickets when the total was 26. Rafatullah and Shoaib Khan added 37 runs for the third wicket. Shoaib remained the highest scorer with 23 made off 15 balls. Rafat scored 18. The remaining Panthers couldn’t face the guile of spin duo, Haaris and Faheem Ahmed, who also took 3 for 22, and were all out for 134.

(Article: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only.
Copyright © 2005 Asif Sohail)