Karachi: Opening batter Pakeeza Shabbir continued her brilliant batting form with a third player of the match award after she led Challengers to a five-wicket win over Strikers with a run-a-ball 49 in the 118-run chase as the ninth round of the National U19 Tournament was played out in Karachi across two venues on Tuesday.
The second match in the round saw Conquerors finish their eight-match league-stage run with five wins in eight matches after they beat Invincibles by 24 runs.
Challengers are now back to the top of the points table with six wins in seven matches and the berth in final secured. They will face either of Stars or Strikers in the final of the tournament on Thursday depending on the result of the Stars v Strikers game.
Second-placed Stars are tied on 10 points with a third-placed Conquerors with only 0.23 net run rate separating the two teams. In order to play the final, Stars will either need an outright win against Strikers or they will have to make sure that they do not lose by such a margin that brings down their NRR of +0.89 below Conquerors’ +0.66.
Strikers are yet to win a game in the tournament after seven matches, while the fourth-placed Invincibles will face Challengers in the 10th round in a dead rubber on Wednesday.
At the Oval Academy Ground, Strikers were helped to a fighting total of 117-5 in the allotted 20 overs with Areesha Ansari stepping in with a handy 67 not out off 60 balls with the help of nine fours and one six. She put on a 53-run second-wicket stand with Ravail Farhan (27, 40b, 4x4s) but found no help down the order.
For Challengers, Farya Sadaqat picked up two for 28, off-spinner Memoona Khalid and left-arm pacer Mahnoor Zeb returned identical figures of 1-15 in their four overs each.
In reply, Pakeeza timed the chased well with a run-a-ball 49 hitting four fours, sharing a 35-run opening stand with Sualeha Haroon (8, 9b, 1×4) and then a 37-run stand with Zainab Fatima (10, 24b), who was retired out. Pakeeza was denied her second fifty of the tournament but she took her tally of runs in seven matches to 204.
Memoona showcased her all-round potential as she finished the game with one over to spare striking 26 not out off 20 balls with the help of two fours. Challengers sealed the game with five wickets in bag.
At the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex, Conquerors posted a strong 153-3 in 20 overs with player of the match Samiya Afsar posting 77 off 51 balls hitting 10 fours. Samiya shared a 74-run opening stand with Malaika Suhani (20, 26b, 3x4s). No.4 batter Nasreen Ashraf’s 35-ball 30 not out on the back of two fours led their team past the 150-run mark.
Left-arm spinner Maham Nazakat stood out with 2-23 for Invincibles. In reply, Conquerors tied them down to 129-4 in 20 overs with Narjis Bibi giving only 16 runs in her four and Hadia Mina returning figures of 4-0-27-2.
Invincibles’ skipper Zoofishan Ayyaz threatened to take the game away with her brilliant stroke play which included five fours and two sixes in a 28-ball 44-run knock but she was pinned leg-before by Abeera Riazuddin.
Eshal Saeed was the other batter who kept Conquerors under pressure but her effort of 35 not out off 32 balls went in vain. Conquerors will hope that Stars lose their last game to Invincibles and also get a net run rate hit, the only scenario that will take them to the final.
Round nine – Scores in brief
Match 17 – Challengers beat Strikers by five wickets at Oval Academy Ground, Karachi
Strikers 117-5, 20 overs (Areesha Ansari 67 not out, Ravail Farhan 27; Farya Sadaqat 2-28)
Challengers 118-5, 19 overs (Pakeeza Shabbir 49, Memoona Khalid 26 not out)
Player of the match – Pakeeza Shabbir (Challengers)
Match 18 – Conquerors beat Invincibles by 24 runs at NBP Sports Complex, Karachi
Conquerors 153-3, 20 overs (Samiya Afsar 77, Nasreen Ashraf 30 not out, Malaika Suhani 20; Maham Nazakat 2-23)
Invincibles 129-4, 20 overs (Zoofishan Ayyaz 44, Eshal Saeed 35 not out; Hadia Mina 2-27)
Player of the match – Samiya Afsar (Conquerors)
Wednesday’s fixtures – Last round (T20 matches):
Invincibles v Challengers at NBP Sports Complex
Stars v Strikers at Oval Academy Ground.
