PESHAWAR, Mar 12: A match-winning 94 by Atiq-ur-Rehman guided Faisalabad Region to their first victory in the National T20 Cup as they defeated Bahawalpur Region by six wickets at the Imran Khan Cricket Stadium on Wednesday night.
Chasing a target of 159, Faisalabad lost early wickets and were reduced to 38-2 in 5.3 overs after strikes from Bahawalpur bowlers Mohammad Azab and Mohammad Basit. Atiq-ur-Rehman then stabilised the innings with a crucial 93-run partnership alongside Muhammad Awais Zafar.
Awais scored 25 off 24 balls, hitting a four and a six, before being dismissed in the 15th over with Faisalabad on 131. By that stage, the side required only 28 runs from 32 deliveries.
Atiq continued his aggressive batting but fell just short of a century. He scored 94 off 51 balls, striking 15 fours and a six.
Asif Ali (14 not out) and Muhammad Irfan Khan (11 not out) completed the chase comfortably as Faisalabad reached 164-4 in 17.5 overs, winning with 13 balls to spare. Mohammad Basit was the most successful bowler for Bahawalpur with figures of 3-23.
Earlier, Bahawalpur were bowled out for 158 in 19.5 overs. Opener Mohammad Faizan Zafar top-scored with 36 from 27 balls, including four boundaries and two sixes.
Daniyal Hussain Rajput contributed 25 runs while Mohammad Sarwar Afridi added 22 as Bahawalpur attempted to recover after slipping to 91-5 and later 115-7.
For Faisalabad, Zaman Khan took 3-30, while Momin Qamar (2-22) and Afaq Ahmad Afridi (2-40) claimed two wickets each.
Atiq-ur-Rehman was named Player of the Match for his match-winning innings.
In the other Group A fixture, the match between Karachi Region Whites and Peshawar Region was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to persistent rain, despite the toss taking place with Peshawar opting to field first.
Both teams shared one point each. Karachi Whites now lead Group A with five points from three matches, while Lahore Region Whites are second with four points from two matches.
Faisalabad moved to third place with two points and will next face Peshawar in a crucial match, while Bahawalpur remain without a point in the tournament.
Thursday’s fixtures (Group B)
- Sialkot Region vs Lahore Blues – 4:30 pm PKT
- Karachi Blues vs Multan Region – 9:30 pm PKT
