Babar Azam Shines With Record Century As Stallions Defeat Dolphins In Champions One Day Cup.
Faisalabad Pakistani T20 captain Babar Azam showcased his skills by hitting his 30th List A century leading the Stallions to an impressive victory, over the Dolphins by 174 runs in the Champions One Day Cup match held at Iqbal Stadium on Thursday.
Babar’s unbeaten score of 104 off 100 balls made him the Pakistani player to achieve this milestone propelling the Stallions total to 271. In reply the Dolphins were dismissed for 97 runs securing the Stallions spot in the playoffs. This marked the Dolphins consecutive loss putting their playoff chances at risk. The final playoff position will be determined in their upcoming game against the Lions on Sunday.
Babar’s innings included seven fours and three sixes with a boundary on the second last ball sealing his record breaking century. Yasir Khan (46 off 58), Shan Masood (34 off 36) and Tayyab Tahir (33 off 49) also made contributions to the Stallions score.
In the bowling department, Mehran Mumtaz (3-14) and Jahandad Khan (3-18) showcased performances, dismantling the Dolphins batting order. The Dolphins faced a collapse losing their final seven wickets for a mere 57 runs. Sahibzada Farhan (32 off 36) and Asif Ali (21 off 28) were the only ones making a significant impact with the bat.
After winning the toss and opting to bat the Stallions got off to a start with a 76 run opening partnership between Shan and Yasir. Babar teamed up with Tayyab to contribute 57 runs for the wicket solidifying the innings. Later partnerships involving Babar, Hussain Talat (23 off 25) and Haris Rauf helped set a competitive total.
Jahandads early breakthroughs left the Dolphins struggling at 40 for 3. Other bowlers seized the momentum to swiftly dismiss the remaining batsmen. Abrar Ahmed played a role by getting out top scorers Farhan and Asif while Haris Rauf also took two wickets to finish off the Dolphins innings.
Scores in Brief:
Stallions scored 271 runs for 7 wickets in overs with Babar Azam remaining unbeaten on 104 runs. Yasir Khan contributed 46 runs, while Shan Masood and Tayyab Tahir added 34 and 33 runs respectively. On the side, Saud Shakeel took 1 wicket for 14 runs, Qasim Akram grabbed 1 wicket for 42 runs and Faheem Ashraf claimed 1 wicket for 48 runs.
Dolphins managed to score 97 runs in overs. Sahibzada Farhan was the top scorer with 32 runs, followed by Asif Ali with 21 runs. Mehran Mumtaz shone with the ball taking 3 wickets for 14 runs. Jahandad Khan also picked up 3 wickets for 18 runs, while Abrar Ahmed and Haris Rauf contributed with 2 wickets each, conceding 15 and 28 runs respectively.