FAISALABAD: The Markhors secured their third consecutive victory in the Champions One-Day Cup, defeating the Dolphins by 92 runs in the sixth match of the tournament at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, on Wednesday.
Batting first, the Markhors posted 284 runs for nine wickets with an excellent century from Kamran Ghulam and notable contributions from their skipper, Mohammad Rizwan. After a shaky start, losing two early wickets, including Bismillah Khan for a duck and Mohammad Faizan for just one run, Ghulam steadied the innings with an impressive 113 off 110 balls, featuring 12 fours and three sixes. He was dismissed by Sameen Gul.
Rizwan added a solid 51 runs from 67 deliveries, while Salman Agha chipped in with 49 off 47. Despite losing a few late wickets, the tailenders contributed crucial runs, with Zahid Mahmood remaining unbeaten on 15 and Akif Javed hitting 6 off the last ball.
For the Dolphins, Faheem Ashraf was the standout bowler, claiming four wickets for 43 runs, including crucial dismissals of Iftikhar Ahmed, Abdul Samad, and Mohammad Imran. Mir Hamza also took two wickets.
In their chase for 285, the Dolphins started slowly, with Sahibzada Farhan scoring 24 runs off 35 balls before falling short of a big score. His opening partner, Muhammad Hurraira, was dismissed for a duck after 12 balls, caught behind by Bismillah Khan off Akif Javed, leaving the team at 12-1.
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The Dolphins’ top order faced further setbacks, with wicketkeeper-batter Muhammad Akhlaq managing only one run. Captain Saud Shakeel contributed a valuable 41 runs off 56 balls, stabilizing the innings after early losses, before being caught by Akif Javed off Salman.
Qasim Akram offered some resistance with 13 runs from 22 balls before being bowled by Salman, who played a key role in breaking partnerships.
Asif Ali provided a brief spark with an aggressive 50 off 43 balls, hitting three boundaries and three sixes, but his dismissal marked the beginning of the end for the Dolphins. Faheem Ashraf added 15 runs from 28 balls before being dismissed lbw by Mohammad Imran.
Ultimately, the Dolphins were bowled out for 192 in 43.5 overs, with Imran and Salman each taking three wickets.
