Truthful Warriors v Radiant Stars

The final game of the Sunday triple threat was a crucial one for both the Warriors and the Stars in pursuit of securing top 4 positions. The Warriors would want to be in a good position with 10 points on the board, whereas the Stars needed to keep their winning streak going to stay within the competition aiming for the play offs! A crucial toss won by Hammad Butt of the Warriors and he opted to bat first again considering his side’s good form defending totals at Alexandra Park!

Mohsin Besharat as usual got his side off to a good start with an early spray of boundaries, whilst Aamir Saeed in the absence of Bilal struggled to get to terms with the wicket. Muneeb Ahmed and skipper Salman Jajja stayed true to their plans and were suddenly starting to see the rewards with 3 big wickets within the powerplay and the score at 27-3. Once again, a repair job was required early on for the Warriors who have been in situations similar to this a few times in the league so far. Khurram and Tauseef tried to wrestle their way through the delicate situation their team was in with a 32 run partnership. However, the experience and class of Yasir Ahmed (3-15) came to the fore for his team as the big off-spinner removed both Khurram and Tauseef. Ahmed Loun’s short stay at the crease added further pressure with the score suddenly at 68-6!

Whilst Hammad (25* off 25) did try to relive his batting heroics from the previous match in a similar situation, however the Stars were much better prepared this time to ensure they do not let their good work slip at the end. A score of 126-8 was registered by the Warriors, who now had to once again channel the Warrior spirit from within to somehow defend this total.

The early wicket of Daud from the bowling of Naveed was the ideal start for the Warriors in the attempt to create the necessary pressure to save the game, but Tehseen’s good form was once again on display as the young right hander was on the move again playing his shots and removing any semblance of pressure for his side. Captain Salman who had been excellent with the ball in the powerplay was now displaying his stronger suit as a cricketer with the bat. A 68 run partnership between Salman (43 off 34) and Tehseen (35 off 24) was excellent in knocking down a vast majority of the runs required, leaving not too many for Farukh and Ehtisham to score the remaining runs with 22 balls to spare!

The Stars needed a win, and also needed to ensure that their NRR is good enough to get them across the line if they do tie on 8 points at the end of the group stages. The mathematicians will be out proving them with the various scenarios of how they can get through in their final match of the season in order to ensure they can at least take out the Warriors on tie, as the Warriors with this defeat will have an anxious wait for the remainder of the league fixtures to see what fate has in store for them!