Kashif Abdul Razzaq – Karachi
Pakistan Shaheens suffered a setback in the opening match of the Top End T20 series in Darwin, Australia, facing a 59-run defeat against NT Strike on Sunday.
Opting to bat first, NT Strike posted a challenging total of 185-5 in 20 overs, with Param Uppal leading the charge with an impressive 59 runs off 28 balls, featuring six fours and two sixes.Aaliyan Mahmood and Arafat Minhas were the key wicket-takers for Pakistan, each claiming two wickets.
In response, Shaheens struggled and were bowled out for 126 runs in 18.4 overs, with captain Rohail Nazir contributing the highest score of 41 runs off 33 balls.Jack Wood was the standout bowler for NT Strike, taking four wickets for 28 runs, while Tom Menzies bagged three wickets for 24 runs.The six-team tournament also includes Australian Capitol Territory’s ACT Comets, Melbourne Stars, Melbourne Renegades, and Papua New Guinea (PNG), all competing in the T20 format, with the top-two sides advancing to the final.Apart from the T20 series, Shaheens are scheduled to participate in two 50-over cricket matches against PNG and NT Strike on August 8 and 9, respectively.
The PCB stated that the Darwin tour is part of their initiative to provide emerging cricketers with more opportunities to play away matches in diverse conditions against different opponents across all formats, thus honing their skills and expanding the pool of talented players. Earlier this month, Pakistan Shaheens toured Zimbabwe and are currently in Sri Lanka for the ACC Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup. Additionally, the squad will be competing in the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, scheduled from September 19 to October 8.
Pakistan Shaheens’ squad consists of Rohail Nazir (captain), Aaliyan Mahmood, Ali Asfand, Amir Hassan, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Basit Ali, Faisal Akram, Mohammad Imran Sajjad Ali, Mohammad Irfan Khan, Shamyl Hussain, Shawaiz Irfan, Syed Zeeshan Zameer, and Wahaj Riaz.
Here is the schedule of Pakistan Shaheens’ upcoming matches:
Jul 31 – vs ACT Comets (T20)
Aug 1 – vs Melbourne Renegades (T20)
Aug 2 – vs Melbourne Stars (T20)
Aug 4 – vs PNG (T20)
Aug 6 – Final
Aug 8 – vs PNG (50-over)
Aug 9 – vs NT Strike (50-over)