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LAHORE: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa defeated Central Punjab by seven wickets to win the National T20 Cup for the second time.
The defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa successfully chased the target of 149 runs in 17 overs in the final played at the Gaddafi Stadium. Skipper Iftikhar Ahmed slammed 45 runs off 19 balls to secure the win for his team.
Kamran Ghulam scored 37 off 31 while Sahibzada Farhan made 26 runs off 28 balls. Adil Amin remained 25 now out from 21 balls to support the winning team. For Central Punjab, Sameen Gul, Qasim Akram and Muhammad Faizan shared a wicket each.
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Earlier Iftikhar bowled brilliantly as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa restricted Central Punjab to 148 runs. He was supported well by youngsters Mohammad Imran and Arshad Iqbal.
Iftikhar claimed three wickets in two overs, giving away only five runs. Left-arm bowler Imran took 3/26 while Arshad claimed two for 28. Imran Khan Snr. and Khalid Usman also claimed a wicket each.
Central Punjab’s experienced batters Ahmed Shahzad (44) and Kamran Akmal (42) posted an 85-run stand after Mohammad Akhlaq went back to the pavilion in the first over.
Central Punjab lost four wickets for just 15 runs. Qasim Akram scored 20 runs off 11 but Imran bagged consecutive wickets to stop them. Faheem Ashraf hit 14 off 6 balls to give Central Punjab a decent score.
👏🎉Congratulations, @KpcricketA🎉👏
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa win the final of the #NationalT20Cup
Scorecard: https://t.co/ugRIkFN5MM#KPvCP | #KhelTouHoRahaHai | #NationalT20Cup https://t.co/XzAs38dckC pic.twitter.com/8XKLKE5EBF— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 13, 2021
