Captain Shamyl Hussain’s half century helped Gwadar Sharks beat Hyderabad Hunters in a high-scoring match of the Pakistan Junior League at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.
The left-handed opener, who represented Northern in the National U19 Cup, scored a classy 57-ball 87 as Gwadar Sharks, chasing 183 for victory and after being reduced to 69 for three, achieved the target with one-ball to spare.
18-year-old Shamyl, who was dismissed when four runs were required from six balls, struck nine fours and three sixes, after reaching his 50 from 39 balls with five fours and two sixes. He added 110 runs from 65 balls for the fourth wicket with Arafat Minhas, who scored 40 from 32 balls with six fours, but joined Shamyl in the hut a ball later.
However, Haseeb Nazim stroked a boundary on the penultimate ball to ensure Viv Richards-mentored Gwadar Sharks notched up their second successive victory. In contrast, it was Daren Sammy-mentored Hyderabad Hunters’ second straight defeat.
Earlier, electrifying half-centuries by openers Saad Baig (64) and Arbaz Khan (61) set the stage for a commanding score, which was fully cashed in on by the later order batters as they collected 50 runs in the last five overs to post 182 for five in 20 overs.
Saad struck nine fours in a 45-ball 64 after reaching his half-century from 30 balls, while Arbaz clubbed five fours and four sixes in a 41-ball 61 after completing his half-century from 35 balls. The two put on 132 runs for the first wicket in 84 balls.
Hyderabad Hunters were equally destructive in the last five overs, scoring 50 runs for the loss of three wickets with Hassan Iqbal scoring a 11-ball 18 not out with two fours and Moiz Rana scoring 12 not out from seven balls. The two batters added 33 runs for the unfinished sixth wicket in 18 balls.
For Gwadar Sharks, Saad Masood was the standout bowler with three for 26.
Scores in brief:
Match 5 – Gwadar Sharks beat Hyderabad Hunters by five wickets
Hyderabad Hunters 182-5, 20 overs (Saad Baig 64, Arbaz Khan 61, Hassan Iqbal 18 not out; Saad Masood 3-28)
Gwadar Sharks 186-5, 19.5 overs (Shamyl Hussain 87, Arafat Minhas 40, Saad Masood 20; Ali Naseer 2-29, Mohammad Zubair Junior 2-20)
Player of the match – Shamyl Hussain (Gwadar Sharks)
Monday’s fixture: Bahawalpur Royals vs Mardan Warriors (6pm)
