Day 3 of the Kolachi Premier League (KPL) kicked off on 1st April. It was fantastic night of tape ball cricket with some lethal bowling spells and explosive innings.
Karachi Stars v Shamsi Super Kings
Shamsi Super Kings batted first and outdone by a strong bowling performance from Karachi Stars. Hamza was outstanding with the ball picking up 2 quick wickets to rattle the opposition. A run out of opener Sanaullah added further pressure to the situation as Shamsi batsmen struggled against a good display of bowling. Only Raja and Hammad were able to contribute runs with the bat, putting up some resistance to post scores of 14 and 20 runs respectively. Zubair and Saad also took a wicket each to restrict Shamsi Super Kings to 60 for 6 in 6 overs.
What a disastrous start for Karachi Stars as they lost opener Salman for duck. Despite a manageable total to chase, the batsmen threw away their wickets, unable to capitalize on some decent starts. Shehriyar and Zubair top scored for their side with 13 and 14 run contributions but it was the bowlers who won that day. Waqar bamboozled the Stars batsmen picking up 2 wickets in his spell with the rest of the bowling attack chipping in. Despite a large surge by Anas of 7 runs off 3 balls, Saad, Saadi, Ishtiaq and Hammad did well to limit the opposition to only 53 for 7 in 6 overs.
Shamsi Super Kings won by 7 runs.
United Pack v Cousins XI
It was the Ikram show from start to finish! United Pack batted first with opener Ikram smashing an impressive 50 off just 19 balls. Cousins XI's bowlers struggled to pick wickets when required or stop the flow of runs. Saad and Usman's cameos of 14 and 16 ensuded that United Pack set up a mammoth target of 97 for 3 in 6 overs. Faizan and Ali were the two bowlers to pick up a wicket each.
With a massive target to chase, Cousins XI needed an extraordinary innings to get them over the line. Shehroz and Nabeel got their team off to a flying start scoring 18 and 17 before Ikram struck with the ball. The all rounder made quick work of the batting line up, taking 3 wickets to leave no chance for the chasing side. Saad caused further damage with his 2 wickets with Dilawar taking 1 wicket. Cousins XI lost 3 of their batsmen for duck in what turned out to be a complete one sided affair. They were restricted to 49 for 6 in 6 overs.
United Pack won by 48 runs.
Shamsi Super Kings v United Pack
Shamsi Super Kings batted first with opener Asif starring with the bat. His knock of 68 runs came off just 24 balls leaving the bowlers stunned and helpless. Dilawar picked up the wicket of his partner Raju but nothing could stop the Kings batsmen from scoring. Usman also knocked a cameo of 19 runs. Shamsi Super Kings set a huge target of 107 in just 6 overs.
United Pack were on the backfoot with scoreboard pressure from the first ball. With a required run rate of 17.8, the team had their work cut out for them. Faisal however had other plans in mind. The Shamsi Super Kings bowlers ripped through the batting line up with a brutal spell of 3 wickets. Hammad joined the party with his 2, leaving no room for the United's batsmen to score. Saad, Waqar and Ikram were the trio that showed some resistance with scores of 12, 13 and 18 runs but it wasn't enough to chase down the sizeable target. They ended at 76 for 5 in 6 overs.
Shamsi Super Kings won by 31 runs.
Cousins XI v Karachi Stars
Cousins XI batted first and were met with an immediate setback as they lost opener Shahdin for duck! Things did not get any easier for the batting side as they kept losing wickets to a defiant display of bowling by Karachi Stars. Hamza lead the attack with a fiery spell of 3 wickets supported by Anas who picked up 2 in his spell. Nabeel and Shoaib however fought back, scoring 17 and 27 runs to propel their side to a target of 71 for 7 in 6 overs.
Karachi Stars started off in similar fashion after losing opener Shehriyar early on. The team however recovered well with Salman playing the anchor role for his side. He scored 29 runs and carried his bat throughout the innings to seal a victory for his side in 5.3 overs. Hamza who was having the match of his life also joined in with a cameo of 12 runs. Cousins bowlers Wasay and Zubair picked up a wicket each but the opposition were safely home.
Karachi Stars won by 7 wickets.
