The Dolphins emerged victorious over the Lions by 16 runs in the 10th match of the Champions One-Day Cup, held at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, on Sunday. The Dolphins successfully defended their 327-run target, restricting the Lions to 310 for eight wickets in their allotted 50 overs.
Despite a valiant effort by Khushdil Shah, who scored 60 runs, and a strong contribution from Shaheen Shah Afridi with 33, the Lions fell short in their chase. The Lions’ batting lineup struggled early on, with only Rohail Nazir and Mohammad Taha making notable contributions of 62 off 70 balls and 40 off 49 balls, respectively. Other significant scores came from Abdullah Shafique (27 off 42), Omair Yousuf (26 off 27), and Sharoon Siraj (25 off 18).
The Dolphins’ bowlers maintained pressure throughout the innings. Saud Shakeel and Abbas Afridi each claimed two wickets, while Mir Hamza, Sufiyan Muqeem, Faheem Ashraf, and Qasim Akram picked up one wicket each.
Earlier in the day, the Dolphins won the toss and elected to bat first. They posted a total of 326 runs before being bowled out. Umar Amin top-scored with 75 runs off 81 balls. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, the Dolphins kept the scoreboard ticking with significant contributions from Muhammad Akhlaq (52 off 50), Mohammad Huraira (47 off 41), and captain Saud Shakeel (23 off 23). Down the order, Qasim Akram (31 off 26) and Faheem Ashraf (30 off 20) added crucial runs to the total.
For the Lions, Aamer Jamal was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets, while Shaheen Afridi and Ahmed Daniyal took two wickets each. Khushdil Shah and Sharoon Siraj also chipped in with a wicket apiece, but their efforts were insufficient to secure a win.
Despite the loss, the Lions, led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, advanced to the tournament’s playoff phase.
Playing XI
Dolphins:
- Sahibzada Farhan
- Muhammad Huraira
- Muhammad Akhlaq (wk)
- Umar Amin
- Saud Shakeel (c)
- Asif Ali
- Qasim Akram
- Faheem Ashraf
- Abbas Afridi
- Mir Hamza
- Sufiyan Muqeem
Lions:
- Abdullah Shafique
- Sharoon Siraj
- Omair Yousuf
- Mohammad Taha
- Irfan Khan
- Khushdil Shah
- Aamer Jamal
- Rohail Nazir (wk)
- Mohammad Asghar
- Shaheen Shah Afridi (c)
- Ahmed Daniyal
