Player of the match Faisal Akram’s five-wicket haul went in vain as Perth Scorchers beat Pakistan Shaheens by two wickets in the Top End T20 Series match in Darwin on Saturday evening.
It makes Shaheens’ first loss in the tournament. They earlier defeated Bangladesh ‘A’ by 79 runs in the opening match on August 14.
Chasing a modest 112 runs to win, Shaheens’ bowlers kept the Scorchers’ batters in check. Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals. Scorchers were three for 34 in 4.5 overs.
At that point, Joel Curtis (31) and Nicholas Hobson (27) added 42 runs for the fourth wicket. It took Scorchers to 76 in 11 overs. Left-arm spinner Faisal, brought back into the attack in the 12th over. He broke the partnership and even struck twice in the over to leave Scorchers at 78 for five.
Faisal went on to pick another wicket in the 14th over. He then struck twice again in the 16th over, reducing Perth Scorchers to 101 for eight – still requiring 11 runs to win.
That the Scorchers were able to achieve the target in 18.1 overs was due to an unbroken 14-run ninth-wicket partnership. Corey Rocchiccioli (8 not out) and Brody Couch (7 not out).
For Shaheens, 21-year-old Faisal returned figures of 4-0-16-5.
After opting to bat first, Pakistan Shaheens were dismissed for 111 in 18.5 overs. Only three batters, Saad Masood (42), Mohammad Faiq (21) and Maaz Sadaqat (14) managed to reach double figures.
For Scorchers, Matthew Kelly took three wickets, while Brody Couch, Bryce Jackson and Luke Holt bagged two wickets each.
Pakistan Shaheens will now take on Melbourne Renegades at the same venue on Monday, August 18.
Scores in brief:
Perth Scorchers beat Pakistan Shaheens by two wickets
Pakistan Shaheens 111 all out, 18.5 overs (Saad Masood 42, Mohammad Faiq 21; Matthew Kelly 3-14, Luke Holt 2-18, Bryce Jackson 2-25, Brody Couch 2-38)
Perth Scorchers 114-8, 18.1 overs (Joel Curtis 31, Nicholas Hobson 27; Faisal Akram
