Ahmed Daniyal's unbeaten 65 and his three-wicket haul powered the Nurpur Lions to a victory over the Allied Bank Stallions in the first eliminator of the Bahria Town Champions One-Day Cup at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, on Wednesday. Defending a target of 264, the Lions bowled out the Stallions for 251 in 49.3 overs.

By PakPassion Staff (25-09-2024)

The second eliminator, scheduled for Friday between the Nurpur Lions and UMT Markhors, will determine the second finalist, who will face the Lake City Panthers on September 29.

After being reduced to 140-7, a crucial 81-run eighth-wicket partnership between Daniyal and Aamer Yamin (46 off 57 balls) lifted the Lions to a total of 263-9 in their allotted 50 overs. In response, the Stallions' chase faltered, with none of their batters surpassing 40. Daniyal (3-59) and Khushdil Shah (3-40) shared six wickets to seal the Lions' victory.

Earlier, the Lions, choosing to bat first, faced early trouble at 43-3 as debutant Ubaid Shah took three wickets in the powerplay. Mohammad Taha (47 off 59 balls) and Sharoon Siraj (38 off 50 balls) stabilized the innings with a 77-run partnership, but the Lions collapsed to 140-7 before Daniyal and Yamin's recovery effort.

Daniyal's knock included five sixes and two fours, while Yamin contributed with three boundaries and two sixes. For the Stallions, Ubaid finished with figures of 3-46, while Adil Amin and Maaz Sadaqat claimed two wickets each, and Haris Rauf took one.

In their chase, the Stallions lost regular wickets, slipping to 139-5 and then 187-6. Mohammad Haris (30 off 42 balls) and Jahandad Khan (36 off 31 balls) kept their team in the hunt with a 39-run seventh-wicket stand, but Haris' dismissal in the 46th over left the Stallions needing 38 from 25 balls, eventually falling 12 runs short.

Yasir Khan top-scored for the Stallions with 39 off 42 balls, while Mohammad Mohsin (30 off 30 balls) and Tayyab Tahir (28 off 53 balls) were the other notable contributors. Apart from Daniyal and Khushdil, Faisal Akram, Sharoon Siraj, and Sirajuddin each took one wicket.