FAISALABAD: A marathon 156-run knock by opener Saim Ayub powered Panthers to a mammoth total of 344/7 against Stallions in the 10th match of the Champions One-Day Cup here at Iqbal Stadium on Saturday.
Stand-in Panthers’ captain Ayub’s decision to bat first after winning the coin toss bore fruits as his side piled up a massive total on the board.
The Panthers had a dream start to their innings as Ayub and Azan Awais registered an anchoring 138-run stand, which saw both of them scoring half-centuries.
The openers batted half of the allotted overs and their monumental stand was finally broken on the fourth delivery of the sixth over by Abrar Ahmed, who got rid of Awais.
The opening batter scored a cautious 51 off 77 deliveries with the help of four boundaries and a six.
Wicketkeeper batter Usman Khan then joined Ayub in the middle and they partnered strongly to bolster the Panthers’ total with a brisk 106-run stand, conceding just 79 balls.
Usman, who was the core aggressor of the game-changing stand, had an agonizing end to his blistering knock as he was stumped off Zaman Khan just 25 away from his well-deserved century.
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He smashed eight fours and two sixes amid his 47-ball knock.
Saim Ayub then put on one-sided partnerships with Mubasir Khan (18) and Haider Ali (8) before finally perishing in the 46th over.
He remained the top-scorer for the Panthers with a magnificent 156 off just 130 balls, laced up with 20 boundaries including seven sixes.
Following his departure, the Panthers lost wickets at an alarming rate and the lower-middle order made modest contributions at the backend.
Zaman Khan was the standout bowler for the Stallions as he picked up four wickets while Jahandad Khan and Abrar Ahmed shared two wickets between them.
Notably, the Stallions are second in the Champions One-Day Cup standings with 28 points in three matches, closely followed by Panthers with 25 points in as many matches.
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