PCB Challengers retain the title with a seven run win over PCB Dynamites

A 27-ball 31 from Kainat Hafeez, allround efforts from Fatima Sana and a collective bowling performance helped PCB Challengers beat PCB Dynamites in the final to retain the National Triangular T20 Championship at the Pindi Stadium in Rawalpindi on Tuesday (December 1).



Leg-spinner Syeda Aroob Shah led the Challengers’ bowling effort to take the defending champions to a narrow seven runs win.



Chasing 134 runs to win, although Dynamites lost Ayesha Zafar early Nahida Khan and Hafsa Khalid put on a 42-run partnership for the second wicket to take the score to 58. But soon they lost both the set batters in space of seven runs to reduce themselves to 65 for 3 in the 11^th over.



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Post dismissal of Khan, Even though Kainat Imtiaz tried valiantly with 29-ball 32 not out, Dynamites’ lower order batters couldn’t find enough boundaries to keep up with the required run rate with only Iram Javed scoring at more than run-a-ball. They were eventually restricted to 126 for 6 from the 20 overs.



Arooba Shah finished as the most successful bowler for the Challengers taking 2 for 21 from her four overs. While Nida Dar, Sana and Aimen Anwar picked up one wicket each.



Put into bat, Challengers lost skipper Muneeba Ali early for nine with her opposite number bowling her through the gate. Experienced Bismah Maroof scored a 12-ball 18 before she was dismissed via a run out. When they lost opener Sadaf Shamas Challengers were 52 for 3 in the tenth over.



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However, couple of big sixes from Ayesha Naseem and Hafeez’s innings took them over 100 in the 17^th over. Even though Hafeez was dismissed in the same over, Sana in the company of Waheeda Akthar took the score to 133 for 7 at the end of their innings. Sana remained not out on 24 from 22 balls.



Subhana Tariq was the most successive bowler among the Dynamites bowlers with three wickets to her name, but she gave away 37 runs in the process.



Brief scores: PCB Challengers 133/7 in 20 overs (Kainat Hafeez 31, Fatima Sana 24*; Subhana Tariq 3/37) beat PCB Dynamites 126/6 in 20 overs (Nahida Khan 39, Kainat Imtiaz 32*; Syeda Aroob Shah 2/21) by seven runs. PoTM: Kainat Hafeez