That's it! Iftikhar smashes this over cover for a boundary and KP are National T20 2021 Champions! The entire team is on the ground with hugs and handshakes all around! The KP team is carrying incredible Iftikhar on their shoulders
Central PNJB vs Khyber, Final at Lahore, National T20, Oct 13 2021 - Match Result
Khyber won by 7 wickets (with 18 balls remaining)
Congratulations to KP and commiserations to Central Punjab who end up on the losing side after a riveting contest. KP crowned 2021 National T20 champions largely owing to Iftikhar Ahmed's blistering innings of 45 off 19 that made light work of the chase. The 31-year-old spanked six fours and two sixes in his onslaught.
Sahibzada Farhan and Kamran Ghulam's well-crafted knocks kept the asking rate in check and then Iftikhar showed the virtue of courage and bravery by taking the final match pressure out of the equation and just didn't allow CP to stage a comeback in the game.
Iftikhar changed the complexion of the game by shredding Central Punjab's bowling attack to pieces. He finished the National T20 2021 as the second-highest run-getter with 409 runs and maintained a stupendous strike rate of 170.41. He was adjudged player of the match for his spellbinding batting display.
On the other hand, Wahab Riaz couldn't get his hands on the silverware for the third time in a row and the dew factor alongside an inexperienced batting line-up let him down today. His own performance was brilliant though as he bowled a maiden to start the proceedings.
Thank you for your company. On behalf of our team, this is Rvel Zahid, saying goodbye.
Full and lots of width on offer, he threw the kitchen sink at it, gets a thick outside edge and it flies over point for a boundary. Only a run required to get over the line
Gets down low to it and prods it down the ground, long on cuts it off
Casts it on a full length, he goes back and punches it into the acres of spaces at midwicket region
Nails a perfect yorker right in the blockhole, gets a thick inside edge as the ball dies down quickly on the pitch. Adil and Iftikhar have forged a fifty stand
Latches onto the loose delivery speared on a full length outside off, he doesn't miss the yorker by much but the ball goes the distance through the covers
Full and straight, scuffs a drive back to the bowler
Tossed up on a full length, hits the pads and rolls over to short fine leg. KP are only two hits away from title win!
Low full toss on middle, he gets out of the line of the ball, makes room and carves an inside out drive over cover in the circle
Slips a full toss on the ribs, snap of the wrists and the rotation in his body hives him the power but he finds the fielder in the deep
Hoys it on a full length outside leg stump and Iftikhar lets it go past him, keeper misses it as well, that's the last thing Central Punjab needed while defending a low score
That's well bowled! Goes full and straight, there is not a lot Iftikhar could do then block
Tossed up on a full length, follows the batsmen who was shimming outside leg stump, he spanks it all along the ground to deep square
Makes full use of the free hit and bisects the fielders at long on and deep midwicket as the ball crashes onto the advertising hoardings. Bombastic batting continues! That was hit with so much power and fizz
Full length, outside off, backs away and hammers this to point
Yorker dipping in, slinks back and pushes it down towards long on region
Smokes it over midwicket! Juicy delivery in the arc. Very easy for him to show the long handle and
heave the ball over the rope.
Short and wide, stabbed out to cover boundary with disdain! That was served on a plate and deserved to be thrashed
Length ball, angled into the pads, shuffles across and tugged away to square leg
Pitched it on length with dibbly-dobbly pace wide of off, he hangs back and chops it away to deep cover-point
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | |
Toss | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, elected to field first |
Series | |
Season | 2021/22 |
Player Of The Match | |
Player Of The Series | |
Series result | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa won the 2021/22 National T20 Cup |
Match days | 13 October 2021 - night (20-over match) |
Umpires | |
TV Umpire | |
Reserve Umpire | |
Match Referee |