National T20 Cup: Northern's Haider Ali dazzles with match-winning performance against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Batsman Haider Ali of the Northern team dazzled cricket fans on Wednesday with his match-winning performance against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the opening day of the National T20 Cup.

In just 48 balls, Haider scored a total of 90 runs, including seven 4s and five 6s. Owing to his contribution — along with his partner Zeeshan Malik who totalled 77 runs off 46 deliveries — Northern won the game by 79 runs.

He was deservingly awarded the man of the match for his brilliant performance.

In a post-match conversation, Haider said that though he was disappointed he fell 10 runs short of a century, he played hard for his team and was happy the side won.

He also spoke highly of his partner Zeeshan who gave him advice throughout.

Teams

Northern XI: Zeeshan Malik, Ali Imran, Haider Ali, Shadab Khan (captain), Asif Ali, Umar Amin, Rohail Nazir (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Sohail Tanvir, Musa Khan, Haris Rauf.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Mohsin, Wahab Riaz, Usman Shinwari, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Junaid Khan (vice-captain)