Dolphins secure 16-run victory despite Khushdil blitz

Dolphins triumphed over the Lions by 16 runs in the 10th match of the Champions One-Day Cup, held at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, on Sunday.

The Dolphins successfully defended their 327-run target, restricting the Lions to 310 for eight wickets in their allotted 50 overs.

Despite a valiant effort by Khushdil Shah, who scored 60 runs, and Shaheen Shah Afridi's 33, the Lions could not chase down the target.

The Lions' batting struggled early on, with only Rohail Nazir and Mohammad Taha making notable contributions of 62 off 70 and 40 off 49 balls, respectively. Other contributions came from Abdullah Shafique (27 off 42), Omair Yousuf (26 off 27), and Sharoon Siraj (25 off 18).

The Dolphins' bowlers kept the pressure on, with Saud Shakeel and Abbas Afridi each taking two wickets, while Mir Hamza, Sufiyan Muqeem, Faheem Ashraf, and Qasim Akram picked up one wicket a piece.

Earlier in the day, the Dolphins won the toss and chose to bat first. They were bowled out for 326, with Umar Amin top-scoring with 75 runs off 81 balls. 

Despite losing wickets regularly, the Dolphins kept the scoreboard ticking with notable knocks from Muhammad Akhlaq (52 off 50), Mohammad Huraira (47 off 41), and captain Saud Shakeel, who added 23 off 23. Down the order, Qasim Akram (31 off 26) and Faheem Ashraf (30 off 20) added crucial runs to the total.

For the Lions, Aamer Jamal claimed three wickets, while Shaheen Afridi and Ahmed Daniyal took two each. Khushdil Shah and Sharoon Siraj also chipped in with a wicket apiece, but their efforts were not enough to secure the win.

It is to be noted that Afridi's men advanced to the tournament's playoff phase despite losing to the Dolphins.

Playing XI

Dolphins: Sahibzada Farhan, Muhammad Huraira, Muhammad Akhlaq (wk), Umar Amin, Saud Shakeel (c), Asif Ali, Qasim Akram, Faheem Ashraf, Abbas Afridi, Mir Hamza, Sufiyan Muqeem

Lions: Abdullah Shafique, Sharoon Siraj, Omair Yousuf, Mohammad Taha, Irfan Khan, Khushdil Shah, Aamer Jamal, Rohail Nazir (wk), Mohammad Asghar, Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Ahmed Daniyal