Darwin’s Gardens Oval witnessed an exhilarating opening match of the Top End T20 Series as Northern Territory Strike secured an impressive 59-run victory against Pakistan Shaheens on Sunday afternoon.
Opting to bat first, Northern Territory Strike posted a challenging total of 185/5 in their allotted 20 overs. Param Uppal was the standout performer for the team, remaining unbeaten on a blistering 59 off just 28 balls, smashing six fours and two sixes. Opening batter Josh Kann provided valuable support with a quickfire 47 off 31 deliveries, laced with two fours and four sixes. Spinners Aaliyan Mahmood and Arafat Minhas claimed two wickets each for Shaheens.
In reply, Shaheens faced an early setback, losing two wickets in the very first two balls of their innings, courtesy of the fiery right-arm fast bowling by Tom Menzies. However, opener Shamyl Hussain (26 off 23) and captain Rohail Nazir (41 off 33) steadied the innings with a 49-run partnership for the third wicket. Nevertheless, wickets kept falling at regular intervals, and after Shamyl’s dismissal, Shaheens found themselves struggling at 62/4 in 8.5 overs.
A brief resistance was shown by Mohammad Irfan Khan (20 off 15) and Ahmed Khan (19 off 12), who stitched a 29-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Eventually, Northern Territory Strike’s bowlers, led by Jack Wood and Tom Menzies with four wickets each, proved to be too much for Shaheens to handle, and they were bundled out for 126 in 18.4 overs.
Northern Territory Strike’s comprehensive performance secured them a well-deserved 59-run victory in the tournament’s opening encounter.
The action continues tomorrow, with Pakistan Shaheens taking on ACT Comets at the DXC Arena. The first ball is scheduled to be bowled at 1800 local time. Fans within Pakistan can catch all the tournament matches live-streamed on Tapmad.
Scores in brief:
Northern Territory Strike: 185-5 in 20 overs (Param Uppal 59*, Josh Kann 47; Arafat Minhas 2-20, Aaliyan Mahmood 2-42)
Pakistan Shaheens: 126 all out in 18.4 overs (Rohail Nazir 41, Shamyl Hussain 26, Mohammad Irfan Khan 20, Ahmed Khan 19; Tom Menzies 4-24, Jack Wood 4-28)
Result: Northern Territory Strike beat Pakistan Shaheens by 59 runs in the Top End T20 Series opener.
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