ABT vs RWL 7th Match, National T20 2023

Earlier, after being invited to bat first, Abbottabad got off to a solid start as Sajjad Ali-I and Fakhar Zaman scored at a brisk pace from the word go and added 53 runs for the first wicket. Sajjad departed for 27 runs off 22 balls, but Fakhar continued his sublime form and notched up his half-century (72 off 49). Kamran Ghulam contributed 27 runs off 23 balls, and a few double-digit scores from the middle-order batters have helped Abbottabad post a formidable 177/5 in 20 overs. 

Zaman Khan bagged a couple of wickets for Rawalpindi, while Jahandad Khan and Mehran Mumtaz contributed one wicket. 

In pursuit of 177 runs, Rawalpindi openers Yasir Khan and Zeeshan Malik struggled to score at the beginning of the innings and faced a daunting task from the Abbottabad bowlers. After struggling in the first few overs, the duo started getting into the groove, but Aqib Khan trapped Zeeshan for 18 runs and ceased the 42-run opening partnership. 

Abdul Faseeh and Yasir started building the partnership in the middle, but their progress was abruptly halted by Yasir Shah, who trapped Yasir Khan (39 off 27) and Haider Ali (0 off 1) on two consecutive deliveries to put Rawalpindi in a spot of bother. They kept losing wickets at regular intervals, and pressure kept piling up on them. 

Raza Ul Mustafa played an electrifying knock at the cue end of the innings and reduced the equation to 11 runs off the final over. Raza, along with Jahandad Khan, added 48 runs for the seventh wicket, with Jahandad departing for 11 runs off seven balls. Raza (42* off 18) held his nerves in the last over and sealed the game for his side with a boundary in the penultimate ball of the match. 

Abbottabad bowlers failed to hold their nerve in the slog overs and let the match slip away from them. Aqib Khan and Yasir Shah bagged a couple of wickets for Abbottabad, while Adil Naz and Atizaz Habib Khan celebrated a solitary wicket.