Zahid Mahmood Shines with Five-Wicket Haul as Mark Crush Stallions by 126 Runs
FAISALABAD – Zahid Mahmood had a fantastic day with the ball. His amazing performance helped the Markhors win by 126 runs against the Stallions in their Champions One-Day Cup game at the Iqbal Stadium on Sunday. Mahmood took 5 wickets for just 18 runs, which played a big part in knocking down the Stallions, who only managed to score 105 runs in 23.4 overs while chasing a target of 232.
Zahid Mahmood’s Match-Winning Spell
Mahmood, who spins the ball for the Markhors, really showed off his skills. He took five key wickets, helping keep the Stallions to a tiny score. This five-wicket haul came in just 4.4 overs! It was his first List-A performance with five wickets. His spell caused a huge collapse as the Stallions lost eight wickets for just 26 runs in only 54 balls.
Salman Ali Agha backed up Mahmood’s awesome performance, taking three wickets for just 21 runs with his off-spin bowling. Together, their spin attack turned the game around, especially since the Stallions looked good at 79-2 before everything went wrong. They ended up all out at 105, as Zahid and Salman took full advantage of what was happening.
Key Contributions from the Markhors’ Bowlers
Before Zahid’s shining moment, Markhors’ bowlers set things up nicely. Naseem Shah started strong by getting rid of Yasir Khan and Shan Masood early on when the Stallions were at 52-2. These early wickets made it easier for the spin bowlers to take control of the weakened batting side.
Earlier in the game, Jahandad Khan and Mehran Mumtaz did their part to hold down the Markhors to just 231 runs. Jahandad got his best List-A figures of 4-49, while Mehran added in well with 3-56. Even though they lost three wickets at first, Salman Ali Agha and Iftikhar Ahmed stepped up with half-centuries to help stabilize things. Salman scored 51 off 72 balls & Iftikhar hit 60 off 66 balls to give them a good total. Abdul Samad’s late push of 37 off 35 balls helped get them past that important mark of 230 runs.
Stallions’ Batting Collapse
The chase by the Stallions began alright but quickly fell apart under pressure from Markhors’ bowlers. Babar Azam stood out for his team, scoring 45 runs and hitting eight boundaries before becoming Zahid’s first wicket. The rest of the lineup struggled against tight & aggressive bowling from the Markhors.
Brief Match Summaries
In other games of the Champions One-Day Cup, Panthers beat Dolphins by 50 runs. Usman Khan’s century (111 off 110 balls) & Mohammad Hasnain’s five-wicket haul (5-74) led to an easy win for Panthers. Usman’s innings featured 11 fours and three sixes that helped them set a strong total of 328 runs. Despite good efforts from Qasim Akram & Sahibzada Farhan scoring half-centuries, Dolphins couldn’t keep up and ended on just 278 runs.
Zahid Mahmood’s great five-wicket haul plus solid performances from all Markhors’ players were crucial for their big win over Stallions. The impressive all-around effort showed how strong they are in this Champions One-Day Cup & set high standards for upcoming matches. With performances like this one, Zahid Mahmood has certainly become a player to watch in this tournament!