Stallions romp to third successive title

LAHORE - Shoaib Malik-led Sialkot Stallions overcame late fightback from Karachi Dolphins to clinch the RBS National Twenty20 Cup here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday night.

This was probably a game within the game - with skippers of both the sides fighting a battle of captaincy.

Malik's hold on the captaincy of national side has been dwindling and the man likely to replace him was Shahid Afridi, the captain of Karachi Dolphins.

At this time point of time, this win would help establish Malik's credentials especially with a thumping win over a side captained by Afridi.

Shoaib Malik and his brother Adeel Malik helped Stallions keep the title for the third time.

With the new PCB chairman Ijaz Butt watching the match, the Stallions regained the title which they near-missed in the inaugural edition in 2004, when Malik threw the match to manipulate Lahore's exit and later admitted the mistake that led to his reprimand.

Now Sialkot Stallions will be the Pakistan's team to play in the Champions League to be held in India later next year after their seven wickets win. Dolphins made 125 and Stallions reached 126 in 19.4 overs losing three wickets.

Sialkot Stallions approach in its run chase was quite positive and was not in any mood to take risks right from the start. One of their openers Faisal Naveed was run out when the score was 17. The other opener Stallions, Kamran Yousuf kept the runs coming with his straight bat along with Mansoor Amjad till they reached 59 in the 11th over.

They went for a single and in an attempt for a second run, Kamran was found far off the crease by Afridi at 31. He sliced the ball to deep point, took the first run and comes back for the second run but was sent back. Tahir at deep point threw the ball to keeper keeper Sarfraz who with under arm throw passed it on to Afridi and the rest was history.

Shoaib Malik joined Amjad (then at 22) but when the score reached 91 for two in 16 overs with Dolphins coming into the game bowling to the line, Mansoor Amjad was compelled to leave the ground due to back hamstring injury. He was at 39 off 35 balls.

The change in the batting order did hurt the Stallions, which gave Dolphins a chance to stage a come back in the game. And in the process they lost their third wicket. But Malik (19) and his younger brother Adeel Malik (23) brought 16 off the 19th over when 20 was required off 12 ball, which made things easy for the last over.