Abbottabad clinch a one-sided win over Karachi Whites in the National T20 Cup final

Karachi Whites did not stand a chance against Abbottabad as they slumped to a low total in the National T20 Cup final. Batting first, Karachi, who had qualified for the final after defeating Sialkot in the first semifinal, had a tough time getting started. They lost three wickets, including captain Saud Shakeel, within the powerplay for a mere 43 runs.

A timid batting display

None of the Karachi batters, barring Saqib Khan, went past even 20 runs, with six batsmen failing to even enter into double figures. The game took place at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, where low-scoring games between Pakistan and Australia were in the news just recently. The surface hadn't seemed to have recovered from the spin track fad as a low first innings total of 118 was all Karachi could get to.

In response, Abbottabad seemed to be occupying another plane. The openers Afaq Khan, who was playing his second T20 game, and Shahzaib Khan went full throttle and sped the side to 50 for no loss in the powerplay. The partnership started looking threatening and soon enough Karachi drew first blood.

Abbottabad wrap up the game quickly

That did not, however, fill them up with any hopes, and if it still somehow did, Shahzaib and Kamran Ghulam made quick work of the remaining runs. It took Abbottabad less than 14 overs to chase the target down and lift the trophy.

The final was supposed to take place in March at Imran Khan Cricket Stadium, Peshawar, but was postponed due to persistent rain in the city as well as the start of the Pakistan Super League.

ALSO READ:

List of all players named in PCB's white-ball and red-ball training camps- IPL