Amad Butt and Ali Usman ‘can’t believe they did it’ even days after the 40-run defence

Pakistan TV made history by defending 40 runs in their game against Sui Northern (SNGPL) in the President’s Trophy, Pakistan’s domestic first-class competition. The wreckers-in-chief, Amad Butt and Ali Usman, however, are still stunned by how they pulled off what hasn’t been done in the history of first-class cricket.

Unbelievable feat for PTV

Winning against SNGPL, the PTV broke a record that had stood since 1794, when Oldfield defended 41 runs against the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Talking to the PCB’s media channel, Amad Butt, who grabbed four wickets in the final innings, said they gave their best, despite which they did not expect to win the game. 

"We thought before entering the field that there's a first time for everything and records are there to be broken," fast bowler Amad said. "But it was just a thought, not necessarily hope. We didn't do anything special, just went out and did our best."

Ali Usman, 32, did the bulk of the impossible task by grabbing six wickets for just five runs in 9.4 overs. Eventually, both bowlers had the entire SNGPL team back in the camp for a mere 37.

"As Amad said, we weren't expecting to defend 40 runs," Usman said. "But in the team huddle, we just said we'd try our best. We weren't talking of victory, just of putting in the best effort.

"When we got them five down, I began to feel we could win. We could take five more wickets. When Sajid, their sixth wicket fell, and the way I was bowling, I was confident that even the few runs they had left would become difficult."

Breaking the record

One of Usman’s wickets was Shan Masood, both the SNGPL and Pakistan Test team’s captain. Masood returned without bothering the scorers, where, as Amad admits, the team felt the first semblance of hope, though it kept flickering with every run scored. 

"That's when we began to hope," Amad said. "But then the hope dissipated after a brief partnership again. It was on and off, but we couldn't have said at any time we had things in our full control."

After Saifullah Bangash, who top-scored with a 35-ball 14, the game wrapped up rather quickly. PTV won the game, which lasted less than a T20 match, by three runs. 

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