Story ABN-AMRO Twenty-20 Cup 2005-06 [BLIC PS2]
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The Blazer
Club Cricketer
ABN-AMRO Twenty-20 Cup 2005-06
ROUND ONE ANALYSIS
TOP THREE MOMENTS OF ROUND ONE
3. PERVEZ AZIZ'S QUICKFIRE 50
2.
INZAMAM-UL-HAQ'S MATCH WINNING 80
1. MOHAMMAD YOUSUF'S AWE-INSPIRING 100
Waqar Younis: A very good evening to all our viewers! Tonight we have an indepth look at the ABN-AMRO Twenty-20 Cup, the Pakistani domestic competition that is sweeping across the country. Joining me tonight are two former Pakistani superstars: Imran Khan and Wasim Akram. Welcome, gentlemen. Well, it seems like we've had quite a good start to the Cup!
Imran Khan: Yes, the scores have been getting higher with each match. I think that now that players are getting used to Twenty-20 playing conditions here in Karachi, I reckon all the matches in Round Two will have scores of 200+.
Imran Khan: Scores must be 200+
Waqar Younis: And there have been some great individual performances in the opening three matches, haven't there Wasim?
Wasim Akram: Indeed. There were good knocks from Inzamam and Yousuf, but for me the highlight was Pervez Aziz's half-century. I don't think he was a well-known player before this but now he has a real chance of becoming a hero for his team and achieving in this tournament. He came out to bat when his side were under pressure, and did superbly well to get his quick 50 under the conditions.
Waqar Younis: Yes, and as viewers can see on their screens right now, Aziz played some wonderful strokes in his quick knock. It was wonderful to watch as he and Salman Butt went after the bowlers and punished any bad balls. It was this innings of his that, in the end, brought the Rawalpindi Rams back into the game and set them up for victory.
Wasim Akram: Definately. Rawalpindi were in a lot of trouble until that Aziz and Butt partnership. They really would've felt hard done by if they hadn't managed to reach this reasonably low total.
Waqar Younis: And moving onto the second match, both Inzamam-ul-Haq and Usman Tariq got past fifty and reached the 80 mark.
Wasim Akram: Well, we all know what a good player Inzi is. He has been criticised recently; people are saying that he is no longer a good ODI player. They say that he is too slow and his style is suited to Test cricket. Well, he proved his critics wrong with that innings, didn't he! Getting 82 runs off 39 balls is simply amazing; it's an innings you would expect off Afridi or Razzaq, but not Inzi!
Waqar Younis: You could argue that more than half of those runs came from poor field placing, but let's not take anything away from Inzamam. It was a brilliant knock. And finally on to the last match: the Lahore Lions vs. the Peshawar Panthers. This was the one everyone had been waiting for, isn't it Imran?
Imran Khan: Yes, and it turned out to be a fantastic match. I think that everyone knew that after Lahore won the toss and decided to bat they would put a big total on the board, but getting 200 was quite an achievement. The main cog in their innings was obviously Mohammad Yousuf, who made half the team's total score! A player getting a ton is always a rare and enjoyable sight in Twenty-20 cricket, and you have to say that it was well-deserved.
Mohammad Yousuf: Hit 10 sixes in his innings
Waqar Younis: Yes, after the early dismissals of Kamran Akmal and Abdul Razzaq, it was up to Yousuf to get his team back on track and guide them to a big score. And as we watch the highlights of his innings, just look at the amount of sixes he hit. Ten in total. The most ever hit by a Pakistani batsmen in a Twenty-20 match. It truly was a magnificent innings. As it was though, 200 didn't turn out to be a big enough score and the Panthers won the match by the 18th over. However, at one point it seemed like that would not be the case, right Wasim?
Wasim Akram: That's right. Peshawar suffered a huge blow right at the start of the innings by losing Afridi so early on. If he had managed to settle in, then Peshawar might have cruised to victory. Credit to the Lahore bowlers though, they triggered a batting collapse and it was ultimately Younis Khan who restored peace and set about winning the match for Peshawar. If the skipper had fallen to the pace bowling as well, then most probably Lahore would've got a huge victory over their rivals.
Waqar Younis: And just a quick word about the ground. The pitch has been quite hard and fast throughout the matches, hasn't it?
Imran Khan: Yeah, the groundsmen have done a great job so far. It's not easy preparing a pitch every few days, but by keeping it hard big scores are promised and so there is entertainment all round.
Waqar Younis: And of course, these matches- It must be good practice for the Pakistani internationals for the upcoming Sri Lanka series.
Wasim Akram: Well, you could say that. I mean, there is always a chance of injury. I wouldn't be suprised if Bob Woolmer took out some of the bigger names during the last few rounds. The players must be careful not to overwork themselves.
Pakistani internationals: Must be careful not to overwork themselves
Waqar Younis: Well, that's all from us for now. Join us again soon for live coverage of Round Two of the ABN-AMRO Twenty-20 Cup. But for now, from me and my guests here in the studio, Imran Khan and Wasim Akram, have a good night!
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The Blazer
Club Cricketer
Gee, a bit of feedback would be nice, guys. 
So far, only one or two people have been following the thread.
So far, only one or two people have been following the thread.
The Blazer
Club Cricketer
NOTE- As mentioned before I lost all my data recently so for this match as well I will have to rely on memory and just post a summary of the match. From the next match onwards though, it'll be back to buisness as usual- So you'll be treated to some more poor quality photos taken from a digi cam! 
SIALKOT STALLIONS 1st INNINGS HIGHLIGHTS
Rameez Raja: The Stallions won the toss and elected to bat. They started off superbly, getting to the 50 mark by the start of the fourth over. The batsmen were playing very aggressively, and this led to a loss of a few wickets for Sialkot around the 100 milestone. Qaiser Abbas played a good innings, getting a well-deserved 50 before being caught out. Following his failiure in the last match, Shoaib Malik came out on top against the Tigers' bowlers, helping the Stallions get past the 150 mark and then going on to register a great half-century. Imran Nazir came out to bat at No.6 towards the end of the innings and did well, scoring a lightning quick 36 that helped the Stallions past the 200 milestone. They still had some overs to spare, so the tailenders went out looking to score big, and in the end the Sialkot Stallions finished on a massive 236-8 off 20 overs.
MULTAN TIGERS 1st INNINGS HIGHLIGHTS
Abdul Qadir: The Tigers had a lot of work to do if they wanted to get anywhere near Sialkot's total, and if they could win this match, which seemed very unlikely, then it would register as one of the greatest victories in Twenty-20 cricket. The Tigers started off all guns blazing, slogging the ball all around the park in an unbelievable manner. The National Stadium was in an uproar- Azhar Shafiq and Usman Tariq were leading the assualt, and there seemed to be very little the Stallions' bowlers could do. Seam bowling, medium pace, spin- Nothing could stop the onslaught of runs. A four was followed by a six; and a six was followed by an even bigger six. But the momentum of such matches can change just in an instance, as was seen when the bowlers finally broke through and got the wicket of Tariq, and then soon after, Inzamam-ul-Haq. Losing their captain so soon was a big blow for the Tigers, and then things settled down a bit as the runrate died down a bit. A few more wickets fell, and the two teams seemed to be evenly matched. But then Saeed Anwar Jnr. got into gear and reignited the flame, so to speak. The ball started flying over the ropes again, and victory was soon in sight. Lower order batsmen such as Mohammad Ali and Obaid Bin Nasir put on a couple of runs that led the Multan Tigers to a thrilling victory against the Stallions.
MULTAN TIGERS VS SIALKOT STALLIONS
SIALKOT STALLIONS 1st INNINGS HIGHLIGHTS
Rameez Raja: The Stallions won the toss and elected to bat. They started off superbly, getting to the 50 mark by the start of the fourth over. The batsmen were playing very aggressively, and this led to a loss of a few wickets for Sialkot around the 100 milestone. Qaiser Abbas played a good innings, getting a well-deserved 50 before being caught out. Following his failiure in the last match, Shoaib Malik came out on top against the Tigers' bowlers, helping the Stallions get past the 150 mark and then going on to register a great half-century. Imran Nazir came out to bat at No.6 towards the end of the innings and did well, scoring a lightning quick 36 that helped the Stallions past the 200 milestone. They still had some overs to spare, so the tailenders went out looking to score big, and in the end the Sialkot Stallions finished on a massive 236-8 off 20 overs.
Shoaib Malik- Got a well-deserved half century for his team.
MULTAN TIGERS 1st INNINGS HIGHLIGHTS
Abdul Qadir: The Tigers had a lot of work to do if they wanted to get anywhere near Sialkot's total, and if they could win this match, which seemed very unlikely, then it would register as one of the greatest victories in Twenty-20 cricket. The Tigers started off all guns blazing, slogging the ball all around the park in an unbelievable manner. The National Stadium was in an uproar- Azhar Shafiq and Usman Tariq were leading the assualt, and there seemed to be very little the Stallions' bowlers could do. Seam bowling, medium pace, spin- Nothing could stop the onslaught of runs. A four was followed by a six; and a six was followed by an even bigger six. But the momentum of such matches can change just in an instance, as was seen when the bowlers finally broke through and got the wicket of Tariq, and then soon after, Inzamam-ul-Haq. Losing their captain so soon was a big blow for the Tigers, and then things settled down a bit as the runrate died down a bit. A few more wickets fell, and the two teams seemed to be evenly matched. But then Saeed Anwar Jnr. got into gear and reignited the flame, so to speak. The ball started flying over the ropes again, and victory was soon in sight. Lower order batsmen such as Mohammad Ali and Obaid Bin Nasir put on a couple of runs that led the Multan Tigers to a thrilling victory against the Stallions.
Saeed Anwar Jnr- An innings his father would've been proud of.
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The Blazer
Club Cricketer
KARACHI DOLPHINS VS. PESHAWAR PANTHERS
Waqar Younis: Welcome once again to the National Stadium in Karachi where the Karachi Dolphins are playing the Peshawar Panthers. A great atmosphere has been building here for quite some time under the floodlights, so lets hope the match lives up to expectations.
Waqar Younis: Well, news from down at the ground is that Younis Khan has won the toss and the Peshawar Panthers will be batting first. We'll bring you all the live action after a short break, so don't go away!
PESHAWAR PANTHERS 1st INNINGS
Rameez Raja: And once again a huge cheer went around the stadium as soon as Shahid Afridi came out to bat. As we all remember he failed to deliver the goods in the last match, so the crowd were all cheering him on to make a good start to the innings. The first three balls went for dots, and the crowd were holding their breath. And then all of a sudden: Bang! Afridi sent the ball way back into the stands to start off the innings with a huge six. The fifth ball was lofted over the fielders for a four, and the sixth was blasted away for another six. 16 runs off the first over, and Boom Boom Afridi had started the match in grand style.
Shahid Afridi: A nightmare for opposition bowlers.
Rameez Raja: Not to be outdone by the man at the other end, Akhtar Sarfraz also opened his account by blasting the bowlers around the park. The pair made a steady start to the innings, and they were near the 50 milestone when Sarfraz simply got beaten for sheer pace by Uddin, ending his innings for a low score of 14 off 7 balls. Afridi was soon to follow after he mistimed a big slog and edged it behind to Kamal. The Beast left for a modest score of 38 off 18 balls.
Rameez Raja: Yet another wicket fell to the Dolphins' pace attack, Momand leaving for 2 off 3 balls. The Panthers, after a brilliant start, were suddenly at 58-3 and in a spot of bother. Younis Khan came to the crease, and supporters were hoping that he would produce another match-saving innings. That was not the case though, as the skipper was dispatched of after a few balls, leaving for only 16 off 6 balls.
Younis Khan failed to make an impact on the match.
Rameez Raja: The fifth wicket to fall was Wasti, and at this point the Panthers were at 84, and in serious trouble. A sixth wicket partnership between Jannisar Khan and Riaz Afridi saw Peshawar past the 150 mark and then the tailenders slogged it out in the last few overs and got the Panthers to 205 all out. It's a decent score, but I feel it's at least 20 runs short of being a winning total. We'll just have to wait and see. And so, one last look at the scorecards before we head into the break.
The Blazer
Club Cricketer
KARACHI DOLPHINS 1st INNINGS
Abdul Qadir: Agha Sabir and Khalid Latif came out to open the batting for the Dolphins, backed on by the home crowd. They needed a good start to the innings, as the required runrate was just over 10.00 an over. But that was not to be, as the wickets of Sabir [12 off 4 balls] and Nawaz [4 off 2 balls] fell in the opening few overs. After that though Latif and Iqbal got things back on track by putting on a third wicket partnership that saw the Dolphins past the 50 mark. Latif eventually fell for 29 off 14 balls, but Iqbal continued to do the good work, guiding Karachi past the 100 run milestone before getting his half-century.
Abdul Qadir: But shortly afterwards a flurry of wickets fell that brought the Panthers back into the game. And still the score kept creeping on, past 150. Victory was well within sight when Kamal got his 50, having batted well throughout the innings and stuck around to see the final few runs being chased down.
Abdul Qadir: Credit also has to go to his partner at the other end: Malik Aftab, who was not out on 12 off 2 balls, who kept his nerve and sent the first two deliveries he faced up, up and away over the ropes for devastating sixes that won the match for the Karachi Dolphins. The Karachi crowd were in a frenzy, unable to contain their joy. Onto the pitch they ran, hugging and clapping the two batsmen on the back. "Karachi Dolphins Zindabad!" came the cry from all corners of the stadium, as fireworks and flares were let off. Well what happy scenes we have here the National Stadium: The Dolphins have fought hard and registered a win against the Panthers. A quick glance at the scorecards before we hand over to Waqar.
Abdul Qadir: Agha Sabir and Khalid Latif came out to open the batting for the Dolphins, backed on by the home crowd. They needed a good start to the innings, as the required runrate was just over 10.00 an over. But that was not to be, as the wickets of Sabir [12 off 4 balls] and Nawaz [4 off 2 balls] fell in the opening few overs. After that though Latif and Iqbal got things back on track by putting on a third wicket partnership that saw the Dolphins past the 50 mark. Latif eventually fell for 29 off 14 balls, but Iqbal continued to do the good work, guiding Karachi past the 100 run milestone before getting his half-century.
Abdul Qadir: But shortly afterwards a flurry of wickets fell that brought the Panthers back into the game. And still the score kept creeping on, past 150. Victory was well within sight when Kamal got his 50, having batted well throughout the innings and stuck around to see the final few runs being chased down.
Abdul Qadir: Credit also has to go to his partner at the other end: Malik Aftab, who was not out on 12 off 2 balls, who kept his nerve and sent the first two deliveries he faced up, up and away over the ropes for devastating sixes that won the match for the Karachi Dolphins. The Karachi crowd were in a frenzy, unable to contain their joy. Onto the pitch they ran, hugging and clapping the two batsmen on the back. "Karachi Dolphins Zindabad!" came the cry from all corners of the stadium, as fireworks and flares were let off. Well what happy scenes we have here the National Stadium: The Dolphins have fought hard and registered a win against the Panthers. A quick glance at the scorecards before we hand over to Waqar.
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Wildwil
International Cricketer
Good story so far mate will follow it
Hariz
International Cricketer
Nice story going on there mate, keep it up........really good presentation.
The Blazer
Club Cricketer
Thanks for all the support, guys! Will post an update soon.
The Blazer
Club Cricketer
LAHORE LIONS VS. RAWALPINDI RAMS
Waqar Younis: Here we are again at the National Stadium for what should be another thrilling match: Tonight last year's champions the Lahore Lions take on the Rawalpindi Rams. Both teams lost their respective matches in the opening round, so they'll be going all out for the win tonight. Ah, the two captains are down on the pitch with the umpire. Let's go join them:
Waqar Younis: Well, it seems like the Rawalpindi Rams have won the toss and elected to bat. Coming up next, all the action from the first innings. Dont go away!
RAWALPINDI RAMS 1st INNINGS
Abdul Qadir: Babar Naeem and Mohammad Wasim opened the innings for the Rams, hoping to make a good start. They started off with a bang, as has become a trademark here for Twenty-20 cricket in the ABN-AMRO Cup. However, the Lions struck in the third over; Wasim trying to be over-ambitious and guiding the ball onto his own stumps.
Abdul Qadir: Amran, Ashraf and Naeem were quick to follow, the Rams losing three sudden wickets within the space of 20 runs. Pervez Aziz and Salman Butt came together at the crease once again and for a little while it seemed like they had the situation under control. Aziz, oblivious to the fact that his team needed him to stay at the wicket for a while, soon strayed a loose ball straight into the hands of Tahir, leaving for a disappointing 13 off 10 balls. At this point the Rams were 79-5 and in all sorts of trouble. Butt however refused to let his team crash to a low total; he batted very well and was unlucky to be caught and bowled by Azmat, going down fighting by registering a defiant 43 off 17 balls.
Salman Butt: Played a cruical innings for the Rawalpindi Rams
Abdul Qadir: Usman Saeed continued the good work, forging partnerships with the lower-order batsmen and putting runs on the board. The National Stadium errupted in cheers as he reached his 50 in just 24 balls, the crowd finally having some good batting to applaud.
Abdul Qadir: Even after Saeed was finally dismissed for 65 off 36 balls, the tailenders put in a good performance, in particular Tanvir [27 off 17 balls] and Danish Kaneria [20 off 10 balls]. The Rams ended up posting a very respectable 215-9 off 20 overs. Well, the players are going off now for the break, so one last look at the scorecards before we hand it back to Waqar in the studio.
Pak_cricketer
Chairman of Selectors
Is Saeed Anwar JR really Saeed Anwars son?
