The Stallions crushed Shaheen Shah Afridi’s Lions by 133 runs in the second game of the Champions Cup in Faisalabad thanks to top scorer Babar Azam’s 76. Four batters—Tayyab Tahir, Hussain Talat, and skipper Mohammad Haris—all scored half-centuries, which enabled the Stallions to accumulate 336 for 5 in their fifty overs.
With the ball, too, it was a collective effort, with all six Stallions bowlers contributing to the wicket total. Before Mohammad Ali’s 2 for 18 set the tone for a commanding Stallions performance and the Lions were unable to mount a serious challenge, Haris Rauf claimed three wickets. The only genuine opposition came from Imam-ul-Haq, whose 78 was the highest score of the game while none of his teammates could muster even 30.
Haris, the captain of the Stallions, decided to bat first, and the team started out slowly but steadily. A 39-run partnership between Shan Masood and Babar quickened the tempo, but Faisal Akram, a left-arm wristspinner, easily removed Masood from the game.
After lumbering through the first half of his innings, Babar eventually settled into a groove, leading his team through the middle overs with Tahir, who scored a quick 74 off only 72 balls. With 118 runs off the last ten overs, it created the platform for Haris and Talat to have brilliant cameos near the end.
Sajjad Ali, the wicketkeeper-batter, was removed by Ali in the first over of the chase, despite his uneven Test series against Bangladesh. In the fifth over, he proceeded to dismiss Abdullah Shafique. The Lions continued to lose wickets often, but Imam held his own. However, the pace of asking kept going up, and by the time Jahandad Khan trapped him in front, the game had ceased to be a fight.
Despite having a lackluster day with the ball, Shaheen managed to lead his team over 200 with a late burst at the bat before Rauf came back to remove Sirajuddin and him, capping off a comfortable victory.
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