Raees shines as State Bank of Pakistan prevail

State Bank of Pakistan 123 for 9 (Raees 47, Raja 23, Irshad 3-31) beat Union Bank Limited 114 for 5 (Sukhail 24, Asad 25, Mahmood 2-25) by nine runs
Scorecard

Adnan Raees' 42-ball 47 proved to be the difference as State Bank of Pakistan defeated Union Bank Limited by nine runs in a low-scoring Ramadan T20 Cup match.

SBP, who chose to bat first, got off to a bright start, as opener Rameez Raja hit four fours during his 17-ball 23 to take the team to 30 for no loss after three overs.

But medium-pacers Akhtar Ayub and Mohammad Irshad swung the momentum in United Bank's favour, taking five wickets between them and leaving SBP struggling at 50 for 5 after 7.5 overs.

Raees, batting at No.5, then stabilised the innings with a knock that included four fours. He shared a crucial eighth-wicket partnership of 34 runs withHasan Mahmood to take SBP to 123 for 9 in their 20 overs.

Irshad was the most succesful bowler for United Bank, picking three wickets for 31.

United Bank got off to a stuttering start, losing openers Asif Ali and Adnan Baig to successive deliveries off legspinner Kashif Siddiq and fast bowler Mohammad Ali in the third and fourth over.

Saad Sukhail and Ali Asad added 38 runs for the fourth wicket, but tight bowling from SBP, particularly from Ali and Rizwan Haider, slowed down United Bank's run-chase. Mahmood picked up two wickets towards the end of the innings, as United Bank mustered 114 for 5, falling short of the target by nine runs.

Raees was named as the Man of the Match for his unbeaten 47

Despite the loss, United Bank remain second on the points table with 4 points. State B of P are third due to an inferior net run rate.