Saim Ayub's 156 sets up Panthers' win over Stallions
Chasing 345, Tahir scored a fighting 109 for Stallions but it was too steep a mountain to climb
ESPNcricinfo staff
21-Sep-2024
Saim Ayub reached his hundred in 92 balls • PCB
Panthers 344 for 7 (Ayub 156, Usman 75, Zaman 4-90) beat Stallions 324 (Tahir 109, Talat 63, Mubasir 3-77) by 20 runs
The trend of teams batting first winning continued into the ninth game of the Champions Cup as Panthers beat Stallions by 20 runs.
Batting first after winning the toss, Panthers rode on Saim Ayub's 156 off 130 balls, studded with 13 fours and seven sixes, to post a daunting 344 for 7. Ayub found good support from Azan Awais, with whom he added 138 for the first wicket.
After Awais' dismissal, Usman Khan joined Ayub and the two smashed 116 in just 79 balls. Usman fell for 75 off 47 balls but Ayub carried on and took the side past 300 in the 44th over. After that, however, Panthers lost quick wickets and could score only 30 in the last five.
Stallions did not have a great start to their chase. Within the first seven overs, they had lost Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood and Babar Azam.
Hussain Talat and Tayyab Tahir kept Stallions in the contest with a 157-run stand for the fourth wicket but the asking rate was continuously rising. When Mubasir Khan broke the stand in the 35th over, dismissing Talat for 63, the required rate was touching ten.
Tahir brought up his hundred in the 39th over but fell soon after. Stallions needed 73 in the last four overs with just two wickets in hand when Zaman Khan threatened to pull off a miracle. He smashed 42 off 16 balls but Stallions eventually fell short by 20 runs.