Pakistan Gold, captained by Shaheen Shah Afridi, booked their place in the National Champions One-Day Cup final after defeating Saim Ayub’s Pakistan Whites by five wickets in a do-or-die match in Multan. Batting first, Pakistan Whites were bowled out for 172 in 41.4 overs. Mohammad Nawaz top-scored with 55 runs, while captain Saim Ayub contributed 28.
Shaheen Shah Afridi led the bowling attack with three wickets. Mubashir Khan and Faisal Akram claimed two wickets each, while Mohammad Imran and Razaullah took one wicket apiece. Pakistan Gold chased down the target of 173 in just 28 overs, losing five wickets in the process. Middle-order batter Haider Ali played a brilliant unbeaten innings of 69 off 47 balls. Saad Khan scored 33, while Kamran Ghulam contributed 30.
For Pakistan Whites, Mohammad Wasim took two wickets, while Saim Ayub, Shahnawaz Dahani and Ali Raza claimed one wicket each. Haider Ali was named Player of the Match for his match-winning unbeaten knock of 69. The National Champions Cup final will be played tomorrow between Pakistan Gold and Pakistan Green, with the match scheduled to begin at 3 pm. The National Champions Cup is being viewed as an important preparation tournament for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, which will be held next year.
On Sunday, player of the match and captain Shaheen won the toss and invited Whites to bat first. He led the charge with figures of 8-0-26-3 and was ably supported by pacers Mohammad Imran (5-0-25-1) and Razaullah (6-1-25-1) along with the spin duo of Mubasir Khan (10-0-29-2), Faisal Akram (9.4-1-48-2).
Whites kept on losing wickets at regular intervals as only Hasan Nawaz (55, 74b, 3x4s, 2x6s) and Saim Ayub (28, 39b, 4x4s) crossed the 20-run mark, while the highest stand in their innings came between Hasan and Saad Masood for the sixth wicket.
Hasan walked in to bat in the 13th over after Shahzaib Khan, Haseebullah and Usman Khan had returned to the dugout for single-digit scores. Soon Hasan also saw the back of Saim in the 15th over and Khushdil Shah in the 22nd. With the Gold bowlers charged up, Hasan and Saad (20, 21b, 2x4s) added 45 runs together, adding some competitiveness to the contest. Shaheen removed Hasan for his second scalp and Mohammad Wasim Jnr (18, 29b, 2x4s) for his third, while Faisal Akram claimed Saqib Khan and Ali Raza as Whites lost their last four wickets for 24 runs.