Mohammad Hafeez set the stage on fire in NCL© X (Twitter)
In what turned out to be one of the most entertaining fixtures of the National Cricket League (NCL) Sixty Strikers tournament, a high-scoring thriller set the stage on fire on Sunday. For New York Lions, Upul Tharanga and Mohammad Hafeez put together a brilliant opening partnership of 74 runs. Skipper Suresh Raina failed to continue his exemplary form in the match as New York Lions put a total of 125/7 on the board, after batting first. However, Dallas Lonestars did the unthinkable as they chased down the target in the final over, with Sohaib Maqsood and Samit Patel emerging as the top-scoring batters.
The Sixty Strikers tournament has given fans a rare opportunity to see some retired cricketers rub shoulders with current stars in the T10 format. On Sunday, the amalgamation of the two produced fireworks in Dallas.
Mohammad Hafeez (59) and Upul Tharanga (36) gave New York a solid start at the top but the others failed to follow up. Raina, Ben Cutting, Dominic Drakes, etc. couldn't contribute much with the bat as Hayden Walsh produced an exemplary display of bowling, bagging 4 wickets for 38 runs in three overs.
Chasing the target, the Dallas side Maqsood slammed 15-ball 39, orchestrating a brilliant partnership with Samit Patel, who scored 57 runs from 23 balls. Dinesh Karthik also tried his hand, scoring 13 runs off 8 balls before departing. But, Chris Green and Matt Critchley ensured that the team got over the line.
With just one ball to spare, Dallas overhauled New York's total of 125 runs. For New York, Mohammad Hafeez was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 2 wickets for 43 runs.