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Paktia Panthers hand Balkh Legends first defeat

Sharjah - Sri Lankan left-arm medium pacer Isuru Udana snapped up four wickets

The Paktia Panthers brought an end to Balkh Legends' unbeaten start in the Gulbahar Afghanistan Premier League by notching a 37-run win at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday night.
Sri Lankan left-arm medium pacer Isuru Udana snapped up four wickets and left-arm spinner Zia-ur-Rehman three, and even though captain Mohammad Nabi tried to make a fist of the 205-run chase with a defiant 40 from 15 deliveries, the Paktia Panthers won with an over to spare.
Meanwhile, opener Chris Gayle, who drew the curtains down on his List A career with a match-winning ton (122) for Jamaica against Barbados in the WICB Regional Super 50 encounter at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, flickered, but only briefly, with a 10-ball 20 before Udana exacted revenge.
Udana had been carted for two consecutive sixes and a boundary by Gayle in the same over before the bowler sent the southpaw's off-stump cart-wheeling.
It was Gayle's first appearance in the competition after missing their first two outings.
Earlier, the Paktia Panthers racked up their second 200 plus total of the tournament - 204 - after they had piled up 218 against Kabul Zwanan on the opening night last Friday.
And while on that occasion, Zimbabwean all-rounder Sikandar Raza had top scored with 78 and opener and captain Mohammad Shahzad had made 67, this time it was South African Cameron Delport and the openers Shahzad and Ihsanullah Janat who contributed.
After Janat and Shahzad had laid down the perfect foundation by making quickfire 47 and 42 respectively, left-hander Delport top scored with an unbeaten 70 from 48 deliveries with six sixes and a boundary.
Samiullah Shenwari and Rahmanullah Gurbaz chipped in with cameos of 25 and 15 respectively to swell their total.
Medium pacer Gulbadin Naib, who had take four wickets against the Kandahar Knights, picked two wickets.
As has been the case from the start of the tournament, the pot-bellied Shahzad set the tone with some lusty hits to take Paktia Panthers to 52 for no loss in five overs with Shahzad on to 36 from just 18 deliveries.
After scores of 67 against Zwanan and 53 against the Nangarhar Leopards, another half-century was in the offing as Shahzad crossed 3000 runs in T20s with a six in Naib's first over.
But Naib got his revenge, deceiving him with a slower delivery which stood up and Shahzad, who was early on the shot, spooned a return catch to Naib. Naib celebrated by letting out a yell and then flexed his arm muscles as Shahzad went back after scoring 42 from 21 balls with two boundaries and five sixes.
Delport, who got two lives off leg-spinner Qais Ahmed in the ninth over, made the Legends pay for those reprieves.
The Panthers reached 101 for one from 10 overs and although Mirwais Ashraf had Janat caught by Ravi Bopara, three runs short of his half-century, there was no stopping them and Delport.
Delport brought up his 50 from 38 balls and then wrapped up Panthers' innings with a straight six off Naib.
Brief scores:
Paktia Panthers: 204 for 4 in 20 overs (Cameron Delport 70 not out, Ihsanullah Janat 47, Mohammad Shahzad 42, Samiullah Shenwari 25, Gulbadin Naib 2-46) beat Balkh Legends: 167 all out in 19 overs (Mohammad Nabi 40, Ravi Bopara 23, Colin Munro 23, Chris Gayle, 20, Isuru Udana 4-38, Zia-ur-Rehman 3-34) by 37 runs.