In the second match of the champions cup in Faisalabad, Babar Azam and Tayyab Tahir include terrific all-round performances that take the Stallions to a 133-run victory over the Lions. This win not only proved a one-sided affair with the Stallions on top but also gave equal credit to both the blossom and bowlers who equally contributed to the team effort.
Now let’s go for a closer look at how Babar and Tahir’s fifties, backed by a fine contribution from other players, led the Stallions to a huge win.
A Solid Start for the Stallions
The match started with Stallions’ skipper Mohammad Haris deciding to bat first, which seemed to be quite a wise move in hindsight. While the Stallions did not begin the way they could have wanted, they at least set up their base.
As expected, Babar Azam and Shan Masood took their time to get settled and did not take any risk in the first few overs as they tried to understand the playing conditions and the Lions’ team bowling strategy. This was a well-thought-out strategy of accumulating resources systematically, unlike going to hell for leather at the very onset.
This meant that a record opening stand of 39 off 65 balls between Babar and Masood effectively allayed any early nerves that might have been present, thus freeing up the middle order. But the break was short-lived, as again Masood was caught by the wicketkeeper of the Lions’ left-arm wrist’s pinner, Faisal Akram. Some pressure was put on the Stallions by his departure; however, Babar did not wane in any way.
Babar Azam’s Composed
When others were struggling to perform, Babar Azam was unmoved and kept on performing as well as he could. At one point, he was even out of sorts, as the Lions’ bowlers kept a line that was very good. However, once Babar got set, he started to find the boundary rather easily with some good shots that he played.
His 76 was a true exhibition of patience and timing while constructing a big attempt in the match. They said that Babar was able to stay at the crease to establish solidity in terms of wicket losses and let his partners enjoy their time at the batting crease. He could display technical brilliance with serene command, which yet again explains why he is rated among the best of the batters in world cricket.
Tayyab Tahir’s Breezy
However, either Babar, who anchored the innings, or Tayyab Tahir, who enlivened, gave the lively image to cricket fans. After witnessing the dismissal of Masood, Tahir came to the crease with a completely different strategy of attacking the opposition; this really eased Babar’s task of building a big score from the other end.
His knock of 74 from just 72 that was studded with aggressive shots was never irresponsible aggression, as it may sound out to be. Another advantage enjoyed by the Rays was that Tahir managed to change the side of the pitch with regularity, and that saw the Lions bowlers being unable to make any good match-up plans favorable for them.
His innings matched the required change of tempo that was needed by the Stallions as the scoring rate increased after he got to the crease. Tahir, once again, was fluent in stroke play to always put pressure on the Lions’ bowlers, and along with Babar Azam, the platform was set for a big score.
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Late Fireworks from Mohammad Haris and Hussain Talat
Babar and Tahir made perfect preparation for the lower order to capitalize upon it in this regard. Mqm Mohammad Haris and all-rounder Husain Talat made sure that the Stallions gave their innings the finishing they deserved well. In the last ten power-packed overs, they scored 118 runs that steered the team to a competitive 336 for 5.
There was no doubt in the way Haris operated; he hit the ball well to all parts of the ground with power. His skills that enabled him to locate the gaps and clear the boundary made the innings complete. Talat, on the other hand, backed his captain’s play with good shotmaking and excellent timing.
A Complete Bowling Performance
Having posted 336 on the board, the Stallions bowlers had a considerable buffer staring at them, which they effectively defended. Mohammad Ali got the Lions’ wicketkeeper Sajjad Ali out in the very first over of the match, and thus the tone was set.
This early setback affected the Lions, and Ali kept up the pressure and got the big wicket of Abdullah Shafique immediately after. Ali began to go for the kill right from the start, which direction put the Lions on the back foot, and they never came back from that.
Imam-Ul-Haq’s Lone Resistance
The only shining star for the Lions was Imam-ul-Haq, who scored a fighting 78 with the intention of keeping their camp alive. This time Imam came out to bat with a lot of determination, and like Babar had done for the Stallions, Imam anchored the innings.
However, for the Lions, he could not find much support from his teammates. Nevertheless, as would be expected, Imam was to some extent able to cut, rotate and occasionally pepper the fence, the kind of pressure generated by this total demanding more than what a batsman could effectively manage.
Shaheen Afridi’s Struggles with the Ball
The weakness of the Lions that was highlighted during the match was the poor showing by the team’s captain, Shaheen Shah Afridi. One of the most lethal bowlers in all the formats in Shahien, but apart from carrying, he would not be effective with the ball, especially since he failed to get through the lineup of the Stallions.
They were unable to get into their normal routine of swinging the ball, and this is a move that was capitalized on by the Stallions. To compound Shaheen’s misery, his bowling was poor, and he did not deliver the confined use by his team to get those crucial wickets.
But he was fortunate enough to stick around till the end of the Lions’ innings, and coming last, he did have the opportunity to unleash some hard hitting, scoring a few big shots to get the total close to 250.
Team effort seals the win for Stallions
The fact displayed by the Stallions in this match was the perfect teamwork all around the pitch. The continuous hard work of all those fifty Babar and Tahir were able to deliver, but every player contributed to this big win. Right from the stunning batting by Haris and Talat to the steady bowling of Ali, Rauf and Jahandad, everyone deserves it.
The coordinated nature of the Stallions in their show should be attributed to their hard work and unity. As contrasted with the Lions, who seemed to count on star power, every player on the Stallions’ team contributed to this win.