Twitter Reactions: Pakia Panthers shed Kabul disappointment to roll over Nangarhar Leopards

Nangarhar Leopards after their thumping performance against Kandahar Knights couldn’t replicate their form and slumped to their maiden defeat of this year’s Afghanistan Premier League (APL) against Paktia Panthers by 21 runs. On the contrary, Mohammad Shahzad’s men registered their first win after their defeat to Kabul Zwanan, captained by the dynamic Rashid Khan.

Shahzad and late blows guide the Panthers

Paktia lost Ihsanullah Janat to Mujeeb Ur Rahman after they won the toss and elected to bat first. However, Cameron Delport and Mohammad Shahzad put on 80 runs together. Shahzad went on to score his second consecutive fifty. The stand was broken by chinaman Zahir Khan. To the Panthers’ dismay, they lost Shahzad courtesy of a direct hit from Hashmatullah Shahidi.

Sikandra Raza couldn’t replicate his form this time around and became Zahir’s second victim. It was Shahid Afridi and Samiullah Shenwari, who injected impetus into the innings. Mitchell McClenaghan broke the partnership with the wicket of Afridi, who got 19 runs. Shenwari stayed not out till the end and guided his team to 184/8. Ben Cutting picked up three wickets in the final over.

Cutting tries hard   

The run-chase turned out to be a struggle for Nangarhar. Johnson Charles and Anton Devcich were pinned by left-arm seamer Isuru Udana. Rahmat Shah went for a sweep only to see his stumps rattled by Sharafuddin Ashraf. Opener Najib Tarakai looked jittery and became Afridi’s first victim. Left-arm tweaker Zia-ur-Rahman got rid of Shafiqullah Shafiq cheaply.

Nevertheless, Ben Cutting wasn’t ready to drop the gun and he took the opposition bowlers by the scruff of their necks. Shahidi, at the other end, lent him appropriate support. Both raced away to a stand of 112 runs from 64 balls, but the onslaught wasn’t enough to take the Nangarhar Leopards home. In the meantime, Cutting’s incredible knock of 71 runs from 39 balls went in vain.

Here is how Twitter reacted

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