Following the Central Smashers‘ Victory against the Northern Strikers, the Western Warriors came up against the Southern Hitters.
The Warriors won the toss and elected to bat which brought opening batsmen Ahmad Zubaidi Zulkifle (16) and Syed Rehmatullah (22) to the crease. The pair were able to build a 22-run partnership together prior to Zulkifle’s dismissal which provided the team with a reasonable starting block.
Following the reasonable opening stand the Western Warriors trio of Sharvin Muniyandy, Dhivendran Mogan and Amir Azim all made sizeable contributions. First, it was Muniandy who came in at number four for his team and scored 28 runs from 17 balls to help to give the Warriors innings a sense of momentum. His innings included a vicious pull over the mid-wicket fence off the bowling of Aaryan Amin before he powered another maximum over the head of the hapless Tanzanian leggie.
Muniyandy perished when he mishit part-time off-spinner Ainool Hafizs into the hands of long on. However, Morgan and Amir Azim combined for the innings’ biggest partnership. Morgan once again played an anchoring role for the Warriors as he scored 31 off 31, while Amir Azim scored 29 off 18 balls. The pair combined for a 57-run partnership which took the team’s total from 87-4 to 144-5 with three overs to go. The timing of the wicket fell at an ideal time for the Hitters as the team looked to restrict the Warriors total.
The Hitters bowling attack once again impressed with the wickets being shared around by five bowlers; opening bowler and skipper Syed Aziz Syed Mubarak impressed as he claimed 2-24 from his four overs along with Ainool Hafizs who bowled two overs that only went for 10 and taking a wicket. After the Warriors allotted 20 overs, the team finished on 167-7, meaning that the Hitters were required to score at 8.4 runs per over to win the game.
The Southern Hitters innings started in a similar fashion as the team’s first partnership was worth 21 which came off 2.1 overs. The wicket meant that Muhammad Syahadat Ramli (31) joined Nitheesh Thailathil Sethumadhavan (32) at the crease with the pair looking to both solidify their position at the crease whilst helping the team move towards their target.
The pair batted sensibly but were able to ensure that the scoreboard kept moving in the right direction. Eventually, a 73-run partnership was brought to an end, with the Warriors hoping that they would be able to build some momentum of their own.
However, despite being able to take two wickets in the space of two balls, the Hitters remained on track to chase the target. Ainool Hafizs (23*) and Mohamed Imam Jawfer (45*) built an unbeaten partnership which saw the Hitters successfully chase down their target with 2.3 overs to spare. Jawfer impressed with his striking ability as he finished with a strike rate of 195.65, but Hafiz’s innings was just as important.
The Malaysian T20 Super Series resumes on Thursday 8th October with the Southern Hitters facing off against the Central Smashers.
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