This would be it from our end from this Qualifier 1 between Harare and Joburg. The latter side has qualified for the finale, but the road hasn't ended for Harare Bolts as they will play Qualifier 2 later in the evening. But before that, we have Eliminator of the Zim-Afro T10 on our plate.
This is me, Arjun Bhalla, signing off on behalf of my colleagues - Aditya Agarwal and Yogesh Kumar. But do join us for the NY Lagos vs Cape Town!
Sikandar Raza ( Bangla Tigers Joburg Captain)- " After the two losses, I was pretty confident that we will come back. We are winning 5 in a row so that's a big achievement. We can now rest and then come back for the finals with better mindset. Really happy with his performance ( Mohammad Shahzad). I talked to him yesterday also and informed him that it was for the team's betterment.
Dasun Shanaka (Losing Captain): "See, we will look to get the bowling right in Qualifier 2. We didn't bowl well in this game like Luke Wood and Adam Milne did. We got a good score on the board, but a credit to them for winning it. I concentrate on my timing, that's my secret recipe. Will look to take some rest before the big game!"
Mohammad Shahzad ( POTM) - " First of all thanks to mighty Allah for my performance. I think the wicket was good to bat on. I played on merit. I enjoy playing t10 all across the globe."
Player of the Match - Mohammad Shahzad
Power Hitter of the Match - Mohammad Shahzad
Catch of the Match - Luke Jongwe
Magic Moment of the Match - Mohammad Shahzad
Time for the post match presentation.
20:14 PM and 16:44 PM Local: The Bangla Tiger Joburg have booked a seat in the finale! Mohammad Shahzad, after yesterday's drama, has turned up as the hero for the Sikandar Raza-led Bangla Tigers to topple the Harare Bolts in Qualifier 1.
Chasing 125 runs, Shahzad came in as a man with a mission. He opened the innings with Kusal Perera, who was struggling to up the ante. But the Afghan basher was clear with his plans.
Despite losing Perera after a 31-run opening stand, Shahzad went on attacking the Harare bowling. He stitched a brilliant partnership of 50 runs with Hazratullah Zazai. The number 3 batter too got dismissed while playing one too many strokes, but the Afghan open kept on moving.
At last, he needed a partnership with Sikandar Raza to almost the seal the deal, but with 7 runs to get, Raza got back to the hut. However, Shahzad remained unbeaten on his 24-ball 64, where he smacked 6 boundaries and 5 biggies.