In an electrifying start to the white-ball season, Pakistan batter, Haider Ali, made a remarkable impact with a scintillating half-century off just 21 balls in his team’s opening match.
The game between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire left cricket fans in awe as Haider unleashed a flurry of boundaries and entertained the crowd with his aggressive strokeplay.
Haider Ali scores a 21-ball half-century in his first white-ball outing of the season 🔥
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— Derbyshire CCC (@DerbyshireCCC) May 16, 2023
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Derbyshire set a respectable target of 215 runs on the board for Nottinghamshire, losing six wickets in the process.
Nottinghamshire’s innings faltered from the beginning, with early wickets tumbling and a lack of substantial partnerships. The team struggled to maintain a steady run rate and could only manage to score 133 runs before losing eight wickets.
In the next encounter between Gloucestershire and Warwickshire, Pakistan pacer, Hassan Ali, showcased his bowling prowess and came agonizingly close to achieving a hat-trick.
Gloucestershire fell short in their chase as Warwickshire emerged victorious by 72 runs in the second match of the season.
Gloucestershire won the toss and elected to bowl first, hoping to restrict them to a manageable total. Warwickshire, however, put up a competitive score of 201 runs on the board, losing eight wickets in the process.
The standout performer with the bat for Warwickshire was JG Bethell, who played a blistering knock of 47 runs off just 29 balls. His innings included two boundaries and four towering sixes, providing the much-needed impetus to Warwickshire’s innings.
In response, Gloucestershire faced a stiff challenge to chase down the target set by Warwickshire. However, they struggled to build substantial partnerships and were eventually restricted to 129 runs, losing eight wickets in the process.
Hassan Ali’s performance with the ball was a silver lining for Gloucestershire. He bowled exceptionally well in his four-over spell, claiming two crucial wickets.
In a brilliant display of bowling, the 28-year-old claimed the wickets of EWO Middleton and Z Akhter on back-to-back deliveries, igniting hopes of achieving a coveted hat-trick in the competition.
𝗪 𝗪 .
So close to a @RealHa55an hat-trick this afternoon 😩
🐻#YouBears | #SecondXI pic.twitter.com/Rc5fqPquhg
— Bears 🏏 (@WarwickshireCCC) May 16, 2023
Although he narrowly missed out on completing the hat-trick, Ali’s exceptional performance played a pivotal role in maintaining Gloucestershire’s chances of victory during their defense.
