Benkenstein, Zulkifal Power Sharks Into PJL Final

Luc Martin Benkenstein's power-packed innings of 71 runs and a sedate 51 n.o. from Zulkifal enabled Gawadar Sharks overhaul 139 runs and beat Bahawalpur Royals by eight wickets in the qualifier 1 and burst into the final of the Pakistan Junior League (PJL) 2022 at the Gaddafi Stadium here on Tuesday

LAHORE, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Oct, 2022 ) :Luc Martin Benkenstein's power-packed innings of 71 runs and a sedate 51 n.o. from Zulkifal enabled Gawadar Sharks overhaul 139 runs and beat Bahawalpur Royals by eight wickets in the qualifier 1 and burst into the final of the Pakistan Junior League (PJL) 2022 at the Gaddafi Stadium here on Tuesday.

Sir Vician Richard-mentored Sharks is the first team to qualify for the final of the PJL 2022 which will be played on October 21 (Friday) at the Gaddafi Stadium.

Benkenstein hit eight 4s and three 6s in a remarkable display of power-hitting to score 71 runs off 37 balls and become the 2nd highest run getter in the tournament (226 runs) after Basit Ali of the Bahawalpur Royals who sits atop with 253 runs in the PJL. Benkenstein was adjudged player of the match for the second time in a row as he had also won the award in the last match of the group stage against Mardan Warriors on Sunday last.

Zulkifal played a responsible innings as he hit three 4s and one 6 off 44 balls to score 51 n.

o. and see his team home in the 19th over with eight balls to spare.

Mohammad Zeeshan and Nathan were the only successful bowlers for the Royals who bagged a wicket each.

Earlier, Gawadar Sharks won the toss and asked Bahawalpur Royal to bat first. Mohammad Danish was the highest scorer for the Royals who scored 33 runs off 31 ball while Farhan Yousuf 30 (24), Obaid Shahid 21 (23) and Mohammad Basit 20 (21) were the other contributors. No significant partnerships were seen in the Royals innings as PJL top-scorer Basit Ali (253 runs in 6 matches) fell cheaply.

Mohammad Ismail was the most successful bowler and claimed three wickets for 10 runs while Mohammad Shoaib, Aftab and Arafat Minhas shared one wicket each.

The Bahawalpur Royals will meet the winner of the Eliminator 1 on Thursday at the same venue. Eliminator 1 will be played between Rawalpindi Raiders and Mardan Warriors at 6 p.pm on Wednesday (tomorrow) at the same venue.