Opener Ali Imran hit quick-fire 64 runs and also took one wicket as National Twenty20 champions Northern defeated visiting Marylebone Cricket Club team by nine runs in a T20 match played at Aitchison College Lahore on Monday.

MCC captain Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and elected to field first. Northern openers Zeeshan Malik and Ali Imran gave their team a 48-run stand for the first wicket. Ali was especially in a lethal form as he scored 64 runs off 43 runs with the help of eight fours and two sixes. Next top run-getter was Sarmad Bhatti who scored 25 runs. For MCC, Ravi Bopara took three wickets while Roelof van der Merwe clinched and Imran Qayyum took one wicket each.

Chasing the target, Northern bowlers kept all the efforts of visiting team’s batsmen to develop a partnership as MCC could only reach to 143 runs for the loss of seven wickets in allotted overs.

Samit Patel and Ross Whiteley put a 40-run partnership for the fifth-wicket, but it went in vain as MCC were restricted to 143 for seven in 20 overs. Samit, the right-handed batsman, top-scored with an unbeaten 39 off 35 balls, hitting one four and two sixes, while Whiteley chipped in with a 18-ball 21. For Northern, Mubasir Khan and Munir Riaz grabbed two wickets apiece for 24 and 21, respectively.

A healthy crowd including former cricketers witnessed the match between two teams at one of the oldest educational institutes in the Punjab’s capital. Majid Khan, Saleem Altaf, Mohammad Ilyas and Mohammad Hafeez, Ramiz Raja were among the renowned cricketers present at the Aitchison College to witness the T20 game between Northern and MCC.

MCC will play next T20 match against Multan Sultans at same venue on Feb 19.

SCOREBOARD

NORTHERN:

Zeeshan Malik c Michael Leask b Imran Qayyum 12

Ali Imran c Ross Whiteley b Ravi Bopara 64

Rohail Nazir c Samit Patel b Roelof van der Merwe 2

Sarmad Bhatti c Roelof van der Merwe b Ravi Bopara 25

Faizan Riaz c Kumar Sangakkara b Ravi Bopara 19

Zaid Alam not out 8

Mubasir Khan not out 14

EXTRAS: (w8) 8

TOTAL: (5 wickets; 20.0 overs) 152

Bowling: Oliver Hannon-Dalby 4-1-34-0, Safyaan Sharif 2-0-21-0, Imran Qayyum 2.0-0-24-1, Roelof van der Merwe 4-0-25-1, Samit Patel 3-0-27-0, Ravi Bopara 4.0-0-14-3, Michael Leask 1.0-0-7-0

MARYLEBONE CRICKET CLUB:

Michael Burgess c Faizan Riaz b Munir Riaz  14

Arron Lilley c Munir Riaz b Shehzad Azam 20

Kumar Sangakkara b Munir Riaz 10

Ravi Bopara c Nauman Ali b Mubasir Khan 19

Samit Patel not out 39

Ross Whiteley c Ali Imran b Mubasir Khan 21

Roelof van der Merwe b Ali Imran 9

Michael Leask b Sohail Tanvir 1

Safyaan Sharif not out 3

EXTRAS: (lb2, w4, nb1) 7

TOTAL: (7 wkts; 20 overs) 143

Bowling: Sohail Tanvir 4.0-0-25-1, Munir Riaz 3.0-0-21-2, Ali Imran 2.0-0-16-1, Nauman Ali 4.0-0-25-0, Shehzad Azam 4.0-0-30-1, Mubasir Khan 3.0-0-24-2