Karachi: NT Strikers emerged victorious in the top-end T20 series, securing a 46-run victory over Pakistan Falcons in the final. The match witnessed a standout century by Jake Wood, who played a pivotal role in their triumph.
In the final of the Top-End T20 Series, NT Strikers, also known as Northern Territory Thunder, defeated Pakistan Falcons by 46 runs. The highlight of the match was an outstanding century by NT Strikers’ Jake Wood, who scored 101 runs off just 59 balls with the help of 5 sixes and 8 boundaries.
Playing in the final held at Darwin, NT Strikers won the toss and chose to bat first, amassing a total of 185 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 20 overs. In response, Pakistan Falcons managed to score 139 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their 20 overs.
Although NT Strikers lost their first wicket at just 16 runs, Jake Wood and Jason Sangha then partnered to add 71 runs for the second wicket. Sangha contributed 33 runs with the support of three fours and one six, while Wood’s exceptional batting led him to a complete century, featuring two sixes and two fours in an over against Faisal Akram. Wood remained not out at the end of the innings with a score of 101 runs off 59 balls.
Jake Wood’s aggressive innings included 5 sixes and 8 boundaries, making him the top run-scorer of the series with a remarkable total of 227 runs. Unfortunately, Pakistan Falcons faced an early setback as Shaheen Afridi fell for just 5 runs in the first over of the innings.
Due to a succession of falling wickets, Pakistan Falcons struggled throughout their innings. Captain Rohail Nazir, Wahaj Riaz, Shoaib Riaz, and Irfan Khan managed to contribute 5, 4, 23, and 24 runs respectively, resulting in a total of 72 runs for the loss of 5 wickets.
Arafat Moin remained Pakistan Falcons’ top scorer with 41 runs, featuring two fours and two sixes. However, NT Strikers’ Brad Simmons took three wickets, conceding only 16 runs.
Pakistan Falcons are set to play against Papua New Guinea on August 8th and NT Strikers on August 9th in the fifty-over matches.
It’s important to note that NT Strikers achieved success in all of their six matches in this tournament.
Before reaching the final, Pakistan Falcons had won four out of five matches. Interestingly, NT Strikers had defeated them by 59 runs in their first encounter.