LAHORE - Stylish and emerging opening batsman Nauman Anwar's sparkling 97 runs knock helped Sialkot Stallions lift the Cool & Cool Presents Haier Super8 T20 Cup 2015 title as they thrashed Lahore Lions by 74 runs in the final played at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad on Monday.
Sialkot Stallions posted a mammoth total of 197 for the loss of nine wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Stallions lost three wickets inside four overs, but managed to race away to 39 by then. Anwar and Haris Sohail, who scored 47 off 34 balls, then put on 111 runs in 11.2 overs, effectively batting Lions out of the game. By the time Anwar was dismissed in the 16th over, he had struck 10 fours and six sixes. Despite no other batsman contributing significantly - only two others crossed double figures - Stallions ensured the scoring-rate didn't drop. Aizaz Cheema picked up four wickets while left-arm spinner Qaiser Ashraf claimed three scalps.
Lions' chase began on the wrong note, as they lost Ahmed Shehzad and M Hafeez inside the first two overs before slumping to 25 for 4. Umar Akmal and Saad Nasim shared a 37-run stand, but after Umar was removed by off-spinner Bilal Asif for a 30-ball 35, there wasn't much by way of resistance. Stallions' spinners - Asif, Sultan Ahmed, Mukhtar Ahmed and captain Shoaib Malik - picked up seven of the eight wickets to fall. Nauman Anwar was named player of the match for his brilliant batting.
The winners Sialkot Stallions received two million, runners-up Lahore Loins got one million, man of the match Nouman Anwar of Sialkot Stallions, best batsman Nouman Anwar (270), best bowler Usama Mir of Sialkot Stallions (11 wickets) and best all-rounder Bilal Asif of Sialkot Stallions (144 run & 6 wickets) earned Rs 5,000 each.

Scoreboard

SIALKOT STALLIONS:
Mukhtar c Umar Akmal b Qaiser    6
Nauman Anwar c Ahmed b Qaiser    97
Bilal Asif c Saad b Aizaz Cheema     5
Ahmed Butt c Kamran b Aizaz    4
Haris Sohail c Umar Akmal b Imran    47
Ali Khan c & b Qaiser Ashraf     8
Shoaib Malik c Umar Akmal b Aizaz    11
Ayaz Tasawwar run out    13
Bilawal Bhatti c Nasir b Aizaz    0
Sultan Ahmed not out     5
EXTRAS: (lb 1)    1
TOTAL: (9 wickets; 20 overs)    197
FOW: 1-18, 2-35, 3-39, 4-150, 5-158, 6-172, 7-182, 8-182, 9-197
BOWLING: Qaiser Ashraf 4-0-39-3, Aizaz Cheema 4-0-34-4, Imran Ali-4-0-47-1, Mustafa Iqbal 3-0-29-0, M Hafeez 3-0-26-0, Saad Nasim 2-0-21-0.
LAHORE LIONS:
Ahmed Shehzad b Bilawal Bhatti     0
Kamran Akmal c Ayaz b Sultan Ahmed     3
Hafeez c Shoaib b Sultan Ahmed     10
Umar Akmal b Bilal Asif     35
Nasir Jamshed c Bilawal b Bilal    2
Saad Nasim c Usama b Shoaib    26
Imam-ul-Haq not out     21
Mustafa Iqbal c Bilal b Mukhtar    1
Imran Ali b Mukhtar Ahmed     23
Aizaz Cheema not out     1
EXTRAS: (w 1)    1
TOTAL: (8 wickets; 20 overs)    123
FOW: 1-0, 2-11, 3-18, 4-25, 5-62, 6-88, 7-91, 8-121
BOWLING: Bilawal Bhatti 2-0-16-1, Sultan Ahmed 4-0-16-2, Bilal Asif 4-0-30-2, Usama Mir 4-0-18-0, Shoaib Malik 3-0-20-1, Mukhtar Ahmed 3-0-23-2.
TOSS: Sialkot Stallions
UMPIRES: Ahsan Raza and Shozeb Raza
TV UMPIRE: Ahmed Shahab
MATCH REFEREE: Muqadas Rasool Khan
OFFICIAL SCORER: Tahir Sohaib