186/10 (37.0)
CR : 5.03
314/10 (50.0)
CR : 6.28
Pakistan Greens won by 128 runs 🏆
Player of the Match
Fakhar Zaman
1/4115(105)
The milestones kept rolling along for the Greens - Omair Yousuf got to his half-century, Fakhar Zaman completed a second hundred in as many games, and Pakistan Gold were desperate for an opening. Skipper Shaheen Afridi delivered that for them, cleaning up Yousuf and ending the second wicket stand worth 181. Fakhar Zaman and new batter Saad Baig were dismissed shortly after, and for a moment, it seemed like the Gold were back in the game. Farhan Yousaf and Shadab Khan quelled such hopes, taking the Greens past 280 with more than five overs remaining before the pair were separated. Shadab Khan went on to register a half-century, taking them past 300, but the Greens lost wickets in a cluster in the last five overs and ended with 314, losing their last wicket off the last ball of the innings.
Opting to bat first, Pakistan Greens were jolted in the second over when debutant Abdul Subhan went through Sameer Minhas' bat and pad and cleaned him up. As it turned out, that was the only breakthrough Pakistan Gold got to enjoy for a considerable amount of time as Fakhar Zaman and Omair Yousuf dug in and went on to stitch a prolonged partnership for the second wicket. Fakhar picked up from where he left two days ago, going on the attack every now and then. Omair Yousuf took a bit of time to play himself in, and once he was set, the runs kept flowing at a brisk rate.
11:40 PM IST, 11:10 PM Local Time: A thoroughly dominant performance from Pakistan Greens help them clinch a second successive victory in the 2026 National Champions Cup, pretty much knocking Pakistan Gold out of the tournament in the process. Fakhar Zaman and Omair Yousuf laid the foundation with the bat, and while the Greens failed to finish their innings well, their bowlers had quite a lot to defend. With the assistance of some ordinary batting on the part of Pakistan Gold to go with some disciplined spells, they managed to seal a comprehensive 128-run win today.
11:54 PM IST and 11:24 PM Local Time: Time for the post-match presentation.
Player of the Match: Fakhar Zaman
Fakhar Zaman (Player of the Match): "(How does it feel when everything falls in place?) Feels really good. The best thing is the team's victory. When you come back from injury and things go well, it feels good. Cricket is a game that needs a lot of luck. It is good that I got the hundred in the second match also.
(What special did you do in your preparation?) No major change. I am trying to take the game deep, and not checking my shot. If it is my day, I try to take it deep. I am hitting the ball and getting good timing on those.
(On his efforts) I always try to take the game deep. We do not play one day very frequently. I am playing a One-Day game after 7-8 months. This is a format you can take as a mixture of T20 and Test. You can take your time or you can hit.
(Did you work on your bowling too?) Shadab Khan told me back in 2018 that if he becomes the skipper, he will make me bowl 3-4 overs. Credit goes to him."
(What special did you do in your preparation?) No major change. I am trying to take the game deep, and not checking my shot. If it is my day, I try to take it deep. I am hitting the ball and getting good timing on those.
(On his efforts) I always try to take the game deep. We do not play one day very frequently. I am playing a One-Day game after 7-8 months. This is a format you can take as a mixture of T20 and Test. You can take your time or you can hit.
(Did you work on your bowling too?) Shadab Khan told me back in 2018 that if he becomes the skipper, he will make me bowl 3-4 overs. Credit goes to him."
Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan Gold Captain): "(Are you focusing only on learning?) Not that. We are focusing on the winning too. We saw Sahibzada's innings and today Fakhar's innings took the game away from us. Batters get out scoring fifties, but they scored the hundreds and took the games deep.
(On the surface) To be honest, it was slow. Ball was not coming onto the bat nicely. The batters in the middle order faced some difficulty. Yes run scoring was easier against the new ball.
(Being the ODI skipper, are you keeping a close eye on who is doing well?) Yes. Shamyl played a good innings. Fakhar is indeed batting well. Hasnain came back after injury and bowled really well, hitting good areas. Razaullah also bowled well."
(On the surface) To be honest, it was slow. Ball was not coming onto the bat nicely. The batters in the middle order faced some difficulty. Yes run scoring was easier against the new ball.
(Being the ODI skipper, are you keeping a close eye on who is doing well?) Yes. Shamyl played a good innings. Fakhar is indeed batting well. Hasnain came back after injury and bowled really well, hitting good areas. Razaullah also bowled well."
Shadab Khan (Pakistan Greens Captain): "(Team is responding well to the captain) Obviously when things go well, you get good response naturally. We had a chat about keeping the attitude and performance the same. When things are repeating, it means that is the character of a team.
(Your team is certainly not feeling the humidity) We can not control the weather, but your character is not dependent on the weather. You have to keep showing your character.
(Fakhar gave you the credit for his bowling. Do you have the trust in his bowling?) I do believe in his bowling. But I will not take the credit. At the end of the day, he himself has to bowl. I think he is a good bowler, who gives you an option to bowl three-four overs. If one of your top order batter provides such an option, it is extremely beneficial for a team.
(Your own form is going well) I think there are a lot to improve in bowling. I think the bowling was better in this game and hopefully, I will continue.
(Are you satisfied with the win?) Yes things went well. The good thing is that Fakhar is playing very well. Our fielders are showing a great attitude. It is the best thing."
(Your team is certainly not feeling the humidity) We can not control the weather, but your character is not dependent on the weather. You have to keep showing your character.
(Fakhar gave you the credit for his bowling. Do you have the trust in his bowling?) I do believe in his bowling. But I will not take the credit. At the end of the day, he himself has to bowl. I think he is a good bowler, who gives you an option to bowl three-four overs. If one of your top order batter provides such an option, it is extremely beneficial for a team.
(Your own form is going well) I think there are a lot to improve in bowling. I think the bowling was better in this game and hopefully, I will continue.
(Are you satisfied with the win?) Yes things went well. The good thing is that Fakhar is playing very well. Our fielders are showing a great attitude. It is the best thing."
12:15 AM IST, 11:45 PM Local Time: With two wins in two games, Pakistan Greens have all but booked a place in the final. They have been the best batting outfit in the competition so far, a major factor in both of their successful outings. In contrast, Pakistan Gold have been ordinary in their two games - they have been found lacking in all departments. While their bowlers did well to pull things back at the death today, their fielding wasn't satisfactory; there was a lack of application from their batters, and as a result, they are on the brink of being knocked out with two games remaining in the tournament. Pakistan Greens will be back in action tomorrow, facing Pakistan Blues, and will be keen to work on the issues they have had so far while looking to seal a spot in the final. Join us right here on Crickxo at 2:30 PM IST (2:00 PM Local Time) for our coverage of the game, and keep following us for a whole lot more!
That's all we have for you from the 2026 National Champions Cup today. This is Rajarshi Das, signing off on behalf of my co-commentator, Saptak Sanyal, and scorer/analyst, Zeeshan Naiyer. Good night!