Nagpur: Faiz Fazal launched his campaign in the English country cricket season on a rousing note by guiding his team to a thrilling two-wicket win on Saturday.
Vidarbha Ranji Trophy captain Faiz Fazal slammed a crucial 45 runs on an artificial pitch in very tough conditions to steer Lisburn Cricket Club to a narrow victory against Instonians.
Chasing a challenging target of 139 in 20 overs, Lisburn crossed the line on the penultimate ball of the match with just two wickets in spare.
Faiz Fazal led the charge with 45 runs to lay the solid foundation for his team. It was Faiz’s first match of the season. During his knock, Faiz displayed several excellent shots to stamp his authority in style.
After reaching the United Kingdom a couple of weeks ago, Faiz underwent a mandatory ten-day quarantine period in a hotel room before he started practice a few days ago.
The 35-year-old Vidarbha opener will look to capitalise on a brilliant start and maintain his form in the rest of the season.
Earlier, Instonians were restricted to 138 for 9 while batting first. O Metcalfe was the top scorer for them with 56. For Lisburn CC, B Rankin, C Atkinson and M Berry took two wickets each.
BRIEF SCORES
Instonians 138 for 9 in 20 overs (O Metcalfe 56; B Rankin 2-34, C Atkinson 2-28, M Berry 2-28) lost to Lisburn Cricket Club 142 for 8 in 19.5 overs (Faiz Fazal 45, A Berry 21, M Humphreys 25; C Robertson 2-25, B Rose 2-18) by 2 wickets.
