Hafeez, Riaz combine to take Blasters over the line

With the Blasters in pursuit of 191, Hafeez’s 92-ball 82 guided them to victory in a tricky chase. She laid the foundation of the chase after a few early strikes had left her team precariously placed at 43 for 3 in 13 overs. Alongside allrounder Riaz, Hafeez rebuilt the innings with a 47-run stand for the fourth wicket. Riaz was the more proactive of the two, collecting four boundaries on her way to a 33-ball 23 before she was run out by Diana Baig.
As the cliche goes, one brought two, and soon enough, with half their side down, Blasters were left needing 73 runs in 117 balls. Ramin Shamim joined Hafeez in the middle and the pair kept the scoreboard ticking. With Shamim holding one end up, Hafeez went in search of the boundary. She collected 11 fours and a six before being cleaned up by Sadia Iqbal with 17 runs still needed.
That wicket turned out to be the opening Challengers were desperate for. They proceeded to rip through the lower-middle order taking four wickets for four runs to leave Blasters tottering at 178 for 9, still needing 13 runs to win.
Luckily for them, Shamim was still at the crease. She held her nerve, farmed the strike and guided Nashra Sandhu through the partnership, ticking off the required runs with 14 balls to spare. She remained unbeaten on a 49-ball 20.
Earlier, Challengers won the toss and elected to bat first. In their allotted 50 overs, they scored 190 for eight, struggling to put together any partnerships of real substance. While their top order collapsed in a heap, to be reduced to 43 for 3, it was the middle and lower order that chipped in to take them to a respectable total. Bismah Maroof top-scored with 55-ball 33, while Iram Javed contributed 32.
Aliya Riaz was the pick of the bowlers for Blasters with three wickets.
 
Brief Scores: PCB Challengers 190/8 in 50 overs (Bismah Maroof 33, Iram Javed 32; Aliya Riaz 3-41) lost to PCB Blasters 191/9 in 47.4 overs (Kainat Hafeez 82; Sadia Iqbal 3-27, Hafsa Amjad 2-30) by one-wicket. PoM: Kainat Hafeez.