National T20 Cup: Babar stars as Central Punjab down Northern

Star batsman Babar Azam made a stunning appearance in the National T20 Cup as he led Central Punjab to a thumping eight-wicket win over Northern in the match 15 in Rawalpindi on Friday.

Chasing a relatively competitive target, Babar, who was playing his first game of the tournament, looked in sublime form from the very beginning and played a match-winning knock of 86 not out off just 52 balls which included 11 fours and two sixes.

He was well-supported by Faheem Ashraf who scored unbeaten 52 off just 26 balls with the help of seven fours and two sixes.

Earlier, Northern set a 166-run target for Central Punjab after captain Imad Wasim won the toss and elected to bat first.

Right-hander Asif Ali scored scored 67 off 40 deliveries with the help of four boundaries and five sixes to help the team in posting 165-9 in their 20 overs.

He put on an 87-run partnership with all-rounder Shadab Khan (39 off 25).

Faheem was the pick of the bowlers for Babar Azam-led unit as he returned with figures of 4-18 in his four overs.