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International 20:20, Grace Road
Faisalabad Wolves International 20:20 champions
Cricinfo staff
September 17, 2005
Chilaw Marians 132 (Perera 37) lost to Faisalabad Wolves 134-5 (Latif 45*) by 5 wickets
Scorecard
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Naved Latif lifts the trophy
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Faisalabad Wolves beat Chilaw Marians in the final of the inaugural International 20:20 championship, thanks to a captain's innings of 45 from Naved Latif.
The Wolves appeared to be coasting to their victory target of 133, as they reached 96 for 2 with little trouble, with Mohammad Hafeez stroking six fours in his 31 and Asif Hussain supported him well. But Nimesh Perara led the fightback for the Marians, dismissing Hussain, Ijaz Ahmed and Mohammad Salman in quick succession.
Latif, like the chilly autumnal air, remained cool through to the end, striking a six to complete victory with eleven balls to spare. His bowlers had earlier restricted the Marians to a modest 132; only Perera demonstrated any fluency with some flamboyant strokeplay in his innings of 37. Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal was the pick of the Faisalabad Wolves bowlers with 2 for 25 - and the Marians lost two further wickets to run-outs in the closing stages of their innings, as the Wolves applied the pressure.
In the end, their total wasn't enough, and Latif took the Pakistani side through to victory, collecting the Man-of-the-Match award and the winner's cheque.
Full report and photos to follow shortly
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