Stallions beat Hampshire by 6 wickets

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Stallions scored 144 runs at the loss of 4 wickets in 19.1 overs at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg.

Hampshire has set Stallions 144 run target to win the match.

Shaoiab Malik scored 39 runs for Stallions off 25 balls.

Hampshire lost early wickets in search of quick runs, scratched around for the first ten overs, surged in the middle overs thanks to an entertaining cameo from Glenn Maxwell but lost their way after his dismissal.

A combined bowling effort by Sialkot Stallions kept the English domestic champions to 143, well short of what Trinidad and Tobago had managed earlier in the day, with only 31 runs scored in the last five overs.

It was a pitch that offered something for the spinners and seamers. Sarfraz Ahmed, the tall left-arm seamer with an unusual action, got a few to bounce off a good length to pose questions for the openers.

James Vince showed some intent, charging the seamers for boundaries on both sides of the wicket but a mix-up with his partner Michael Carberry cut short his innings on 18. Carberry, who top scored with 65 against Auckland, perished trying to take on the spinner, Shoaib Malik - he got a top edge to short fine leg.

Hampshire would have ideally liked one from the top order to bat through for the majority of the overs, but regular strikes stalled their progress. The run-outs didn't help - a risky second run to long-on resulted in Sean Ervine's fall, off a direct hit. Hampshire had only managed 59 off the first ten overs and it was up to their overseas picks to give the innings a push.

Maxwell was harsh on the pull, connecting a few off the seamers and sending the ball several rows over the on side. He picked Naved-ul-Hasan for consecutive sixes in an over which yielded 16, and added 56 with Shahid Afridi. However, Sialkot pulled things back with a quiet over by the seamer Bilawal Bhatti, whose skiddy pace kept Maxwell in check. Hampshire were 113 for 4 after 16 overs and in the search for quick runs, both Maxwell and Afridi fell off successive balls off Umaid Asif. The lower order though failed to push the score past 150.

End.