Afghanistan Premier League 2018, Match 4 - Nangarhar Leopards vs Paktia Panthers Live Score, Commentary and Updates

Thanks for joining us. Do tune in for the next game which is slated to begin in 30 minutes. Balkh Legends take on Kandahar Knights for what promises to be an engrossing tussle.

Having lost as many as four wickets inside the first seven overs, Nangarhar's run-chase began on a woeful note. A rapid 112-run partnership between Ben Cutting and Hashmatullah Shahidi raised hopes a late revival. But Isuru Udana held his nerve and delivered a stunning penultimate over to clinch the game for Paktia.

Ben Cutting treads on to his stumps and is dismissed hit wicket. Yousuf Zazai finishes the match for the Panthers. Concedes just 7 runs from the final over of the game. Nangarhar Leopards can only manage 163/6.

Paktia Panthers win by 21 runs

Game-changing over from Udana! Just five runs from it. The left-arm seamer from Sri Lanka has all but sealed the match for Paktia Panthers. Nangarhar need an improbable 29 runs from the last over.

Nangarhar Leopards 156/5 in 19 overs

Nangarhar have made a miraculous comeback. They need 34 runs from the last two overs. Can Cutting and Shahidi take them across the line? Udana back into the attack.

3 Fours and 2 Sixes! Ben Cutting takes the attack to Yousuf Zazai. 25 runs from the over. It's all happening at Sharjah.

Nangarhar Leopards 151/5 in 18 overs

Nangarhar Leopards require 72 runs from the last four overs. Have they left it too late?

16 runs from the over! After Hashmatullah Shahidi hammers back to back boundaries, Cutting finally manages to break the shackles with a massive maximum.

Nangarhar Leopards 113/5 in 16 overs

Ben Cutting is struggling to get a move on. The skipper is currently batting on 4 off 8 balls. Paktia's spinners are squeezing the life out of the run-chase.

Nangarhar Leopards 67/5 in 12 overs

At the half-way mark, Nangarhar are struggling to push on the accelerator. Can captain Cutting inspire a fightback? The required run-rate has shot past 13.

Nangarhar Leopards 52/5 in 10 overs

Left-arm spinner Zia-ur-Rehman slips in a quiet over. Just three singles off it.

Nangarhar Leopards 46/4 in 8 overs

Afridi strikes! Cleans up Najeeb Tarakai with a leg-break that slightly grips on the surface. The experienced campaigner goes on to share a smile with skipper Shahzad.

Shahid Afridi into the attack. Has not been in great form lately. However, the situation is set-up for him to further strangle the opposition.

Paktia Panthers right on top as the Power Play overs come to an end. Nangarhar need 148 more runs from just 84 balls.

Nangarhar Leopards 37/3 in 6 overs

Sharafuddin Ashraf strikes! The pressure was building and something had to give. Rahmat Shah is bowled whilst attempting an ungainly slog sweep.

A tight over from Yousuf Zazai. Just four runs from it. Rahmat Shah and Najeeb Tarakai are happy to bide their time. But the required run-rate has gone to 10.33.

Nangarhar Leopards 30/2 in 5 overs

Udana traps Devcich in front! The Kiwi pays the price for playing across the line. Tremendous new-ball spell from the Sri Lankan seamer.

Nangarhar Leopards 22/2 in 3 overs

Anton Devcich swings across the line and smashes Yousuf Zazai for a maximum. 12 runs from the second over.

Nangarhar Leopards 17/1 in 2 overs

Isuru Udana strikes! An accurate yorker does the trick against a static-footed Johnson Charles. Promising start for Paktia.

Nangarhar Leopards are 5/1 after the 1st over

Mohammad Shahzad and Cameron Delport set the platform with a belligerent second-wicket partnership. A flurry of wickets threatened to derail their progress. But Samiullah Shenwari added the finishing touches with a sparkling cameo. Collecting five wickets between them, Ben Cutting and Zahir Khan were the pick of the bowlers.

Nangarhar Leopards need to go at more than 9.2 runs per over to chase down their target. Can they do it? Do join us in a bit for the run-chase.

May have missed another hat-trick but picks Three wickets in Four balls. Cutting has done an exceptional job in the last over of the innings. Just three runs off it.

Paktia Panthers finish with 184/8 from 20 overs

Ben Cutting again on a hat-trick! Picked one yesterday. Can he get another today?

Sharafuddin Ashraf cracks a six off Cutting. Gets underneath a fuller delivery and carves the ball beyond the point boundary. Not an easy shot to execute.

Paktia Panthers 168/5 in 18 overs

Sensational catch from Cutting! Afridi tries to take on McClenaghan and almost clears the fence. However, Ben Cutting leaps high at long-off and pulls off an outrageous take inches from the boundary rope. Boom Boom has to depart.

Paktia Panthers 158/5 in 17 overs

Boom Boom is in the house! Shahid Afridi delights the Sharjah faithful with a towering six off McClenaghan.

Back to back Sixes! Samiullah Shenwari uses the angle and pace of Naveen-ul-Haq to muscle the ball into the stands. Costly over for Nangarhar. 17 runs from it.

Paktia Panthers 135/4 in 14 overs

Three singles and a wicket from the over. Splendid stuff from Zahir Khan.

Paktia Panthers 118/4 in 13 overs

The missed stumping won't cost the Leopards! Sikandar Raza bowls himself by attempting a perilous reverse-sweep against Zahir. The chinaman bowler gets another crucial wicket.

Shafiqullah misses a stumping chance. Could have spelled further trouble for the Panthers. Sikandar Raza rubs salt into the wounds by smashing Rahmat Shah for a massive six through the off-side.

Paktia Panthers 115/3 in 12 overs

Nangarhar Leopards are back in business. They have removed both set batsmen in consecutive overs. Just two runs from Cutting's over. Pressure being created here.

Paktia Panthers 101/3 in 11 overs

Direct hit and Shahzad is gone! Lazy running from the Paktia skipper. A bit more urgency and he could have made it to the crease in time.

At the half-way mark, the Panthers are just one short of the 100-run mark. Can they push on and go past 180?

Sikandar Raza joins Shahzad at the crease. Great comeback from Zahir. Concedes two successive boundaries but cleans up Delport.

Paktia Panthers 99/2 in 10 overs

Zahir Khan breaks the partnership. Castles Delport with a well-disguised googly. The left-hander was having some trouble reading the chinaman exponent. This time, he is cut in half.

Fifty for Shahzad! Slog-sweeps Mujeeb for a colossal six. Has reached the half-century mark from just 28 balls.

Shahzad makes room for himself and upper-cuts to collect a boundary. To go alongside his fancy shots, he is also rotating the strike deftly. This man is not all brawn.

Paktia Panthers 80/1 in 8 overs

Shot from Delport! Hammers a juicy over-pitched delivery from Naveen into the long-on stands. What a way to bring up the fifty partnership.

Shahzad and Delport continue to find the boundary quite frequently. Nangarhar need to break this partnership before they hit the next gear.

Paktia Panthers 63/1 in 7 overs

Shahzad on the attack! Smashes two fours and a thumping six against the medium pacer. Paktia have begun strongly.

Paktia Panthers 45/1 in 5 overs

Naveen-ul-Haq into the attack.

Shahzad looking to give himself room whilst trying to negate Mujeeb's angle. Interesting tactics from the explosive opener. Meanwhile, Cameron Delport finishes the over with a couple of delightful boundaries. Expensive over from the 17-year old.

Paktia Panthers 31/1 in 4 overs

Excellent over from Mitchell McClenaghan. Just two runs off it.

Paktia Panthers 21/1 in 3 overs

Mujeeb strikes off his fifth ball. Terrific use of the new-ball. Angling the ball into the right-hander and traps Ihsanullah Janat in front.

Paktia Panthers 19/1 in 2 overs

Mujeeb Ur Rahman to start proceedings from the Sharjah Club Ground. Mystery spin versus Mohammad Shahzad's belligerence.

Maximum! Ihsanullah Janat sets the tone with a towering six. Hitting through the line and sending the ball sailing into the stands. Early indications suggest this could be a better pitch than yesterday's sluggish tracks.

Paktia Panthers are 11/0 at the end of the first over

Nangarhar Leopards Playing XI: Najeeb Tarakai, Johnson Charles, Anton Devcich, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Shafiqullah Shafiq (wk), Ben Cutting (c), Mitchell McClenaghan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Zahir Khan

Paktia Panthers Playing XI: Mohammad Shahzad (c) (wk), Ihsanullah Janat, Cameron Delport, Sikandar Raza, Samiullah Shenwari, Shahid Afridi, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Isuru Udana, Zia-ur-Rehman, Azmatullah Omarzai and Yousuf Zazai

Paktia Panthers have won the toss and opted to bat first.

Nangarhar Leopards and Paktia Panthers will begin today's APL action by squaring off against each other at the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium. While the former are coming into the game on the back of a comprehensive victory against Kandahar Knights, the latter must still be wondering as to how they had managed to lose despite amassing 218 against Kabul Zwanan.

Led by Ben Cutting, the Leopards looked impressive in their opening match. The stand-in skipper played a decisive role by picking up a hat-trick. He will be eager to further his adaptability on these sluggish pitches. Mujeeb Ur Rahman's presence should keep the opposition batsmen on tenterhooks.

If Mohammad Shahzad gets going, we can expect some fireworks from the Panthers. While he was his usual attacking self in the batting department, his captaincy left a lot to be desired in the contest against Kabul. The team management may also look to bolster their bowling arsenal.

Squads

Nangarhar Leopards
Ben Cutting (c), Andre Russell, Andre Fletcher, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Shafiqullah Shafaq (wk), Najib Tarakai, Mitchell McClenaghan, Anton Devcich, Johnson Charles, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Imran Janat, Rahmat Shah, Ibrahim Zadran, Naveen-ul-Haq, Zahir Khan, Sandeep Lamichhane, Fazal Haq, Nasrat Qureshi and Khaibar Omar

Paktia Panthers
Mohammad Shahzad (c) (wk), Shahid Afridi, Ihsanullah Janat, Cameron Delport, Sikandar Raza, Calum MacLeod, Samiullah Shenwari, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Zia-ur-Rehman, Yousuf Zazai, Tahir Khan, Yamin Ahmadzai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Isuru Udana and Fazal Rahman