Afghanistan Premer League (APL) 2018: Laurie Evans stars in Kabul Zwanan's thrilling win

Kabul Zwanan won a thriller as they defeated Paktia Panthers in the Afghanistan Premer League (APL) 2018 opener on Friday.

Laurie Evans was the star for Kabul after Paktia Panthers had posted 218 runs while batting first. 

Mohammad Shahzad and Ihsanullah Janat started well for the Panthers and gave their team an explosive start. Shahzad (67) was the more aggressive as they added 101 runs for the first wicket.

Both openers got dismissed in the 10th over. However, Sikandar Raza (62) ensured that the flow of was runs was not interrupted. Raza and Cameron Delport had a 64-run stand as Panthers scored 36 runs in the final two overs. 

Luke Ronchi, Javed Ahmadi and Hazratullah kept Kabul going during the chase. Rashid Khan, who promoted himself to the number 6, added some important runs before getting out for 24. However, Evans kept striking the ball well and kept Zwanan hopes alive.

Evans hit 22 runs in the crucial 18th over and Kabul managed to chase down the target with 5 balls to spare. Evans remained unbeaten on 79 runs.

Brief Score:

Kabul Zwanan defeat Paktia Panthers by 3 wickets.

Paktia Panthers 218 for 4 in 20 overs (Mohammad Shahzad 67, Sikandar Raza 78 not out; Zahir Shehzad 2 for 36). 

Kabul Zwanan 220 for 7 in 19.5 overs (Hazratullah Zazai 27, Javed Ahmadi 25, Rashid Khan 24, Laurie Evans 79 not out; Mohammad Hussain 2 for 20; Sharafuddin Ashraf 2 for 40). 

Man of the match: Laurie Evans