SPA vs PORT

So, that will be it from the first match here in Barcelona. This is me, Bidipto, taking your leave for now but will be back again for the third match of the day at 5:15 pm IST. Do join Tasmai and me for that one. Keep following Sportskeeda! 

Spain win by 7 wickets with 9 balls to spare! 

Prince Dhiman 54 (19) | Lorne Burns - 1/28 (2)
Sharn Gomes 51* (29) | Juan Henri - 1/15 (2)

Portugal needed a score in excess of 150 and Spain proved that with their superior batting to win it with an over and three balls remaining! Mind you, 135 is a good target no matter what but the way the home side chased these runs down suggests that anything less than 150 is not quite enough against them. 

Muhammad Babar started the show with an explosive first over. Even though skipper Yasir Ali was out for naught, the onslaught did not stop. Prince Dhiman took a few balls to get going but when he did, they could not stop him as if! He smashed a half-century in no time and accelerated the score. 

His miscue to the fielder at mid-wicket gave Hamza Saleem Dar the opportunity to bat and he took that opportunity with both hands to slam a 45 off 15 deliveries to kill the game then and there! Babar then knocked off the winning runs for his team to put two points in the bag for the hosts. 

Juan Henri was the only bowler who looked the part for Portugal. He took a wicket and went at under 8.00 RPO. But, they need to get their plans right first up because these conditions are just too good for batting.

8.3 Najam Shahzad to Muhammad Babar, SIX RUNS TO FINISH THE MATCH! SPAIN WIN! Full toss outside off-stump. Carved on the up over deep backward point for a flat maximum! 

8.2 Najam Shahzad to Muhammad Ihsan, full toss on off-stump. Ihsan moves right across and swings it across to the right of deep backward square-leg for a single. 

8.1 Najam Shahzad to Muhammad Babar, full toss on off-stump. Pushed off the front foot down to long-on off the thick inside edge for a single. 

7.6 Junaid Khan to Hamza Saleem Dar, CAUGHT AND BOWLED! Good length ball on middle-and-leg. Hamza miscued the pull shot, top edged it and the bowler did the rest by moving to his left! He kept his eyes on the ball and completed a nice high catch. 

7.5 Junaid Khan to Hamza Saleem Dar, SIX AGAIN! Full around off-stump and in the slot. Clubbed over the top of the long-on region from deep in the crease for a maximum! 

7.4 Junaid Khan to Hamza Saleem Dar, SIX MORE! Short on middle-stump. Hamza clobbers it off the back foot over deep mid-wicket for a maximum! 

7.3 Junaid Khan to Hamza Saleem Dar, SIX RUNS! Full around off-stump. Hamza goes back, gets down low and pummels it over the top for a straight maximum! 

7.3 Junaid Khan to Hamza Saleem Dar, WIDE outside the line of off-stump! Hamza moved across a lot by the way to try and reach it. Tough call! 

7.2 Junaid Khan to Hamza Saleem Dar, OH! Full and slow but just past off-stump. Hamza played all over it and missed it. But the ball somehow missed that off-pole on its way to the keeper! 

6.6 Suman Ghimire to Muhammad Babar, SIX MORE! Good length ball outside off-stump. Slammed from down on one knee over deep mid-wicket with superb timing on it! 

6.4 Suman Ghimire to Hamza Saleem Dar, OH WELL! FOUR! Good length ball on off-stump. The attempted slog-sweep gets top edged past the short third fielder's right for a boundary! 

6.3 Suman Ghimire to Hamza Saleem Dar, SIX RUNS! Good length ball on off-and-middle. Hamza slog-sweeps it over cow corner for a big maximum!