Karachi(Cliff News)Mirpurkhas and Faisalabad overwhelmed their respective rivals in the latest matches of the 18th National Seniors Cup Cricket Tournament 2016-17 being played at the various centres of the country.Mirpurkhas defeated Badin by seven wickets at Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad, in a Southern Zone fixture while Faisalabad overcame Jhang by nine wickets at Sports Complex in a Northern Zone encounter.A record number of 111 teams from all parts of the country are contesting the tournament, being organized by the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA) for the eighteenth year running.The Mirpurkhas spin duo of Rahmatullah(4-27) and Khalil Ahmed (2-19) restricted Badin to 161 for eight in the allotted 20 overs despite opener Faqir Mohammad’sbrillant knock (82 off 61 balls) containing one six and 10 fours.Chasing a target of 162 in 20 overs,Mirpurkhas recovered after losing both the openers early. Gajan Wassanremained undefeated on 46 off 38 balls while Zafaruddin whacked an unbeaten 34 off 18 balls to steer their side to victory with an over to spare.In the other match, Jhang, who elected to bat after winning the toss against Faisalabad, struggled to reach a total of 139 for eight off the stipulated 25 overs as the in nings was wrecked by leg-spinner Kashif Raza (3-14) and left-arm spinner Pervez Hussain (3-24) after the departure of opener Mohammad Tahir, who made a sedate 36 off 34 balls.The 67-run opening partnership between Mohammad Azhar and Rana Irfanprovided a solid platform for Faisalabad.Rana Irfan fell after scoring 21 off 24 balls but Mohammad Azhar remained undefeated with 67 off 62 balls and number three Rizwan Tahir contributed an aggressive unbeaten 35 off 23 balls to take their side to an easy victory with nearly seven overs remaining.