Top End T20 Series 2024 Points Table: Updated Standings After Pakistan Shaheens vs Melbourne Stars Academy, Match 7

Bangladesh defeated the Melbourne Renegades Academy by a massive 77 runs in the fifth encounter of the 2024 Top End T20 Series at the Garden Oval. The second game of the day saw another team batting first and winning their respective bout.

Northern Territory triumphed over the Adelaide Strikers Academy by 32 runs in the sixth match of the campaign at the Gerry Wood Oval.

Meanwhile, the Melbourne Stars Academy demolished the Pakistan A side by a sizable margin of 47 runs in the seventh game of the season, with Liam Blackford’s batting exploits (55 off 43) earning him the Player of the Match award.

With the tournament seven games in, let's take a look at how the points table is shaping up:

After their win over the Adelaide Strikers Academy, Northern Territory cemented the top spot with a perfect record of two wins in two matches. They are in the first spot with four points and a healthy net run rate of +2.039.

The Bangladesh A side registered their first win of the season, which catapults them into the second position on the points table with two points and a tournament-best net run rate of +3.850.

Melbourne Stars Academy, Adelaide Strikers Academy, Pakistan Shaheens (Pakistan A), and Melbourne Renegades Academy have an almost identical record after the completion of seven games. They all have managed to score two points in two matches, thus occupying the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth places with net run rates of +0.752, -0.275, -0.750, and -1.552, respectively.

Tasmania and Perth Scorchers Academy languish at the bottom of the points table with zero points to their name, occupying the eighth and ninth places, respectively.

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Blackford, Mark and Nair shine as Stars trump Pakistan A by 47 runs

Melbourne Stars Academy skipper Dylan Brasher elected to bat first against the Pakistan Shaheens at the Garden Oval, Darwin. Melbourne openers Ashley Chandrasinghe (47 off 42) and Liam Blackford (55 off 43) gave their side a much-needed headstart, stringing along a 96-run partnership that lasted for 13 overs.

Chandrasinghe scored a total of four boundaries and two sixes while Blackford’s innings were laced with seven fours. Fireworks from Arjun Nair (36 off 15) down the order helped the Stars post a total of 165.4 at the end of the first 20 overs. Jahandad Khan took two wickets for the Shahs.

Barring Tayyab Tahir’s 43-ball 57, none of the Pakistan A batters made any crucial contributions as they were restricted to a mere 128/9, handing the Melbourne Stars a colossal 47-run win.

Melbourne Academy bowlers Reiley Mark (4/32) and Arjun Nair (2/12) made crucial inroads into the Pakistan A side, helping their team win the seventh encounter of the tournament.