Rawalpindi Rams defeated spirited Afghan Cheetas by four wickets in the Faysal Bank National T20 Cup at National Stadium Karachi on Wednesday night. Afghan Cheetas put up a good fight but were unable to overcome Rawalpindi Rams. Afghan’s Samiullah Shenwari and Najibullah Zadran struck half-centuries, and in quick time, splitting six sixes between them, to help their team post 162. Brief contributions from the top order help lay a good foundation and the pair added 78 for the fourth wicket.
Rawalpindi were off to a flier in the chase, Awais Zia smashing 60 in 41 balls, striking 10 fours and a six. His top-order partners didn’t give him company for long but the blistering start meant there wasn’t really a great risk of the required rate getting out of hand. Umar Amin joined Zia in a crucial stand, adding 55, and received good support from Hammad Azam, who saw his team through with seven balls to spare. Rams’Awais zia (60) was the top scorer of the match. Earlier, Faisalabad Wolves defied all odds to have a 54 runs win over Multan Tigers in the second match of the day to bright their claim for the semi-final round.
Electing to bat first, the Wolves gathered fighting 161 runs for eight and later outplayed the Tigers to score 107 for nine. Opener Asif Ali top-scored with 44 and was part of a 57-run opening stand with Asif Hussain which set the foundation for a competitive score. Khurram Shehzad contributed 43 and despite a spate of run-outs down the order, Faisalabad were in a good position at the innings break. Multan built their chase steadily and were well placed for a take-off at 63 for 1 in the 10th over but when Gulraiz Sadaf (32) and Zain Abbas (28) fell in successive overs after a promising stand, their hopes began to fade. Saeed Ajmal was outstanding, with figures of five runs in four overs and three wickets that shut Multan out of the contest.
In the first match, Nauman Habib and Umar Gul bowled Peshawar Panthers to a 28-run victory over Islamabad Leopards on Wednesday. Habib picked up three early wickets and Gul one to reduce Islamabad to 19 for 4 in the fourth over chasing 151. Islamabad captain Naeem Anjum fought bravely to make 40 and add 57 for the sixth wicket with Sajid Ali (24). But with opener Afaq Raheem (32) the only other batsmen to reach double-figures, Islamabad’s challenge fizzled out once Gul removed Sajid. Habib finished with 4 for 17 while Gul took 3 for 27. Gul also made a quick 20 to provide a rapid finish to Peshawar’s innings. Aftab Alam was the top scorer with 36.
Faisalabad Wolves vs Multan Tigers:
Faisalabad Wolves 161-8 in 20 overs (Asif Ali 44, Khurram Shehzad 43, Kamran Hussain 2-21, Zulfiqar Babar 1-18).
Multan Tigers 107-9 in 20 overs (Gulraiz Sadaf 32, Zain Abbas 28, Saeed Ajmal 3-5, Imran Khalid 2-12).
Toss: Faisalabad Wolves, who chose to bat.
Result: Faisalabad Wolves won by 54 runs.
Player of the match: Saeed Ajmal (Faisalabad Wolves).
Peshawar Panthers vs Islamabad Leopards:
Peshawar Panthers 150-9 in 20 overs (Aftab Alam 36, Shoaib Khan snr 26, Zohaib Ahmed 3-21, Iftikhar Anjum 2-30).
Islamabad Leopards 122-10 in 19.3 overs (Naeem Anjum 40, Afaq Raheem 32, Nauman Habib 4-17, Umar Gul 3-27)
Toss: Islamabad Leopards, who chose to field.
Result: Peshawar Panthers won by 28 runs.
Player of the match: Umar Gul (Peshawar Panthers).
Afghan Cheetas vs Rawalpindi Rams:
Afghan Cheetas 162-4 in 20 overs (Samiullah Shenwari 52, Nazibullah Zadran 51*, Muhammad Rameez 2-41, Umar Amin 1-23).
Rawalpindi Rams 163-6 18.5 overs (Awais Zia 60, Umar Amin 43, Nazibullah Zadran 1-6, Karim Sadiq 1-17).
Toss Afghan Cheetas, who chose to bat
Result: Rawalpindi Rams won by 4 wickets.
Player of the match Awais Zia (Rawalpindi Rams)
