Daily Times

Northern beat Balochistan by seven wickets to finish at the top of the points table as the group stage of the National T20 Cup, being held at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium, concluded on Tuesday. Ali Imran and Rohail Nazir hit half-centuries for Northern to help their side chase down the 156-run target in 17 overs. The pair crafted a 105-run partnership for the third-wicket which got Northern out of trouble after losing two wickets for just 18 runs in 1.5 overs. For his 37-ball 65 – studded with eight fours and two sixes – Ali was awarded man-of-the-match. Rohail, the captain of Pakistan’s Under-19 side, scored an unbeaten 56 off 46 balls, hitting four fours and three sixes. That Balochistan had managed 155 for eight in 20 overs was largely due to Hussain Talat’s rearguard effort. The all-rounder scored 77 runs from 51 balls, hitting nine fours and two sixes.

At one stage, Balochistan were 93 for six in 13.5 overs, courtesy Shadab Khan. The leg-spinner starred with the ball for Northern with four wickets for 26 runs in four overs. Other notable performers with the ball were Mohammad Amir and Sohail Tanvir as they took two wickets each for 37 and 39 runs, respectively. The second best performance with the bat in Balochistan’s innings came from opener Awais Zia, who scored 31 off 23 balls with five fours and a six. The two semi-finals of the National T20 Cup will be played on Wednesday, 23 October, (today). In the first semi-final, first-placed Northern will take on fourth-placed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The second semi-final will see Balochistan, second on the points table, face-off Southern Punjab, who finished number three on the points table.

Scores in brief:

Balochistan 155-8, 20 overs (Hussain Talat 77, Awais Zia 31; Shadab Khan 4-26, Mohammad Amir 2-37, Sohail Tanvir 2-39) VS Northern 156-3, 17 overs (Ali Imran 65, Rohail Nazir 56).