Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Ehsan Adil played only three balls, but in that short a time, he made sure Faisalabad Region hurtled to the finish line with two wickets and three balls to spare. Adil, known more for his bowling, hammered two fours and a six to help his team chase down a target of 179 and beat Abbottabad Region in their National Twenty20 Cup Cricket Tournament match in Rawalpindi on Friday. The foundation of the chase had been laid by No. 3 Khurram Shehzad’s 59 off 39 balls and there was able support from No. 4 Asif Ali who struck 45 off 31. Legspinner Yasir Shah accounted for both men to bring Abbottabad back and fashion a lower-middle order panic. Even the reliable Misbah-ul-Haq could eke out only 14 off 12. The score slipped from 108 for 2 to 147 for 7. Junaid Khan, who had pried out the openers the very first over of the chase, produced a fine spell of bowling: 4-0-24-4. But Adil was able to put in the big blows when the most counted. He had also been Faisalabad’s best bowler was well with 3 for 33 in his four overs. Fifties from opener Yasir Hameed (59) and wicketkeeper Sajjad Ali (56) had dragged Abbottabad to a formidable total. One that ended up being just a few runs light.

Brief scores:

Abbottabad Region: 178-7 in 20 overs (Yasir Hameed 59, 5x4s, 2x6s, 40 balls, Sajjad Ali 4x4s, 4x6s, 36 balls, Sohail Akhtar 28, 3x4s, 1×6, Younus Khan 22, 3x4s, 15 balls, Ehsan Adil 3-33, Zahoor Khan 2-31, Saeed Ajmal 1-39) VS Faisalabad Region: 179-8 in 19.3 overs (Khurram Shahzad 59, 5x4s, 3x6s, 39 balls, Asif Ali 4x4s, 2×6, 31 balls, Imran Khalid 26, 4x4s, 18 balls, Ehsan Adil 14*, 2x4s, 1×6, 3 balls, Junaid Khan 4-24, Kamran Ghulam 2-25, Yasir Shah 2-33).

Result: Faisalabad Region won by 2 wickets (with 3 balls remaining)

Toss: Abbottabad Region, who chose to bat

Player of the match: Khurram Shehzad (Faisalabad Region)

Umpires: Abid Naqvi and Imtiaz Iqbal Multan outplay Bahawalpur by 33 runs Zain Abbas’ unbeaten 47-ball 57 and Imran Farhat’s 46 off 32 balls set up Multan Region’s 33-run win over Bahawalpur Region in Islamabad. Multan, after being inserted, posted 169 losing only three wickets. They didn’t have a particularly big opening stand though; their scoreboard read 25 when Bahawalpur captain Kamran Hussain removed his opposite number Kamran Akmal. But thereafter, Farhat and then Abbas, took control and cranked things up too. The duo hit eight and seven fours respectively, and Naved Yasin’s 26 off 14 balls provided a strong finish they were looking for. Three of Bahawalpur’s bowlers conceded more than nine runs an over. Bahawalpur’s chase slumped to 14 for 2 as seamer Aamer Yamin removed the openers early. Riasat Ali, who made 63 off 40 balls, including four fours and four sixes, put on 68 for the third wicket in the company of Faisal Mubashir. Bahawalpur, despite losing only four wickets, were never really in with a chance owing to the Multan bowlers making run-scoring difficult. Majid Ali and Rahat Ali finished with economy rates of less than 4.3.

Brief scores:

Bahawalpur Region: 159-3 in 20 overs (Zain Abbas 57*, 7x4s, 47 balls, Imran Farhat 46, 8x4s, 32 balls, Sohaib Maqsood 29, 3x4s, 24 balls, Naveed Yasin 26*, 4x4s, 14 balls, Kamran Hussain 1-21, Muzamil Tahseen 1-23, Zahir Siddiqui 1-37) VS Multan Region: 136-4 in 20 overs (Riyasat Ali 63, 4x4s, 4x6s, 40 balls, Faisal Mubashir 35, 3x4s, 38 balls, Moinuddin 17*, 1×4, 23 balls, Amir 35, 3x4s, 38 balls, Moinuddin 17*, 1×4, 23 balls, Amir min 2-28, Zulfiqar Babar 1-34, Rizwan Haider 1-38).

Result: Multan Region won by 33 runs

Toss: Bahawalpur Region, who chose to field

Player of the match: Zain Abbas (Multan Region)

Umpires: Aslam Bareach and Mohammad Rashid Karachi trounce Hyderabad by 60 runs Karachi Whites benefited from a brisk half-century from captain Faisal Iqbal and a four-for from Mir Hamza to trounce Hyderabad Region by 60 runs in Islamabad. Iqbal could not have asked for a more complete performance. Having chosen to bat, openers Ahsan Ali (30 off 26) and Rameez Raja (367off 18) provided a rollicking start. Then Iqbal lent structure to the total with 60 off 43 balls, including eight fours. Karachi cruised to a strong 173 for 7 despite a spate of run outs in the lower-middle order. Hyderabad’s chase fell away even before it began. There were seven single-digit scores, four of which were ducks. Their first wicket fell with the score on 14, and then they lost three more on 15, and were it not for Shoaib Laghari’s 51 off 37 balls, they may not have even crossed 100. Hamza, with figures of 4-0-28-4, ensured Hyderabad were all out in the 15th over and won the Man of the Match for his efforts.

Brief scores:

Karachi Whites innings for 173-7 VS Hyderabad Region 113 all out

Result: Karachi Whites won by 60 runs

Toss: Karachi Whites, who chose to bat

Player of the match: Mir Hamza (Karachi Whites)

Umpires: Jamil Kamran and Majid Hussain Iftikhar’s dazzling knock leads Peshawar to thrilling victory A superb 39-ball 59 runs knock by Iftikhar Ahmed helped Peshawar Region defeat star-studded Lahore Whites by three wickets in a thrilling match in Rawalpindi. Chasing a stiff target of 166, man-of-the-match Iftikhar showed a rare aggression, hitting four boundaries and three sixes in his 59 runs. Adil Amin was another main contributor as he scored 38 off just 12 deliveries, smashing one four and two huge sixes. Earlier, opting to bat first, Lahore Whites scored 165 in allotted 20 overs with Husnain Tallat being their main contributor, scoring 64 of 39 balls with the help of four boundaries and three sixes. Opener Ahmed Shehzad was another top scorer for them as he made 59 off 42 balls. Captain Azhar Ali scored 20 off 18 balls with the help of three boundaries.

Brief scores:

Lahore Whites: 165-5 in 20 overs (Husnain Tallat 64, 5x4s, 3x6s, 39 balls, Ahmed Shahzad 59, 11x4s, 42 balls, Azhar Ali 20, 3x4s, 18 balls, Imran Khan Jr 2-25, Zohaib Khan 1-32, Iftikhar Ahmed 1-35, Taj Wali 1-41) VS

Peshawar Region: 167-7 in 19.5 overs (Iftikhar Ahmed 59, 4x4s, 3x6s, 39balls, Adil Amin 38*, 1×4, 2x6s, 12 balls,Muhammad Irfan 34-16, Mustafa Iqbal 2-41)