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| March 2, 2006 | Thursday | Safar 1, 1427 |
Twenty20 Cup: Fiery Asif sends Wolves reeling to defeat
KARACHI, March 1: Test paceman Mohammad Asif stole thunder with a five-wicket haul as Sialkot Stallions continued their relentless march towards winning their first Twenty20 Cup cricket championship on Wednesday.
The Stallions thrashed Faisalabad Wolves by six wickets after bundling out the champions for a measly 98 in 12.5 overs in the evening fixture at the National Stadium.
Asif, bowling first change, caused a sensational collapse by taking five for 11 in 3.5 overs as the Wolves, who had elected to bat first, lost their last nine wickets for 44 runs.
The rout was triggered by Rana Navedul Hasan. The Pakistan paceman produced unplayable yorkers to send back Asif Hussain (28 off 15 balls, four fours and one six) and Naved Latif with successive deliveries.
The Stallions then cantered to their fifth successive win in Pool ‘A’ by scoring 99 for four in 16.1 overs. Faisal Naved (34 off 27 balls, four fours and one six) and Shahid Yousuf (26 off 28 with three fours) were the main run-getters.
The Wolves still can qualify for Friday’s second semifinal against Pool ‘B’ leaders Lahore Lions provided they beat Rawalpindi Rams on Thursday.
The Stallions, who meet Multan Tigers in the preliminary round fixture on Thursday, take on Karachi Dolphins in the first semifinal on Friday.
The Rams, meanwhile, crashed to their fourth defeat when Peshawar Panthers won an inconsequential encounter at the UBL Sports Complex.
The Rams lost their way after reaching 78 for two in the eighth over and were eventually all out for 140 in 18 overs.
Asim Butt hit eight fours and one six in making a 27-ball 44 while skipper Naveed Qureshi struck five boundaries on his way to 24 off 16 balls.
Test pacer Umar Gul took a wicket each in his first two overs, including the scalp of ex-Test batsman Mohammad Wasim for three.
Yasir Hameed, overlooked for next week’s national training camp, hit some rasping strokes in scoring 68 off 63 balls, including eight fours and one six, as the Panthers won with 10 deliveries to spare.
As in most of previous matches, a fair number of catches went down as the fielders found the orange ball difficult to sight in the outfield.
The match was also marred by boisterous behaviour of youngsters, mostly schoolboys, who had come in good number. Umar Gul was visibly upset as he was mobbed and jostled during his struggle to reach the team bus after the match.
On Tuesday night Lahore Lions survived a scare before achieving a thrilling one-run victory over Abbottabad Rhinos at the National Stadium.
Chasing 164, the Rhinos finished on 162 for seven. Former Test opener Ali Naqvi contributed a gallant 43 while Ahmed Said blasted 22 off 15 balls.
The Lions, who were without the Pakistan all-rounder and skipper Abdul Razzaq, had been earlier dismissed for 163 despite good contributions from their top-order batsmen.
Slow left-armer Amjad Waqas and off-spinner Dilawar Khan captured three wickets each.
Summarised scores:
Peshawar Panthers beat Rawalpindi Rams by seven wickets.
RAWALPINDI RAMS 140 in 18 overs (Asim Butt 44, Naveed Qureshi 24, Pervez Aziz 19; Aftab Khan 2-18, Umar Gul 2-23, Riffatullah Mohmand 2-23, Aslam Qureshi 2-29); PESHAWAR PANTHERS 141-3 in 18.2 overs (Yasir Hameed 69, Aftab Khan 38, Taimur Khan 17 not out).
Sialkot Stallions beat Faisalabad Wolves by seven wickets.
FAISALABAD WOLVES 98 in 12.5 overs (Asif Hussain 28, Mohammad Salman 16, Mohammad Hafeez 15; Mohammad Asif 5-11, Rana Navedul Hasan 2-40); SIALKOT STALLIONS 99-4 in 16.1 overs (Faisal Naved 34, Shahid Yousuf 26).
Lahore Lions beat Abbottabad Rhinos by one run.
LAHORE LIONS 163 in 20 overs (Zulqarnain Haider 35, Shahnawaz Malik 28, Rashid Riaz 27; Amjad Waqas 3-22, Dilawar Khan 3-30); ABBOTTABAD RHINOS 162-7 in 20 overs (Ali Naqvi 43, Bilal Marwat 25, Azhar Ali 22, Ahmed Said 22 not out; Wahab Riaz 2-36).
Thursday’s fixtures: Sialkot Stallions v Multan Tigers at NBP Sports Complex (10.00am-12.55pm); Faisalabad Wolves v Rawalpindi Rams at National Stadium (5.00pm-7.55pm); Karachi Zebras v Lahore Eagles at National Stadium (8.30pm-11.25pm).
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