December 23, 2006	Saturday	Zilhaj 01, 1427

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KARACHI, Dec 22: After their shocking defeat against Karachi Dolphins on the opening day, Interloop Wolves Faisalabad restored parity with a comfortable victory over Lahore Eagles in the third ABN-AMRO Twenty20 Cup at the National Stadium here on Friday.

The Wolves, last season’s runners-up and the champions of the 2004-05 inaugural tournament, won the Group ‘A’ match by 24 runs after the Eagles struggled to 138 for eight in the face of a proficient bowling performance by the Wolves.

Medium-pacer Asad Ali was the pick of the lot with 2-12 in four overs as none of the Eagles’ batsmen managed to break the shackles at any stage.

Misbah-ul-Haq led the way with a captain’s knock that guided the Wolves to 162 for seven after winning the toss. Misbah, who made 53 against the Dolphins on Thursday, made 60 of the 97 runs while he was at the crease after coming to bat at 65 for three.

Apart from Misbah, who struck five fours and a six in his 48-ball knock, the Wolves owed their total to Asif Hussain (37 off 20 balls, four fours and two sixes) and the left-handed Imran Ali (30 off 21 balls, two fours and one six).

Left-arm paceman Mohammad Khalil picked up three for 40, but the best bowler was slow left-armer Sohail Ahmed who gave away only 13 runs in four overs.

To reach the semi-finals the Wolves, who are placed in the only pool which has four teams, must not only beat Abbottabad Rhinos on Sunday by a comprehensive margin but also hope that the Dolphins and the Eagles are involved in a close match. In that eventuality, the Wolves could qualify on a superior net run-rate.

Meanwhile, Rawalpindi Rams owed their 20-run win against Quetta Bears in the Group ‘D’ fixture here at the NBP Sports Complex to their skipper Mohammad Wasim. The ex-Test opener slammed 86 off 64 balls during an unbroken partnership of 92 with Yasir Arafat to help the Rams reach 172 for five.

Wasim, who hit eight boundaries and a brace of sixes, was later named man-of-the-match. Yasir provided excellent support as he hammered five fours and a six in making a 26-ball 43.

Quetta Bears skipper Faisal Irfan bowled a telling spell with the new ball to claim three for 22 in four overs. But his side, in reply, made only 152 for nine despite opener Shoaib Khan’s 44 off 24 balls (eight boundaries).

In the match played late on Thursday night at the National Stadium, a hat-trick from spinner Aslam Qureshi inspired Peshawar Panthers to a facile five-wicket victory over Multan Tigers.

The Tigers, electing to bat first, suffered an inexplicable collapse as they lost their last eight wickets for just 14 runs after reaching a comfortable 110 for two in the 15th over.

Man-of-the-match Aslam, the slow left-armer, dismissed Shabbir Ahmed, Imranullah and Mohammad Irshad in his third over. He ended the innings by having left-handed opening batsman Saeed Anwar Junior who scored a 48-ball 51 with eight hits to the ropes.Test paceman Umar Gul chipped in with two for 14 as did off-spinner Fayyaz Khan (2-9).

The Panthers were home in the 18th over thanks to the useful contributions from skipper Younis Khan (30 not out), Yasir Hameed (31 off 21 balls, five fours) and Riffatullah Mohmand (32 off 16 balls, five fours and one six).

Multan Tigers were captained by Test fast bowler Shabbir Ahmed — playing for the first time since the one-year ban ended this week — after Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq pulled out of the tournament.

At the time of filing this report, the Group ‘C’ game between Islamabad Leopards and Multan Tigers and Karachi Zebras and defending champions Sialkot Stallions were in progress under lights here at the Asghar Ali Shah Stadium.

Summarised scores:

At National Stadium: Interloop Wolves Faisalabad beat Lahore Eagles by 24 runs.

INTERLOOP WOLVES FAISALABAD: 162-7 in 20 overs (Misbah-ul-Haq 60 not out, Asif Hussain 37, Imran Ali 30; Mohammad Khalil 3-40);

LAHORE EAGLES: 138-8 in 20 overs (Arsalan Mir 29, Imran Farhat 21, Aamir Sajjad 20; Asad Ali 2-12, Imran Khalid 2-12, Shahid Nazir 2-26).

At NBP Sports Complex: Rawalpindi Rams beat Quetta Bears by 20 runs.

RAWALPINDI RAMS: 172-5 in 20 overs (Mohammad Wasim 86 not out, Yasir Arafat 43 not out; Faisal Irfan 3-22);

QUETTA BEARS: 152-9 in 20 overs (Shoaib Khan 44, Jalat Khan 37, Naseem Khan 31; Najaf Shah 2-41).

Played on Thursday night:

At National Stadium: Peshawar Panthers beat Multan Tigers by five wickets.

MULTAN TIGERS: 124 in 18.2 overs (Saeed Anwar Junior 51, Azhar Shafiq 24; Aslam Qureshi 4-13, Fayyaz Khan 2-9, Umar Gul 2-14);

PESHAWAR PANTHERS: 125-5 in 17.5 overs (Riffatullah Mohmand 32, Yasir Hameed 31, Younis Khan 30 not out; Mohammad Irshad 2-14, Abdur Rauf 2-18).

Saturday’s fixtures: Sialkot Stallions v Hyderabad Hawks at UBL Sports Complex (10.00am); Islamabad Leopards v Peshawar Panthers at National Stadium (5.00pm); Karachi Dolphins v Abbottabad Rhinos at Asghar Ali Shah Stadium (6.30pm); Lahore Lions v Rawalpindi Rams at National Stadium (8.30pm).