December 25, 2006	Monday	Zilhaj 03, 1427

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KARACHI, Dec 24: The Shahid Afridi-led Karachi Dolphins produced a stunning display as they thrashed Lahore Eagles by nine wickets to reach the semi-finals of the third ABN-AMRO Twenty20 Cup at the National Stadium here on Sunday night.

By virtue of third win in the four-team Group ‘A’, the Dolphins now face Peshawar Panthers in the first semi-final. Reigning champions Sialkot Stallions take on Lahore Lions in the other semi-final. Both games are scheduled for Monday. The Dolphins, who had to win in order to qualify ahead of Interloop Wolves Faisalabad whom they defeated by two runs on Thursday, never allowed the Eagles to soar at any stage of the last preliminary round game.

Electing to bat first, the Eagles crashed to 71 all out in 14.5 overs with only Aamir Sajjad (18) and Khaqan Arsal (17 not out) making noteworthy contributions.

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Sami disposed of Test opener Salman Butt and Ashfaq Ahmed before the promising pacer Anwar Ali picked up two wickets, including that of Pakistan left-hander and Eagles skipper Imran Farhat for two.

The Dolphins, who beat Abbottabad Rhinos by eight wickets on Saturday night, raced to a deserving victory in 12.1 overs with left-handers Shadab Kabir (33) and Fawwad Alam (34) leading the way in the unfinished 64-run second-wicket partnership.

Fawwad, another youngster with a lot of potential, was declared man-of-the-match since he took two wickets for runs in 1.5 overs with his slow left-armers. Appropriately, he struck the winning boundary off Salman Butt.

The Wolves, winners of the inaugural championship at Lahore two seasons ago and runners-up last season, were praying for an Eagles victory after crushing Abbottabad Rhinos in the first match of the evening with no less than 11.1 overs to spare.

Had the Eagles beaten Dolphins, the Wolves would have qualified on net run-rate because all three teams would finish with the same number of points. But the Wolves’ joy was short-lived.

The Lions, meanwhile, survived some anxious moments in their Group ‘D’ fixtures. On Saturday night, they barely managed to beat Rawalpindi Rams by only two runs after posting 178 for seven – the highest total of this championship.

Then on Sunday they struggled against Quetta Bears before pulling off a three-wicket victory at the NBP Sports Complex.

Summarised scores:

At NBP Sports Complex: Lahore Lions beat Quetta Bears by three wickets.

QUETTA BEARS 148-5 in 20 overs (Umar Javed 43 not out, Shoaib Khan 42; Wahab Riaz 2-18, Imran Ali 2-21); LAHORE LIONS 150-7 in 19.1 overs (Rashid Riaz 32, Kashif Siddique 26, Salman Qadir 23 not out; Arun Lal 2-20, Faisal Irfan 2-30).

At National Stadium: Interloop Wolves Faisalabad beat Abbottabad Rhinos by seven wickets.

ABBOTTABAD RHINOS 105-8 in 20 overs (Adnan Raees 22; Mohammad Hafeez 3-16, Saeed Ajmal 2-22); INTERLOOP WOLVES FAISALABAD 106 in 8.5 overs (Mohammad Hafeez 38, Asif Hussain 28, Naved Latif 27).

At National Stadium: Karachi Dolphins beat Lahore Eagles by nine wickets.

LAHORE EAGLES 71 in 14.5 overs (Fawwad Alam 2-4, Mohammad Sami 2-14, Anwar Ali 2-25); KARACHI DOLPHINS 74-1 in 12.1 overs (Fawwad Alam 34 not out, Shadab Kabir 33 not out).

Played on Saturday night:

At National Stadium: Lahore Lions beat Rawalpindi Rams by two runs.

LAHORE LIONS 178-7 in 20 overs (Kamran Akmal 59, Adnan Raza 51 not out); RAWALPINDI RAMS 176-8 in 20 overs (Babar Naeem 39, Usman Saeed 24, Pervez Aziz 23, Mohammad Wasim 22; Kashif Siddique 2-17, Imran Ali 2-19, Salman Qadir 2-31).

At Asghar Ali Shah Stadium: Karachi Dolphins beat Abbottabad Rhinos by eight wickets.

ABBOTTABAD RHINOS 113-8 in 20 overs (Sajid Shah 37; Shahid Afridi 3-23, Fawwad Alam 2-11, Azam Hussain 2-20); KARACHI DOLPHINS 114-2 in 17.1 overs (Shadab Kabir 40, Fawwad Alam 35 not out).

Monday’s fixtures:

Semi-finals: Karachi Dolphins v Peshawar Panthers at National Stadium (5.00pm); Sialkot Stallions v Lahore Lions at National Stadium (8.30pm).