KARACHI: Federal Areas will take on defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the title-deciding fixture of the seventh NBP Disabled T-20 Pentangular Cup after both finished with three wins at the completion of league round on Tuesday.

The final will be played at the RLCA Gulberg Ground on Wednesday with Owais Asad Khan, head of NBP’s CSR and Sports division, and director marketing of Jubilee General Insurance Touseef Shah t to grace the occasion as special guests and distribute the prizes.

In the matches played on Tuesday, Federal Areas booked their spot in the final by winning both their fixtures. In the first game they whipped Sindh by seven wickets at the RLCA ground thanks to Jahanzaib Tiwana, who hammered 75 off 42 balls with six sixes and six fours as his side reached 147-3 in 16.4 overs after Sindh had totalled 142 all out.

In the last league match Federal Areas sealed a last-ball victory by reaching 132-7 after Balochistan made mustered 131-7 at the TMC Ground. Arif Richard led the chase with an unbeaten 60 off 65 balls that four boundaries and one six.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had to thank Malik Farhan for a fine all-round performance that enabled his side outgun Punjab by five wickets at the TMC Ground.

Farhan followed up his great spell of 4-35 with his off-breaks to bang four sixes and a brace of four in a quickfire 45 from just 18 deliveries as the holders overhauled Punjab’s tally of 155-9 with 10 balls to spare.

Meanwhile, Sindh consoled themselves with a facile nine-wicket rout of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the RLCA ground. Opener Mohammad Aslam produced a scintillating undefeated innings of 89 from only 48 balls (nine fours and five sixes) as Sindh raced to 146-1 in 13.4 overs after the champions had limped to 145-6.

Federal Areas and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa each won three and lost of their four fixtures to top the standings with six points apiece; Sindh and Punjab ended with four points from two wins (both lost two games each) and Balochistan had just two points from one win while losing their remaining three matches.

Tuesday’s results:

Federal Areas beat Sindh by seven wickets.

SINDH 142 in 20 overs (Mohammad Aslam 35, Wajid Alam 21, Majid Hussain 21; Mohammad Zubair 3-24, Mohammad Asif 2-22, Jahanzaib Tiwana 2-39); FEDERAL AREAS 147-3 in 16.4 overs (Jahanzaib Tiwana 75, Arif Richard 44).

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beat Punjab by five wickets.

PUNJAB 155-9 in 20 overs (Saifullah 56, Rehan Ghani 30, Adil Abbasi 22; Malik Farhan 4-35, Nihar Alam 2-26); KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA 157-5 in 18.2 overs (Malik Farhan 45, Danish Ahmed 37 not out, Hasnain Alam 25).

Sindh beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by nine wickets.

KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA 145-6 IN 20 OVERS (Humayun Khan 38 not out, Waheed Khan 35, Danish Ahmed 29; Majid Hussain 3-20); SINDH 146-1 in 13.4 overs (Mohammad Aslam 89 not out, Majid Hussain 32 not out).

Federal Areas beat Balochistan by three wickets.

BALCOHISTAN 131-7 in 20 overs (Wasif-ur-Rehman 39, Matloob Qureshi 37; Jahanzaib Tiwana 2-24, Mohammad Asif 2-28); FEDERAL AREAS 132-7 in 20 overs (Arif Richard 60 not out, Ahsan Khalil 23; Khawar Ali 3-30).

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2017