KARACHI: On a day of emotional return of the three Akmal brothers, Lahore Whites stormed into the semi-finals of the National T20 Cup after reigning champions Lahore Blues made unceremonious exit in Multan on Saturday.

Following the demise of their mother in Lahore last Friday (Dec 14), Kamran, Adnan and Umar Akmal were forced to pull out of the ongoing tournament at the Multan Cricket Stadium. But with the semi-final places at stake, they were back in action for the last league fixtures of the Lahore outfits.

Adnan Akmal returned to keep wickets for Lahore Blues but his presence failed to save his side from being humbled by Peshawar, who were already out of contention for the knockout phase of the competition.

Akmal siblings return to action

By the end of the first match, the Blues, who defeated the Whites to clinch the trophy in last year’s final held in Rawalpindi, also had to bite the dust as Peshawar cruised to a seven-wicket success with three balls to spare.

Pakistan T20 team all-rounder Hussain Talat did his level best to enable the outgoing champions post a competitive total on the board, after Peshawar captain Imran Khan Sr chose to field first at the toss.

The left-handed Hussain was in great nick as he struck seven fours and a brace of sixes in scoring an undefeated 80 from 52 deliveries but despite his heroics the Blues only got 141-4.

Peshawar’s got off to a sluggish start when their second wicket fell at 30 in the seventh over. However, the arrival of the talented Saad Ali changed the complexion of the game. With fellow left-hander Israrullah (27 off 30 balls, one fours), the Karachi-based Saad added 44.

But the decisive stand of the match came after Israrullah was dismissed as Saad, who reached a 38-ball 57 (five fours and two sixes) and Mohammad Mohsin (35 off 22, two sixes and one four) came together to stitch an unbroken partnership of 68 to send Lahore Blues of the competition.

Despite winning, Peshawar still finished below Lahore Blues in the eight-team standings on net run-rate with both regional teams securing six points from three victories.

The late afternoon fixture was a straightforward battle for the last-four qualification between Lahore Whites and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) as both outfits had previously notched up three wins apiece.

Kamran Akmal marked his comeback in the best possible manner since the winning the toss has been a vital factor in deciding the outcome of almost all matches in this event. And once Fata skipper Asif Afridi lost the toss, Kamran was unhesitant in inserting the opposition into bat.

Inevitably, the decision paid off handsomely because Fata never really had the momentum in the second half of their rather stop-start innings to accelerate the rate of scoring after a decent Powerplay during which they reached 44-1 after Mukhtar Ahmed (23 off 17, two sixes and one four) and Sohail Akhtar (22 off 29, two sixes) had added 43 for the opening wicket.

The regular procession of wickets further dented Fata’s aspirations to make their maiden semi-final. Adil Amin, who is actually from Peshawar, was the solitary sign of positivity for them as the right-hander contributed a 29-ball 41 (five boundaries) without being dismissed.

The final tally of 132-9 was hardly going to hurt Lahore Whites’ chances as it eventually proved. Upfront Kamran banged a typically feisty 28 with his 22-ball knock including three fours and two sixes as the ex-Pakistan star outscored Salman Butt in the first-wicket partnership of 42.

Salman, the former Pakistan skipper, ensured the Whites get over the line without being harried as the 34-year-old left-hander showed a lot of composure to hit an elegant 44 off 38 deliveries while hitting five fours.

Umar Akmal, like older sibling Kamran, was equally ebullient in belting a 22-ball 29 that featured a brace of effortless sixes and a four during his second-wicket association of 47 with man-of-the-match Salman, who departed when only six runs were still required.

In the end, Lahore Whites emulated Peshawar by also sealing a seven-wicket triumph but with 15 deliveries left unused that not only improved their net run-rate but retained their third position behind Karachi Whites and Rawalpindi on the points’ table.

Fata’s departure now leaves just one last-four spot to be decided on Sunday as the hometown favourites Multan — who are currently occupying the crucial fourth place — face the bottom-placed Islamabad in the last preliminary-round encounter after Karachi Whites and Rawalpindi slug it out to decide who end up at top of the ladder in the final standings before the line-ups for Monday’s semi-finals are finalised.

Saturday’s results:

Lahore Whites beat Fata by seven wickets.

FATA 132-9 in 20 overs (Adil Amin 41 not out, Mukhtar Ahmed 23, Sohail Akhtar 22; Amad Butt 2-20, Zafar Gohar 2-24, Umaid Asif 2-26); LAHORE WHITES 136-3 in 17.3 overs (Salman Butt 44, Umar Akmal 29, Kamran Akmal 28).

Peshawar beat Lahore Blues by seven wickets.

LAHORE BLUES 141-4 in 20 overs (Hussain Talat 80 not out, Nauman Anwar 23; Imran Khan Sr 2-20); PESHAWAR 142-3 in 19.3 overs (Saad Ali 57 not out, Mohammad Mohsin 35 not out, Israrullah 27, Ali Imran 22).

Sunday’s fixtures: Karachi Whites vs Rawalpindi (11:00am); Multan vs Islamabad (3:00pm).

Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2018