KARACHI: Karachi outplayed Quetta and Abbottabad beat Multan in the ongoing NBP Blind Cricket T20 Trophy here on Wednesday to qualify for the semifinals.

In the first match played at Afza Cricket Ground, Karachi won the toss and elected to field first. Quetta’s managed to score 217 for 6 with Naseebullah being the top scorer with 74 off just 45 balls and Nematullah making a fine 42. Noman Anjum and Abdul Wahab shared a wicket each. Chasing 218, Karachi achieved the target in just 14.3 overs for the loss of three wickets. Tahir Ali was the architect of victory for Karachi with a dazzling knock of 94 while Abdul Wahab Khan contributed 38 runs. Tahir Ali was named the Man of the Match.

In the second game, played at Dr. Muhammad Ali Shah Complex between, Multan decided to bat first after winning the toss. Mohammad Safdar again starred with a brilliant century which was his third in a row. Safdar’s knock of 127 and Abdul Razzaq’s 80 helped Multan pile up a challenging score of 241 for 1.

In reply, Captain Riasat Khan’s epic innings of 120 off just 49 balls and Naeemullah’s 62 led Abbottabad to a comfortable 9-wicket victory. Abbottabad finished unbeaten in their group. Riasat for his brilliant century was awarded Player of the Match.

In the other matches played on the day, Sargodha beat Sheikhupura at Afza Cricket Ground. Sargodha belted the bowlers of Sheikhupura after winning the toss and batting first. Muhammad Zain was the top scorer with 106, Gulsher and Ehsanullah contributed 80 and 70 respectively. Sargodha finished with 306 for 7 in their 20 overs. Mohammad Majid grabbed 2 wickets.

In reply, Sheikhupura could score just 164 for 2 with Ashraf Bhatti scoring a fluent 61 and Abdul Sattar making 38.

In the last match played between Faisalabad beat Hyderabad. Hyderabad opted to bowl first but Faisalabad’s Bilal Ali scored a blistering 73 with nine boundaries to set up a daunting total of 313.

In reply, Hyderabad could just manage178 for 8 in their 20 overs. Usmanullah scored 22. Faisalabad won by a big margin of 135 runs. Bilal Ali was adjudged man of the match.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2021