KARACHI: Peshawar and Abbotabad consolidated their semi-final chances by winning their respective matches of the National T20 Cup here on Monday, while Fata registered their second victory of the tournament.

Peshawar, relentless in their approach, thrashed Sialkot by 73 runs at the UBL Sports Complex. The Peshawar batters came out all guns blazing on their way to a grand total of 230-4 in the allotted 20 overs.

Left-handed opener Israrullah top-scored with a 39-ball 64 comprising of eight fours and two sixes. Sahibzada Farhan (58 off 30, five fours and as many sixes) and Iftikhar Ahmed (55 not out off 24, four fours and as many sixes) hit brisk half-centuries while Adil Amin (20 not out off 13, two fours and a six) chipped in with a late cameo.

Sialkot, in pursuit of the big target, kept losing wickets at regular intervals. The Sialkot top-order returned to the dugout within the batting powerplay.

The middle-order comprising of Shoaib Malik (22 off 20, three fours and a six), Momin Waqar (34 off 18, four fours and six) and Hamza Nazar (20 off 15, a four and six) got starts but not enough to help the team get over the line.

Bilal Asif (28 off 16, three fours and two sixes) resisted with a cameo but was dismissed by Mohammad Abbas Afridi.

At NBP Sports Complex, Abbottabad chased down Karachi Whites’ target of 148 in 18.5 overs to win by six wickets.

Earlier, Abbottabad won the toss and invited Karachi Whites to bat first. Omair Bin Yousuf (run-a-ball 43) and Danish Aziz (29 not out off 18, two fours and as many sixes) top-scored to help Karachi Whites post a decent total of 147-6.

Yasir Shah once again found himself among wickets as he clinched the prized scalp of Asad Shafiq and Ammad Alam.

In reply, Abbottabad had an early hiccup as opening batter Anees Azam fell for a golden duck but then Sajjad Ali Jr (56 off 42, seven fours and two sixes) and Kamran Ghulam (51 not out off 45, two fours and as many sixes) steadied the ship.

Karachi Whites struck thrice after that but Kamran’s unbeaten effort along with Khalid Usman’s (11 not out off four balls) contribution made sure Abbottabad registered a triumph.

At the National Bank Stadium, Fata made their presence felt as they beat Lahore Whites by seven wickets.

After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Lahore Whites posted a paltry total of 118-6 as Fata kept the batters in check.

Only Mohammad Irfan (26 not out off 17), Ahmed Shehzad (22 off 18) and Tayyab Tahir (20 off 29) reached the 20-run mark.

Leg-spinner Maaz Khan bowled an economical spell yielding two wickets for 18 runs in four overs.

Lahore Whites struck twice in the first over as Rehan Afridi and Salman Khan Jr bagged golden ducks. With the chips down for Fata, Samiullah Jnr (71 not out off 51, eight fours and three sixes) kept one end safe and continued to score runs.

He stitched a 63-run partnership with Kashif Noor (15 off 18b) and an unbeaten 51-run partnership with Khushdil Shah (27 not out off 19, ) that helped Fata chase the target in 14.3 overs.

Scores in brief:

Peshawar beat Sialkot by 73 runs at UBL Sports Complex

PESHAWAR 230-4 in 20 overs (Israrullah 64, Sahibzada Farhan 58, Iftikhar Ahmed 55 not out; Usman Khalid 1-16, Shoaib Malik 1-35, Mohammad Ali 1-40, Sohaibullah 1-67); SIALKOT 157 all out in 20 overs (Momin Waqar 34, Bilal Asif 28, Ashir Mehmood 25; Mohammad Abbas Afridi 3-22, Iftikhar Ahmed 2-28, Mohammad Ilyas 2-33, Israrullah 1-16, Sajid Khan 1-29, Imran Khan Sr 1-29)

Abbottabad beat Karachi Whites by six wickets at NBP Sports Complex

KARACHI WHITES 147-6 in 20 overs (Omair Bin Yousuf 43, Danish Aziz 29 not out, Anwar Ali 21, Ammad Alam 21; Yasir Shah 2-27, Khalid Usman 1-12, Fayyaz Khan 1-27, Shahab Khan 1-29); ABBOTABAD 148-4 in 18.5 overs (Sajjad Ali Jnr 56, Kamran Ghulam 51 not out, Ahmed Khan 22; Arif Yaqoob 2-33, Sohail Khan 1-27, Ziaullah 1-27)

Fata beat Lahore Whites by seven wickets at National Bank Stadium

LAHORE WHITES 118-6 in 20 overs (Mohammad Irfan 26, Ahmed Shehzad 22, Tayyab Tahir 20; Maaz Khan 2-18, Asif Ali 1-15, Sameen Gul 1-26, Irfanullah Shah 1-28); FATA 119-3 in 14.3 overs (Samiullah Jnr 71, Khushdil Shah 27; Mohammad Amir Khan 2-22, Saad Nasim 1-12)

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2023