Multan, Sialkot reach National T20 Cup quarter finals
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FAISALABAD: Multan Region and Sialkot Region from Group ‘D’ reached the quarter-finals of the National T20 Cup after winning their final group matches at the Iqbal Stadium on Thursday.
From Group ‘C’, Abbottabad and Faisalabad have qualified for the quarter-finals while two games each remain in Groups ‘A’ and ‘B’.
Multan outplayed Fata by 74 runs in a must-win game as the latter were bundled out for 93 in 17.2 overs. Sharoon Siraj, Arafat Minhas and Ali Majid picked up two wickets each.
Earlier, Multan opener Zain Abbas struck a half-century (51 off 41) to help his team post a decent total. Valuable contributions from player-of-the-match Arafat Minhas (37 off 18), Mohammad Shahzad (23 off 18) and Waseem Akram Jr (12-ball 18 not out) took them to 167-7 in 20 overs.
Meanwhile, Sialkot easily chased Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s 138-run target in 14.3 overs while losing only two wickets courtesy opener Mirza Tahir Baig’s blazing half-century.
Tahir’s 44-ball 76 not out laced with seven fours and four sixes helped AJK reach the target in style.
Earlier, player-of-the-match Usama Mir and Hasan Ali’s three blows each kept AJK’s batting progress in check after a 65-run opening stand between Hasnain Nadeem (43) and Hasan Raza (39). AJK were eventually steered to 137-6 by Aqib Liaquat (nine-ball 24).
In a Group ‘A’ match, Peshawar routed Larkana by seven wickets at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Chasing 132, Peshawar openers Sahibzada Farhan (39-ball 76) and Waqar Ahmed (32-ball 40) laid the foundations of a huge victory with a 124-run stand.
Earlier, Peshawar’s pacers Mohammad Amir Khan (3-23), Niaz Khan (3-30) and Ihsanullah (1-36) restricted Larkana to 131-9 after they elected to bat first. Sahibzada was named player of the match.
In a Group ‘A’ fixture, Lahore Whites outclassed Quetta by 10 wickets at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
After electing to bat first, Quetta could only post 86-8. Ahmed Daniyal and Kamran Afzal picked up two wickets apiece. In return, Lahore Whites openers chased down the target in just 8.5 overs. Mohammad Faiq scored an unbeaten 32-ball 72.
Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2025
