KARACHI: Former Pakis­tan U-19 batsman Faraz Ali smashed a magnificent half century and off-spinner Nabeel Hashmi took four wick­ets as Alamgir Gymkh­ana defeated Hyderi Traders by 13 runs to seal their spot in the semi-final of the 2nd Peace Cup T20 Night Cricket Tournament on Monday.

The left-handed Faraz struck a sublime 85 off only 45 balls with the aid of five sixes and as many boundaries to help Alamgir Gymk­hana collect 157-5 while batting first at the Naya Nazimabad Lawai Stadium.

Faraz, adjudged man-of-the-match, received good support from Saud Shakeel (29 off 26 balls, with two fours and one six) and Jaahid Ali (26 off 30).

Slow left-armer Mohi­bullah took 3-20.

Hyderi Traders, in reply, collapsed dramatically after Mirwais Khan (42 off 37 balls, three fours and two sixes) and seasoned Saeed bin Nasir (33 off 26, four fours) had shared a solid partnership.

Eventually they ended up reaching 144-9. Nabeel Hashmi caused most damage with figures of 4-19 in four overs, including three wickets in four balls while Saud Shakeel captured 3-33 with slow left-armers.

Summarised scores:

ALAMGIR GYMKHANA 157-5 in 20 overs (Faraz Ali 85, Saud Shakeel 29, Jaahid Ali 26; Mohibullah3-20); HYDERI TRADERS 144-9 in 20 overs (Mirwais Khan 42, Saeed bin Nasir 33; Nabeel Hashmi 4-19, Saud Shakeel 3-33).

Wednesday’s fixture: Omar CC vs Royal CC (third quarter-final).

Published in Dawn, July 23rd , 2014