KARACHI, March 2: Slow left-armer Imran Khalid captured four wickets to help reigning champions Faisalabad Wolves reach the semifinals of the Twenty20 Cup cricket championship at the National Stadium on Thursday.
The Wolves, needing to win their final Pool ‘A’ match in order to qualify, overwhelmed Rawalpindi Rams by 10 wickets with 11 overs to spare.
The Wolves meet Lahore Lions in the second semifinal on Friday after Sialkot Stallions play Karachi Dolphins in the evening match.
Opting to bat first, the Rams never got going and spun out for 105 in 17.5 overs despite skipper Naveed Qureshi hitting 38 off 34 balls.
Imran was chiefly responsible for inflicting the damage with four for 21 in his quota of four overs. Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal also bowled well in taking two for six in 2.5 overs, including the vital scalp of Naveed.
Mohammad Hafeez, the ex-Test man, led the Wolves’ onslaught as he unleashed 11 boundaries and two sixes in scoring 66 off just 33 deliveries.
Asif Hussain was a silent partner during the unbroken stand of 108 with Hafeez and contributed 23 at run-a-ball.
Sialkot Stallions maintained a clean sheet in the preliminary phase by chalking up a straightforward sixth successive win.
The Stallions’ hapless victims on Thursday were Multan Tigers, who suffered a 66-run defeat at the NBP Sports Complex.
Qaiser Abbas took advantage of sloppy work in the field, with Abdur Rauf dropping three sitters, to hit an unbeaten 75 off 42 balls. The left-hander struck six fours and three sixes. Faisal Naved and Shoaib Malik each made 37 as the Stallions reached 189 for three.
Mohammad Asif, the Test paceman, played havoc with the Tigers’ batting. He claimed four for 14 to follow his five-wicket haul against the Wolves the evening before.
Bilal Khilji threatened for a while with some forceful strokes, including two huge sixes which comfortably cleared the ground, until he was last out for 40-ball 46 as the Tigers replied with 123 in 18.1 overs.
The Tigers had earlier suffered at the hands of Imran Farhat on Wednesday night. The Test left-hander hammered a record 115 off 62 balls with 13 fours and six sixes as Lahore Eagles scored 203 for eight.
Imran then chipped in with three wickets as the Tigers managed 166 in 19 overs. The latter part of their innings was completed with three of the six light towers going blank.
At the time of filing this report, Lahore Eagles were playing Karachi Zebras in an inconsequential Pool ‘A’ fixture at the National Stadium.
Summarised scores:
Sialkot Stallions beat Multan Tigers by 66 runs.
SIALKOT STALLIONS 189-3 in 20 overs (Qaiser Abbas 75 not out, Faisal Naved 37, Shoaib Malik 37 not out, Shahid Yousuf 22; Mohammad Irshad 2-26);
MULTAN TIGERS 123 in 18.1 overs (Bilal Khilji 46, Usman Tariq 20; Mohammad Asif 4-14, Sarfraz Ahmed 2-28).
Faisalabad Wolves beat Rawalpindi Rams by 10 wickets.
RAWALPINDI RAMS 105 in 17.5 overs (Naveed Qureshi 38; Imran Khalid 4-21, Saeed Ajmal 2-6, Tauqir Hussain 2-27);
FAISALABAD WOLVES 108-0 in 9 overs (Mohammad Hafeez 66 not out, Asif Hussain 23 not out).
Played on Wednesday night:
Lahore Eagles beat Multan Tigers by 30 runs (D/L Method).
LAHORE EAGLES 203-8 in 20 overs (Imran Farhat 115, Humayun Farhat 24, Arsalan Mir 22; Abdur Rauf 3-34); MULTAN TIGERS 166 in 19 overs (Azhar Shafiq 29, Hasnain Abbas 26, Bilal Khilji 24, Kamran Hussain 22; Imran Farhat 3-31, Sohail Ahmed 2-17, Mohammad Ashfaq 2-28).
Friday’s semifinals: Sialkot Stallions v Karachi Dolphins at National Stadium (5.00pm-7.55pm); Lahore Lions v Faisalabad Wolves at National Stadium (8.30pm-11.25pm).
Standings
(Tabulated under played, won, lost, points, net run-rate):
Pool ‘A’
Sialkot Stallions 6 6 0 12 +2.099
Faisalabad Wolves 6 4 2 8 +2.113
Lahore Eagles 5 3 2 6 -0.095
Peshawar Panthers 6 3 3 6 +0.003
Karachi Zebras 5 2 3 4 -1.880
Rawalpindi Rams 6 1 5 2 -1.514
Multan Tigers 6 1 5 2 -2.045
Pool ‘B’
Lahore Lions 5 5 0 10 +1.719
Karachi Dolphins 5 4 1 8 -0.871
Abbottabad Rhinos 5 2 3 4 +0.130
Hyderabad Hawks 5 2 3 4 -0.250
Islamabad Leopards 5 2 3 4 -0.492
Quetta Bears 5 0 5 0 -1.779