RAWALPINDI, April 1: Shakeel Ansar stole limelight with a scintillating century as Sialkot Stallions bulldozed Peshawar Panthers to set up a date with Karachi Dolphins in the Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 Cup final at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium here on Saturday night.

The Panthers were not good enough to handle pressure in the second of the semi-finals after the Stallions had galloped to the highest total of the tournament — a commanding 197 for the loss of just one wicket — as Shakeel and Haris Sohail plundered the Peshawar bowling to amass 158 in 100 balls in their fantastic partnership.

Shakeel was the unsung hero in this avalanche of runs. The 33-year-old wicket-keeper had just one half-century under his belt in previous 25 T20 appearances. Taking massive advantage of being dropped on 14 by Umar Gul off a top-edge while trying to pull the Panthers captain, Shakeel unleashed 10 boundaries and a brace of sixes in making exactly 100 off 67 balls, which was his maiden hundred in any format.

Haris, on other hand, played a gem of an innings that hardly saw the 23-year-old left-hander hit any ungainly shot. His 69 from 45 deliveries included five fours and two sixes, and his stand with Man-of-the-Match Shakeel was the third best in Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 history.

Faced with a monumental chase, the Panthers never were in a position to cause panic in the opposition ranks as seasoned campaigner Abdur Rehman grabbed three wickets in nine balls to reduce them to 62-4 in the ninth over.

Wicket-keeper/batsman Gohar Ali, however, offered token resistance with a defiant 68 off 53 deliveries (eight boundaries and two sixes) while registering his first T20 half century. Shoaib Khan (29) and Riaz Afridi (13) were only other men to enter double figures as the Panthers slipped to 157-8 when the game ended.