Tag: National T20 Cup

Lahore: Central Punjab registered a thrilling three-wicket win to confirm their semi-final spot as Balochistan were knocked out in the 28th match of National T20 Cup.

Central Punjab joined Northern in the semi-finals while their victory also ensured semi-final qualification for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh. Central Punjab and Northern have 12 points while KP and Sindh are on 10 points.

Sindh will play Balochistan and will eye a victory and a top-two finish, KP have a chance of adding two more points and also finishing in the top two if they overcome Northern in the last group match that will also be played tomorrow, the semi-finals will be played on Tuesday, 12 October.

Also read: Northern confirm semi-final spot with thrilling last over win

On Sunday night, set a 163-run target, captain Wahab Riaz delivered the killer blow with three sixes of the 18th over of the innings bowled by Amad Butt. Young all-rounder Qasim Akram had hit a six on the first ball of the over before he handed over the strike to his captain with a single on the second ball. A total of 27 runs were scored in the Amad over, before the over began Central Punjab had needed 29 runs to win.

Wahab (28 off nine, four sixes) and Qasim (13 off five, one four, one six) added 38 runs off 14 balls for the unbroken eight-wicket stand.

The platform for the chase was laid with a 48-run stand between wicketkeeper Muhammad Akhlaq 32 (21 balls and Hussain Talat (20).

Central Punjab wobbled in the chase in the middle overs and had stuttered 98 for five at one stage. Faheem Ashraf revived the chase with a quickfire 27 off 15 balls (one four, three sixes) before Wahab and Qasim combined to take their side past the target.

Earlier, Central Punjab opted to bowl after winning the toss. Balochistan opener Abdullah Shafique once again displayed his impressive T20 batting prowess with his second successive half-century. The right-hander looked in sublime touch as he posted his fourth T20 50. Abdullah top-scored for Balochistan with 60 off 42 balls (three fours, four sixes).

Abdullah held the Balochistan innings together as wickets fell at regular intervals at the other end. None of the top and middle-order batters could reach double figures. Abdullah finally found an able ally in Amad Butt, the two added 46 runs for the sixth-wicket.

Amad hit a scintillating 43 off 27 balls (two fours, three sixes), the all-rounder remained unbeaten. Amad added 40 runs for the seventh-wicket with Umaid Asif who tonked two sixes in his 15 off five balls.

Sameen Gul who was later adjudged player of the match, bowled an outstanding spell for Central Punjab taking three wickets for 20 runs in his four overs. Mohammad Faizan took two wickets.

Read: Southern Punjab end National T20 Cup campaign with win over KP

Lahore: Southern Punjab have ended their National T20 Cup campaign with an 11-run win over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in the 27th match of the National T20 Cup.

While defending 194, SP restricted KP to 182/6 in 20 overs. KP moved to the third spot after this loss with one match remaining.

Earlier, SP posted 193/6 after KP opted to bowl first. Tayyab Tahir was SP’s mainstay as he smashed 78 off 48 balls, powered by eight fours and three sixes.

Azam Khan and skipper Aamer Yamin later starred with a quick-fire 25 and 24 respectively. KP’s Imran Khan and Niaz Khan bagged two wicket each.

KP lost three wickets early in the chase, however, Kamran Ghulam and Nabi Gul put them back into the game.

SP put extra pressure on KP and eventually partnership was broken by Yamin by rattling Kamran’s stumps. Kamran scored 33-ball 46 while Nabi made 31-ball 54.

KP’s captain Iftikhar tried to produce heroics but it was too much to ask for. He remained not out on 33. Mohammad Ilyas with his pace bagged two wickets.

Read: Northern confirm semi-final spot with thrilling last over win

Lahore: Half-centuries by opener Ali Imran and number three Zeeshan Malik spearheaded Northern’s sixth National T20 Cup win over Balochistan which ensured a semi-final spot in the 26th match of the tournament.

Wicketkeeper Rohail Nazir and Sohail Tanvir scored the required 15 off the first five balls of the final over bowled by Junaid Khan with the veteran Sohail depositing Junaid over the mid-wicket boundary to snatch a thrilling win for his side on the penultimate ball of the match.

On Saturday night, Ali and Zeeshan combined for an 88-run match winning second-wicket partnership in Northern’s 186-run chase under the GSL lights.

Ali hit three fours and five sixes in his 45-ball 64 while Zeeshan scored 53 off 35 balls (six fours, two sixes). Ali added 60 runs in a blazing first-wicket stand with Nasir Nawaz who hit a typically aggressive 30 off 21 balls (three fours, one six).

Both Ali and Zeeshan fell in quick succession, Northern then lost Umar Amin and Aamir Jamal in search of boundaries as the asking rate soared. Umaid Asif produced a sensational penultimate over which went for a mere five runs including the wicket of Aamir.

The match had swung in Balochistan’s favour when the final over started, Rohail hit a four off the first ball before Sohail hit a four before his match winning six.

Earlier, Northern won the toss and opted to bowl. Balochistan opener Abdullah Shafique played a series of stunning shots in the powerplay overs as he added 51 runs for the first-wicket with Abdul Wahid Bangalzai (4).

Abdullah who was in supreme touch continued to assert his presence on the Northern bowlers, the right-hander reached the third fifty of his T20 career off 30 balls. He was eventually dismissed by Aamir for 73 off 44 balls (12 fours, one six).

Abdullah added 63 runs for the second-wicket with captain Imam-ul-Haq, the left-hander scored 50 off 39 balls (seven fours).

Sohail Akhtar (16) and Umaid Asif (17) hit some lusty blows in the death overs to take Balochistan to their 185 for seven total. Fast bowler Zaman Khan took three wickets for Northern.

Read: Farhan, Iftikhar drive KPK to victory against Sindh

LAHORE: Sahibzada Farhan and Iftikhar Ahmed partnered strongly to lead Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) to seven wickets victory over Sindh in the 25th match of the National T20 Cup. 

They both scored 99 runs together to lead their team to comfortably chase down 153 runs in 18 overs.

Sahibzada scored 49 runs whereas Iftikhar made 55 as they both walked off being not out.

Earlier, Shan Masood and Anwar Ali guided Sindh to 152-6 in 20 overs against KPK in the 25th match of the National T20 Cup.

Sent into bat first, Sindh lost opener Khurram Manzoor earlier for the sum of just 13 runs. Sharjeel Khan and Shan Masood carried the inning from there and scored 51 together to put Sindh in a strong stance.

Sharjeel, who scored century last night, managed to make 26 this time around with the help of two boundaries and a six. Shan struck half-century and managed to score 54 runs off 37 balls laced with five boundaries and a six.

Skipper Anwar Ali smashed worthy 34 runs in the end with the help of 27 balls including three sixes.

For KPK, Iftikhar Ahmed took two wickets while Asif Afridi and Niaz Khan managed to get a wicket each.

Lahore: Sindh have defeated Southern Punjab by 45 runs here at Gaddafi Stadium in the 24th match of the National T20 Cup.

With this lost, Southern Punjab became first side to be knocked out of the tournament as they only have four points in nine matches while Sindh claimed the number one position on the points table.

Sindh posted 196/7 courtesy’s Sharjeel Khan’s century, his fourth in T20 cricket. He scored 101 off 56 balls, powered by 13 fours and four sixes. The other notable batter was Saud Shakeel, scoring 26 off 19 balls.

Some sizzling shots in Sharjeel Khan 4th T20 century 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/NQZB0LsIr3

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 8, 2021

Sindh’s captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, who was named in T20 World Cup squad today, only scored 13 off 12. Anwar Ali played a 17 run cameo at the backend.

All Southern Punjab bowlers went for over eight runs per over. Naseem Shah and Mohammad Imran took two wickets each while skipper Aamer Yamin and Zia-ul-Haq bagged a wicket each.

Rumman Raees’ hat-trick was the highlight in the second innings. He dismissed Hassan Khan, Aamer Yamin, Naseem Shah in the 17th over.

The moment that crushed Southern Punjab's semi-final dreams!#SPvSINDH Live: https://t.co/tuFLGBeFQX#NationalT20Cup | #KhelTouHoRahaHai pic.twitter.com/krAWwi59PS

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 8, 2021

Anwar Ali, Zahid Mehmood and Danish Aziz bagged two wickets each while Rumman finished with figures of 3/23.

Tayyab Tahir was the notable score for SP, scoring 32 off 23 while Mohammad Imran, Yamin, Agha Salman scored in the mid-20s.

Sharjeel was awarded player of the match for his brilliant century.

LAHORE: Ali Imran (55) and Haider Ali (35) paid off well for Northern as they chased down 195 runs with five wickets in hand against Central Punjab (CP) in National T20 Cup. 

Set to chase a strong total, Northern lost their opener, Nasir Nawaz, earlier for just 10 runs. But, Ali and Haider took responsibility and added 92 runs to the team’s total.

Mubasir Khan (22), Aamer Jamal (27*), and Rohail Nazir (26*) finished off things well for Northern in the 23rd match of the event.

Hussain Talat and Qasim Akram bagged two wickets each for CP.

Earlier, Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad AKhlaq provided a solid start to CP as they scored 194-5 in 20 overs against Northern.

Sent into bat first, CP’s openers stood out firm and scored 124 runs off 72 balls together to set the perfect tone for CP to set a big total. Shehzad scored 77 off 45 balls with the help of 10 boundaries and a six whereas Akhlaq made 61 laced with five boundaries and three sixes.

Shoaib Malik scored 19 runs whereas Faheem Ashraf made 12.

For Northern, Aamer Jamal bagged three wickets while Zaman Khan and Sohail Tanvir took a wicket each.

Lahore: Southern Punjab were fined for maintaining a slow over-rate in their Thursday’s fixture against Home City Central Punjab in the ongoing National T20 2021-22.

Southern Punjab were found an over short of their target after taking into account time allowances and, as such, were charged under Article 2.22 of the PCB Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which deals with the minimum over-rate offences. As such, all members of the playing XI were fined PKR10,000.

Southern Punjab captain Aamer Yamin accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Mohammad Javed Malik. The charges were levelled by on-field umpires Zameer Haider and Rashid Riaz and third umpire Asif Yaqub.

Southern Punjab won the match, played at the Gaddafi Stadium, by six wickets.

Also read: Tayyab, Khushdil set second consecutive win for SP in National T20 Cup

Lahore: Imam-ul-Haq scored an unbeaten 64 off 46, leading Balochistan to third win of National T20 Cup as they defeated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) by six wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday.

Imam’s first half-century of the event and 19^th of his T20 career saw his team overhaul the 156-run target with two balls spare. He struck six fours.

Imam struck a crucial stand worth 58 with Umaid Asif, who contributed 20 off 12, which decided the match in his side’s favour and took Balochistan to the fifth spot on the points table.

Umaid was Imran Khan Snr’s second scalp after he had dismissed Abdul Wahid Bangalzai (14 off 15) in the sixth over.

At the start of the run chase, Abdullah Shafique provided a stable base to his side, scoring 28 off 24 (two fours and a six).

Earlier, Sahibzada Farhan scored 78 to guide Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to 155/6. The right-handed batter, in his 49-ball knock, stroked nine fours and hit one six. He also overtook Central Punjab’s Babar Azam to become the leading run-getter. He now has 298 runs in seven innings.

Other KP batters, Israullah (19), skipper Mohammad Rizwan (17), Fakhar Zaman (12), Mohammad Wasim (12) had starts but couldn’t capitalize.

For Balochistan, Junaid Khan claimed figures of three for 32 while Amad Butt and Najeebullah took one each.

Read: Tayyab, Khushdil set second consecutive win for SP in National T20 Cup

LAHORE: Tayyab Tahir and Khushdil Shah set the perfect tone for Southern Punjab (SP) to beat Central Punjab (CP) by six wickets, registering their second consecutive victory in National T20 Cup. 

Tayyab and Khushdil partnered strongly for struggling SP and scored 92 runs together for a winning cause. Tayyab smashed 68 runs including eight boundaries and two sixes whereas Khushdil made 51 laced with eight boundaries after they were set to chase 155 runs in 20 overs.

Mohammad Imran Randhawa made 24 runs.

For CP, Waqas Maqsood bagged two wickets while Faheem Ashraf and Zafar Gohar bagged a wicket each.

Earlier, left-arm pacer Zia-ul-Haq bagged four wickets to help SP restrict (CP) to 154-9 in 21st match of the event.

In an important game for SP who are almost out of the tournament, Zia led the bowling unit from the front. CP was speechless in front of him as they kept losing wickets after regular intervals.

Hussain Talat captured the limelight with the bat by scoring 68 runs off 47 balls including six boundaries and three sixes. Shoaib Malik made 26 runs that included a boundary and six.

Apart from Zia, Aamer Yamin and Mohammad Imran Randhawa bagged two wickets each while Naseem Shah managed to take a wicket.

READ: Malik becomes third batter to score 11,000 runs in T20 cricket

Lahore: Veteran batter Shoaib Malik has become the third batter to reach 11,000 runs in T20 Cricket.

The 39-old achieved the feat during the National T20 Cup in Rawalpindi against Southern Punjab. He is representing Central Punjab.

1⃣1⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣ T20 RUNS!

Congratulations @realshoaibmalik 🙌🙌#HarHaalMainCricket | #NationalT20Cup pic.twitter.com/slx9fgRCbN

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 7, 2021

He joins the elite list which only includes Chris Gayle (14276) and Keiron Pollard (11223)  of the West Indies.

Malik has played 442 T20 matches from 2005-2021, scoring 11014 runs at an average of 37+. He has scored 67 fifties, however, he is yet to register a hundred in this format.

Read: No Sarfaraz, Malik as Pakistan announced T20 World Cup squad