Pindi to face Lahore in National T20 Cup final

KARACHI: Rawalpindi and Lahore Whites set final date after beating their respective rivals Karachi Whites and Islamabad in contrasting fashion in the semifinals of the National T20 Cup 2018-19 at Multan Cricket Stadium on Monday.

Powered by Naved Malik’s swashbuckling 54-ball 90 Rawalpindi overwhelmed Karachi Whites by six runs after a tense clash in the first semifinal. In the second prefinal Kamran Akmal (93) and Ali Khan (51) did ruthless batting to help Lahore Whites to rout Islamabad by 88 runs. The final will be held on Tuesday (today) at 3pm.

Karachi Whites-Rawalpindi clash remained absorbing as it kept changing tides. Chasing 158 Karachi Whites were at one stage in good position. But in the 14th over international all-rounder Hammad Azam took the prized scalps of Shoaib Malik (23) and Rameez Raja Junior (0) to leave the game evenly poised.

Fawad Alam (52) remained the sole hope for Karachi Whites. He could not manage big strokes which his team needed in the death overs.

In the final two overs Karachi Whites needed 23 runs. Left-arm pacer Sadaf Hussain conceded only five in the penultimate over to leave 18 for international left-armer Sohail Tanvir to defend in the final over. Sohail gave away 11 runs in the last over. Fawad scored his fifty off 36 balls.

Earlier Awais Zia (40) and Khurram Manzoor (23) provided a rapid 51-run start off 33 deliveries. International spinner Mohammad Nawaz gave the vital breakthrough to Rawalpindi when he had Khurram. Malik then joined Awais but the later also lost his wicket, trapped leg before off spinner Khalid Usman to leave Karachi Whites at 79-2 in 10.3 overs.

Malik, who fell prey to Hammad, did not make big score. Hammad got 2-27.After being sent into bat Rawalpindi’s innings revolved around dashing Naved Malik. Naved, who brought in his second successive fifty off 36 balls, smashed five huge sixes and nine fours from just 54 deliveries to take his side to a fighting total of 157-9.

Spinner Raza Hasan (2-21), Rahat (2-25) and Mohammad Sami (2-34) were the leading wicket-takers.The second semi-final between Lahore Whites and Islamabad turned out to be a one-sided affair. Skipper Kamran Akmal and Ali Khan punished Islamabad’s bowlers by sharing a rapid 84 off only 36 balls for the fourth wicket association to guide Lahore Whites to 219-6, the highest total of the event.

Kamran scored 26 runs in the 17th over from fast bowler Shehzad Azam Rana, hitting the right-armer for three sixes and two fours.

In the next over Umar Gul conceded 28 runs. Ali hit the discarded Test pacer for three successive sixes and a four off the fourth delivery before losing his wicket on the fifth ball. Sohail Khan got 2-36.

Islamabad, in response, were restricted to 131-8 with Umar Gul top-scoring 31-ball 30. Sohail Khan made 17-ball 23 with three sixes. Umaid Asif (2-24), Amad Butt (2-18) and Bilal Asif (2-34) bowled tightly. Kamran was declared as Man-of-the-Match.