Farhan stars as Peshawar reach last-eight stage

LAHORE: Sahibzada Farhan smashed an unbeaten 162 to help Peshawar Region register a 126-run victory over Quetta Region in their last group match of National T20 Cup at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Friday night. Farhan in the process went on to break a seven-year-old record.

Peshawar reached the quarterfinals along with Lahore Region Whites, Karachi Region Whites and Lahore Region Blues.

Sahibzada Farhan hit a brisk 162 not out off 72 balls, the highest individual score in T20s in Pakistan, as Peshawar amassed 239-2 in their 20 overs. His innings surpassed Kamran Akmal’s record of 150* set in 2016.

Quetta’s chase never gained momentum as they were bowled out for 113 in 19.3 overs. Usman Tariq (4-17) and Nizar Ali (3-22) ensured Peshawar’s dominant victory by 126 runs.

Lahore Whites topped Group A after a narrow eight-run win over Karachi Blues at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

Batting first, Lahore posted 146-9 with Mohammad Mohsin contributing a crucial 38-ball 47. Karachi Blues’ Mohammad Hamza impressed with 3-35 in his four overs.

Defending a modest target, player of the match Ubaid Shah led the charge with figures of 3-27, supported by Mohammad Salman’s two-wicket spell. Karachi Blues fell short at 138-9 in their 20 overs, leaving Lahore Whites at the top of the group on net run rate.

Karachi Whites maintained their unbeaten streak with a 17-run win over Bahawalpur at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad. Shan Masood’s 51 and Haroon Arshad’s 44 anchored Karachi’s total of 182-5.

A valuable unbeaten 63-run stand between Saad Baig (36) and Mohammad Taha (30) provided the finishing touches. In reply, Bahawalpur managed 165-5 with Mohammad Faizan Zafar top-scoring with a 42-ball 56. Mir Hamza collected two wickets as Karachi Whites topped their group.