Abbottabad, Multan make it to National T20 Cup semis

LAHORE: Abbottabad and Multan qualified for the National T20 Cup semifinals by virtue of their victories in the quarterfinals on Sunday night at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad.

Abbottabad defeated Lahore Whites while Multan had a narrow win over defending champions Karachi Whites. In the first quarterfinal, Abbottabad chased down Lahore Whites’ 131-run target in 17.5 overs. Player of the match Kamran Ghulam’s unbeaten 58 off 41 balls was the salient feature of the match.

Electing to field first, Abbottabad struck early, reducing Lahore Whites to 38-2. However, skipper Muhammad Akhlaq anchored the innings with a composed 59 off 49 balls. Late contributions from Kamran Afzal (25*) and Mohammad Azeem Dar (19*) pushed Lahore Whites to 130-5. Khalid Usman was the pick of the bowlers with 2-15.

Abbottabad’s chase was built around Kamran’s steady knock. He forged partnerships of 54 runs with Shahzaib Khan (28) and 49 runs with Afaq Ahmed (31) to secure a five-wicket win and their place in the semi-finals.

In the second quarterfinal, Multan defended a 155-run total to upset Karachi Whites by seven runs in a nail-biting contest. Multan’s innings was powered by Zeeshan Ashraf’s blistering 60 off 34 balls. Middle-order contributions from Muhammad Shahzad (36) and Humayun Altaf (17) ensured Multan reached 155-7.

Karachi’s chase started disastrously, losing three wickets for just 18 runs. Haroon Arshad (42) and Mohammad Taha (36) rebuilt the innings with a 79-run stand. Saad Baig added a quick 25 but Karachi fell short, finishing at 148-7. For Multan, pacer Mohammad Ismail delivered a standout performance, claiming 3-34, while Faisal Akram took two wickets to restrict Karachi’s lineup.