Multan, Karachi zones reach Army Cricket final

KARACHI: Multan beat Lahore by 82 runs while Karachi defeated Rawalpindi by runs 119 runs to reach the final of Army Cricket Championship.

The final will be played at the Battle Axe Stadium, Lahore, on Thursday (tomorrow).

In the first semi-final, at the Battle Axe Stadium, Multan Zone who elected to bat first received early blows amid magnificent bowling from Bilal and Nouman. However, a 57-run fourth-wicket partnership between Umar Farooq and Sarfraz pushed their team to 119. Umar scored 29 off 73 balls. Sarfraz scored 26.

Nouman finished with two for 30, while Bilal grabbed four wickets for 19.

Lahore Zone lost three wickets in two overs and the immediate introduction of spin by Multan captain further increased their miseries. They were bundled out for just 37 in 15.3 overs. Only Abdul Qadir (10) managed double figures.

Mohammed Naveed and Sarfraz took three wickets each for 15 and 8 runs, respectively. 

In the second semi-final, at DHA EMA Ground, Karachi Zone scored 298 and then bundled out Rawalpindi Zone for 179.