Faisalabad in semifinal after Imran’s last ball six

ISLAMABAD: Imran Khalid’s (11 not out) last ball six took Faisalabad to semi-finals as they beat Peshawar on the last ball of 20th over in the National T20 Championship at the Pindi Stadium Thursday.
Karachi Whites, Islamabad and Fata are now in the run for a vacant fourth spot to complete the semifinal line-up. A good victory against Faisalabad on Friday would be enough for Fata to move into the semis. Same scenario is on cards for Islamabad that is to meet powerful Lahore Whites team on Friday morning on the last day of round robin matches.
A clear win by Islamabad would earn them a chance to make it to last four stage. In case Islamabad and Fata both lose their Friday matches, Karachi Whites would become fourth team to make it to the semis. With Faheem Ashraf (17 not out) limping at the other end, Imran was given the challenge to score four runs on the last ball and he delighted his supporters with a six of Shah Faisal (0-23) to take his team into semi-finals along with Lahore Blues and Lahore Whites.
Peshawar managed 139 before being all out in 20th over with Faisalabad helped by Sahibzada Farhan’s (47) and Gohar Ali’s (30) kept in pursuit of the target. Set to sore 12 in the last over, Faisalabad reached home on the last ball. Sloppy fielding and some poor bowling changes made Faisalabad job easier. Sohail Khan (2-19) yet again bowled well for Peshawar.
Earlier, Rawalpindi’s dismal campaign ended with yet another loss, this time against Lahore Blues getting beaten by seven wickets. With the victory Lahore Blues ended the round robin engagement with 11 points. The team from Lahore has already qualified for the semis and the win against Rawalpindi further consolidated their position. Luckless Rawalpindi team managed just 118 before being bowled out in 18th over. Iftikhar Ahmad (60) played well for Rawalpindi with Salman Agha (3-3) and Atif Jabbar (3-25) being the pick of bowlers for Blues.
Salman (34 not out) who was later named Man of the Match for his all round performance then helped Blues hit up the winning target in 18th over. Left arm spinner Muhammad Asghar (3-13) bowled well for Rawalpindi. The host team that has disappointed fans, finished at the bottom of table with just three points.
Scores: Faisalabad beat Peshawar by five wickets: Peshawar 139 in 20 0vers (Rifatullah 32, Obaidullah 29, Taj Wali 3-29, Saeed Ajmal 2-15, Imran Khalid 2-36) Faisalabad 142 for 5 in 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 47, Gohar Ali 30, Faheem Ashraf 17*, Imran Khalid 11*, Sohail Khan 2-19.
Lahore Blues beat Rawalpindi by seven wickets: Rawalpindi Region 118 in 17.4 overs: (Iftikhar Ahmed 60, Zeeshan Malik 24, Atif Jabbar 3-25, Salman Agha 3-3, Ali Shafiq 2-17, Khalid Usman 2-34).
Lahore Region Blues 124-3 in 17.1 overs: (Imam-ul-Haq 36, Salman Agha 34*, Ahmed Shahzad 27, Hussain Tallat 21, Muhammad Asghar 3-13).