Faisalabad win in nail-biting finish

By ISLAMABAD: Imran Khalid’s (11 not out) last ball six took Faisalabad to the semi-finals of the National T20 Cup at the Pindi Stadium Thursday.
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 the 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 (47) and Gohar Ali (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 semi-final 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 Lahore 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.
Rawalpindi have disappointed their fans, finished at the bottom of table with just three points.Karachi Whites, Islamabad and Fata are all in the run for a vacant fourth spot to complete the semi-final line-up.
A good victory against Faisalabad on Friday will be enough for Fata to move into the semi-finals. It’s the same scenario for Islamabad against Lahore Whites on the last day of round robin matches. If both Islamabad and Fata lose, Karachi Whites will reach the last-four stage.
Scores in brief: Faisalabad beat Peshawar by five wickets: Peshawar 139 in 20 overs (Riffatullah 32, Obaidullah 29; Taj Wali 3-29, Saeed Ajmal 2-15, Imran Khalid 2-36) v Faisalabad 142-5 in 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 47, Gohar Ali 30, Faheem Ashraf 17 not out, Imran Khalid 11 not out; Sohail Khan 2-19).
Lahore Blues beat Rawalpindi by seven wickets: Rawalpindi 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) v Lahore Blues 124-3 in 17.1 overs (Imamul Haq 36, Salman Agha 34 not out, Ahmed Shehzad 27, Hussain Tallat 21; Muhammad Asghar 3-13).