LAHORE: Peshawar Region and Karachi Region Blues recorded convincing victories in the National T20 Cup at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, on Saturday night.
An unbeaten century by Sahibzada Farhan powered Peshawar to an emphatic win against Lahore Whites. Chasing a daunting target of 182, Peshawar secured victory with eight balls to spare. Sahibzada’s scintillating knock of 114 not out off 59 balls, laced with nine fours and nine sixes, marked his highest T20 career score. His 129-run opening partnership with Maaz Sadaqat (37 off 38 balls) laid a solid foundation for the chase.
Skipper Iftikhar Ahmed contributed 19 off 12 balls, hitting two fours and a six, before falling at 152-2. For Lahore Whites, Mohammad Rameez Jnr and Ubaid Shah picked up one wicket each but failed to halt Peshawar’s momentum.
Earlier, Lahore Whites posted 181-3, courtesy of an unbeaten 85-run fourth-wicket partnership between Tayyab Tahir and Saad Nasim. Tayyab struck an impressive 66 not out off 46 balls with seven fours and a six, while Saad added an unbeaten 41 off 31 balls, including one four and three sixes.
Karachi Blues cruised to a dominant 10-wicket victory over Larkana, chasing down a modest target of 142 with six overs to spare. The opening duo of Jahanzaib Sultan and Abdullah Fazal combined for an unbeaten 142-run stand. Jahanzaib hammered 79 not out off 43 balls, hitting six fours and five sixes, while Abdullah added 61 not out off 41 balls with four fours and three sixes.
Earlier, Larkana elected to bat but managed only 141-7 in 20 overs after slipping to 85-5. Sabit Ali top-scored for Larkana with 30 off 22 balls. Karachi Blues’ bowlers, led by skipper Rameez Aziz and Bahadur Ali, who took two wickets each, effectively restricted Larkana’s total. Mohammad Asghar, Aarish Ali Khan, and Mohammad Hamza claimed one wicket apiece.
Brief scores:
Match 3 – Peshawar Region beat Lahore Region Whites by eight wickets at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad
Lahore Whites 181-3, 20 overs (Tayyab Tahir 66 not out, Saad Nasim 41 not out, Mohammad Saleem 25, Mohammad Faiq 24; Niaz Khan 1-31)
Peshawar 182-2, 18.4 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 114 not out, Maaz Sadaqat 37, Mohammad Rameez Jnr 1-15)
Player of the match – Sahibzada Farhan (Peshawar Region)
Match 4 – Karachi Region Blues beat Larkana Region by 10 wickets at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad
Larkana 141-7, 20 overs (Sabit Ali 30, Ghulam Raza 20, Shahzaib Aziz 20; Rameez Aziz 2-20, Bahadur Ali 2-38)
Karachi Blues 142-0, 14 overs (Jahanzaib Sultan 79 not out, Abdullah Fazal 61 not out)
Player of the match – Jahanzaib Sultan (Karachi Region Blues).
