National T20 Cup semi-finals: Karachi take on Multan while Peshawar face Sialkot

The four sides have been the tournament’s best by a distance

KARACHI: Defending champions Peshawar’s seven-wicket win over Karachi Blues ensured they claim top spot at the expense of the Karachi side in Group B of the National T20 Cup and will now face Group A runners-up Sialkot, who recently won the Super 8 T20, in the semi-final on Monday at the Rawalpindi Cricket Ground.

The Karachi side had already qualified for the last-four and will face Multan in the other semi-final of the day.

Both Karachi and Sialkot finished equal on points and with a better run-rate than the top two sides in their groups but came second due to a poorer head-to-head record after losing their respective matches to them.



Karachi Blues will be confident of their chances of making it to the final as they boast a host of international stars in their ranks. In Khalid Latif and Rumman Raees they have the tournament’s top run-getter and wicket-taker, while they also have the likes of Pakistan T20 captain Shahid Afridi, vice-captain Sarfraz Ahmed and all-rounder Anwar Ali to call upon.

However, Peshawar’s comfortable seven-wicket win over Karachi proved that it isn’t all about having stars in your ranks so Multan will still be fancying their chances. Skipper Kamran Akmal is in good form, while Imran Farhat, Sohaib Maqsood, Zulfiqar Babar and Rahat Ali are all household names.

In the second semi-final of the day, Shoaib Malik’s Sialkot will be looking to down the impressive Peshawar side, with both teams confirming their progression on the final day of the group stages.

If Peshawar were impressive in their seven-wicket win over Karachi, then the same can be said of Sialkot’s statement 10-wicket victory over Bahawalpur. 21-year-old Hasan Ali ran through the Bahawalpur top-order, leaving them 9-4, before the other bowlers kept the stranglehold to ensure Sialkot had only 97 to chase. New Pakistan T20 stars Nauman Ahmed (45 off 23 balls) and Mukhtar Ahmed (55 off 25 balls) reached the target in just 7.4 overs as Sialkot finished 102-0.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 14^th,  2015.

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