National T20 Cup: Peshawar make it four wins in four

Register comfortable six-wicket win over Lahore Blues.

KARACHI: Anwar Ali was once again the star of the show with the ball for Peshawar, helping the two-time defending champions claim a fourth consecutive win with a comfortable six-wicket victory over Lahore Blues in the National T20 Cup at the Rawalpindi Stadium yesterday.

Opting to bat first, Lahore Blues were restricted to 137-7 as Anwar dismissed three batsmen and gave away just 28 runs in the process. Skipper Zohaib Khan also impressed with figures of 2-20.

In reply, Peshawar reached 139-4 in 18.2 overs with opener Rafatullah Mohmand scoring an unbeaten 45 off 38 balls, while Zohaib capped off a good all-round outing with a 23 not out off 16 balls.

“It was an exciting match, we were expecting this type of performance from Lahore Blues,” said Zohaib. “We have to be up for each and every team as anything can happen in this format. But I am glad that we won to keep our winning streak going.”

The 32-year-old praised his two standout performers. “We lost wickets quicker than what we would have liked but Rafatullah stood on the crease and helped us reach the target, while Anwar has performed well in the last two matches with the ball.”

Rawalpindi down Islamabad

In the late match on Thursday, Rawalpindi registered their second win of the tournament after defeating twin city Islamabad by five wickets.

Put in to bat first, Islamabad scored an impressive 174, with left-handed opener Imamul Haq scoring a half-century. Former Pakistan T20 skipper Shahid Afridi headlined the event and did not disappoint his fans with a typically brisk cameo that yielded 26 runs off just 13 balls.

Rawalpindi’s Zulfiqar Babar impressed with figures of 2-17 in his four overs.

In reply, Rawalpindi lost two quick wickets but opener Mukhtar Ahmed made 40 while man-of-the-match Umar Amin scored 76 off 50 balls to take his side over the line.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 3^rd, 2016.

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