Lahore Lions qualify for semi-finals

Stags inch closer to last-four berth after 4th win.

KARACHI: Lahore Lions became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the Faysal Bank Twenty20 Cup after winning their fifth group match on the trot, while newcomers Bahawalpur Stags inched closer to the last-four berth by winning their fourth successive match.

Lions scored 130 for nine off their quota while batting first against Quetta Bears. Nasir Jamshed scored 26 while Kamran Akmal contributed 23. In reply, Bears’ batsmen failed to take cue from their bowlers and could only struggle to 86 for seven as leg-spinner Tanzeel Altaf bagged two wickets.

Meanwhile, Imranullah Aslam’s 60-run knock helped in-form Stags stun Lahore Eagles by eight wickets, easing past the 137-run target. Aslam, who bagged his third man-of-the-match award, struck nine boundaries in his 46-ball knock while Kashif Siddiq chipped in with 39. Earlier, the trio of Mohammad Talha, Ataullah and Kamran Hussain claimed two wickets each to restrict Eagles to 136 for seven despite Taufeeq Umar’s 45-ball 53.

“Coming into the tournament, we had planned to give a tough time to our opponents but weren’t expecting such an impressive show,” Aslam told The Express Tribune. “Nobody knew me before this event despite having played domestic cricket for years and suddenly now people have started recognising us which is great.”

Pace spearhead and Test cricketer Talha, who has taken seven wickets in the event so far, was also impressed by the show his team had put on.

“It’s really impressive how everybody has been backing each other,” said Talha. “It’s given me extra motivation as well. They’re playing for their honour and I want to help them go as far as they can in the tournament.”

In another match, Misbahul Haq’s unbeaten 43 propelled Faisalabad Wolves to a seven-wicket win over Peshawar Panthers, racing past the 136-run target.

Stallions easy meat for the Tigers

Left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar did his national selection chances no harm by taking four wickets as Multan Tigers shocked reigning champions Sialkot Stallions by 42 runs.

Set a target of 156, Stallions could only manage 113 for seven as Nayyar Abbas top-scored with 43. Tigers had earlier put up a fighting total of 155 for six after impressive knocks from Shoaib Maqsood (38), Naved Yasin (34) and Gulraiz Sadaf (32). Adeel Malik dismissed three batsmen.

Elsewhere, Aqeel Anjum’s whirlwind 75 went in vain as Hyderabad Hawks tasted a 19-run defeat against Rawalpindi. Hawks scored 158 for six as Anjum hit four sixes and six boundaries in his 48-ball stay but could not overpower the Rams’ 177 for six.

Meanwhile, Younus Khan continued his impressive show with the bat as his 28-ball 48 took Abbottabad Falcons to their third win – a five-wicket defeat of Karachi Zebras. Zebras were dismissed for 135 and the Falcons were able to reach the target off the final ball of the innings.

‘Younus can still play international T20s’

Abbottabad Regional Cricket Association (ARCA) President Amir Nawab said that Younus still had a lot to offer when it comes to international Twenty20s.

Younus lead Pakistan to the 2009 World Twenty20 triumph and has scored 147 in the tournament so far, sitting fourth on the list of top run-scorers.

“Younus has been exceptional in this tournament, guiding us to victories in two nail-biting matches despite difficult conditions,” Nawab told The Express Tribune. “His experience has been vital in crunch situations and he still can serve Pakistan in T20s. Experience is irreplaceable and Younus is probably Pakistan’s fittest player. He has improved with time and has all the ingredients to cope with the shortest format of the game.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 6^th, 2012.