Peshawar: Abbottabad Region continued their strong run in the National T20 Cup with a commanding eight-wicket victory over Karachi Region Blues, successfully chasing a 202-run target, while Multan Region secured a narrow three-run win against Lahore Region Blues in a thrilling contest at the Imran Khan Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
Abbottabad completed their second consecutive 200-plus chase in the tournament, powered by explosive half-centuries from Kamran Ghulam and Shahzaib Khan.
Kamran, Shahzaib lead Abbottabad’s successful chase
Chasing 202, Abbottabad recovered quickly after losing an early wicket as Kamran Ghulam and Shahzaib Khan built a match-defining 115-run partnership for the second wicket in just 58 balls.
Shahzaib struck a rapid 75 off 38 balls, hitting 11 fours and three sixes before departing in the 12th over.
Kamran continued the charge and remained unbeaten on 81 from 42 balls, smashing 11 fours and two sixes. Alongside Khushdil Shah, who contributed 38 not out off 16 balls, the pair added an unbeaten 70 runs from 29 deliveries to seal the victory with more than three overs remaining.
Abbottabad finished at 203-2 in 16.4 overs.
Earlier, Karachi Blues posted 201-4 in 20 overs, led by an aggressive 67 off 36 balls from opener Ahsan Ali. Jahanzaib Sultan added 42, while Usman Khan scored 39.
For Abbottabad, Shadab Khan was the pick of the bowlers with 2-32, while Arshad Iqbal and Shahab Khan claimed one wicket each.
Also Read: Kamran Ghulam’s 95, Khushdil Shah’s last-ball six seal Abbottabad win in National T20 Cup
Multan secure dramatic win over Lahore Blues
In the second match, Multan Region claimed their first win of the tournament with a three-run victory over Lahore Region Blues.
Defending 200, Multan relied on the composed bowling of Aamer Yamin in the final over. Lahore needed 11 runs from the last six balls, but Aamer conceded only seven runs to seal the victory.
Lahore opener Umar Siddiq produced a superb 91 off 51 balls, but his effort was not enough to secure the chase.
Ali Razzaq added 45 during a crucial partnership, but Lahore eventually fell short despite a strong start.
Earlier, Multan had posted 200-6, recovering from 49-3 thanks to Muhammad Shahzad’s 54 and late hitting from Arafat Minhas (35 off 17) and Aamer Yamin (24 not out off 8).
Arafat Minhas also impressed with the ball, finishing with 2-23, while Sirajuddin took two wickets.
Upcoming fixtures
In Wednesday’s matches, Faisalabad will face Bahawalpur at 4:30pm, while Karachi Whites will play Peshawar at 9:30pm in Group A fixtures of the National T20 Cup.
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