PESHAWAR — Abbottabad Region secured a dramatic eight-wicket victory over Multan Region after Kamran Ghulam’s unbeaten 95 and Khushdil Shah’s last-ball six helped chase down a 204-run target in the National T20 Cup at the Imran Khan Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
In another match of the day, Karachi Region Blues defeated Sialkot Region by 40 runs after Usman Khan’s aggressive 81 and Khalil Ahmed’s four-wicket haul powered their team to victory.
Abbottabad achieved the target in the final over after Khushdil Shah struck a six on the last delivery, completing a thrilling run chase.
Kamran, Khushdil lead Abbottabad’s record chase
Abbottabad’s chase was anchored by Kamran Ghulam, who remained unbeaten on 95 from 48 balls, hitting five fours and seven sixes. He shared an unbeaten 81-run partnership with Khushdil Shah, who contributed 30 off 17 balls.
Abbottabad required 19 runs from the final over. Kamran struck a six off the third ball and collected two doubles before the last delivery. A waist-high full toss was called a no-ball after review, leaving Abbottabad needing five runs from the extra delivery.
Khushdil Shah then pulled the final ball over fine leg for a six to seal the win.
Earlier in the chase, Shahzaib Khan scored 52 from 42 balls and added a 79-run partnership with Kamran Ghulam for the second wicket.
Multan had earlier posted 203 for six in their 20 overs. Debutant Moheer Saeed led the scoring with 76 from 41 balls, while Bismillah Khan scored 45 and Muhammad Shahzad added an unbeaten 54 from 26 deliveries.
For Abbottabad, Shadab Khan claimed three wickets.
Karachi Blues defeat Sialkot
In the second match, Karachi Region Blues successfully defended their total of 201 after bowling out Sialkot Region for 161 in 19.4 overs.
Usman Khan played a key role with a powerful 81 from 39 balls, hitting nine fours and five sixes. Ahsan Ali also contributed with a 27-ball 50, while Jahandad Khan scored 30 to strengthen Karachi’s total.
Sialkot’s chase struggled early as they lost six wickets for 79 runs. Captain Usama Mir attempted a late comeback with an aggressive 63 from 31 balls, but the target proved out of reach.
Karachi’s bowling attack was led by Khalil Ahmed, who took four wickets for 27 runs. Mohammad Taha claimed three wickets, while Shahnawaz Dahani took two.
Kamran Ghulam was named player of the match for Abbottabad, while Usman Khan received the award for Karachi Blues.
Monday fixtures
The tournament continues on Monday with Karachi Whites facing Bahawalpur at 4:15 pm PKT, followed by Faisalabad against Lahore Whites at 9:15 pm PKT.
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