LAHORE: Hasan Nawaz stroked a match-winning unbeaten 80 and Shoaib Akhtar Junior bowled the 19th over as a double-wicket maiden as Sialkot defeated Multan by seven wickets to qualify for the National T20 Cup semi-finals. In the other Group B fixture at the Imran Khan Cricket Stadium, Abbottabad defeated Lahore Blues by eight wickets to progress to the last-four stage.

In Tuesday’s semi-finals, Sialkot will take on Karachi Whites at 4.30pm (PST), while Lahore Whites will meet Abbottabad at 9.30pm (PST).

While the Abbottabad-Lahore Blues match proved to be a one-sided affair – with Abbottabad dismissing Lahore Blues for 86 in 14.3 overs and then racing to victory in 8.2 overs with Kamran Ghulam scoring a 34-ball 46 with three fours and four sixes- the Sialkot-Multan fixture turned out to be a thriller.

Sialkot, chasing 164 for victory, required 36 runs from the final two overs. Hasan Nawaz struck Sirajuddin for three sixes in a 19th over that cost 23 runs, leaving Sialkot needing 13 from the final over. Hasan then struck Aamer Yamin for two fours and ran two doubles to take his side home with one ball and seven wickets to spare.

Hasan Nawaz finished with 80 not out from 40 balls, including five fours and six sixes. His unfinished fourth-wicket stand with Ahsan Hafeez Bhatti yielded 64 runs from just 24 balls, with Hasan contributing 59 of those runs.

Earlier, Khawaja Arham (32) and Mirza Tahir Baig (29) provided a 63-run opening stand before Multan pulled things back, leaving Sialkot at 94 for two after 15 overs.

Earlier, Imam-ul-Haq demonstrated his experience by scoring 86 from 51 balls, studded with 10 fours and three sixes. Apart from him, only Bismillah Khan batted with authority, scoring 23 from 12 balls.

Sufyan Moqim was the standout Sialkot bowler with three for 37, while captain Usama Mir took two for 29.

However, fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar Junior stole the bowling honours. He not only picked up two wickets for 30 runs but also bowled the 19th over as a double-wicket maiden – a marvellous effort in the death overs of such a fast-paced format.

Scores in brief:

Match 19 (Group B) – Abbottabad beat Lahore Blues by eight wickets

LAHORE 86 all-out, 14.3 overs (Hamza Zahoor 18; Shadab Khan 3-10, Shahab Khan 2-11; Arshad Iqbal 2-30)

ABBOTTABAD 87-2, 8.2 overs (Kamran Ghulam 46 not out, Shahzaib Khan 32)

PLAYER OF THE MATCH – Shadab Khan (Abbottabad)

Match 20 (Group B) – Sialkot beat Multan by seven wickets

MULTAN 163 all-out, 19.5 overs (Imam ul Haq 86, Bismillah Khan 23; Sufyan Moqim 3-37, Usama Mir 2-29, Shoaib Akhtar Jnr 2-30)

SIALKOT 164-3, 19.5 overs (Hasan Nawaz 80 not out, Khawaja Arham 32, Mirza Tahir Baig 29, Abdullah Shafique 16)

PLAYER OF THE MATCH – Hasan Nawaz (Sialkot)

TUESDAY’S FIXTURES (semi-finals):

Sialkot v Karachi Whites (4.30pm)

Lahore Whites v Abbottabad (9.30pm)