LAHORE: Karachi Whites and Abbottabad qualified for the National T20 Cup final in contrasting styles at the Imran Khan Cricket Stadium in Peshawar on Tuesday. Karachi Whites defeated Sialkot by five wickets in the first semi-final, while Abbottabad progressed after intermittent rain prevented their run-chase following a formidable 194 for six from Lahore Whites.

With no reserve day scheduled for the knockout matches, Abbottabad were declared winners by virtue of finishing the league stage with more points. Abbottabad had topped Group B with six points (three wins and one loss), while Lahore Whites had finished second in Group A with five points (two wins, one loss, and one no-result).

While Abbottabad may feel the rub of the green went their way, Lahore Whites will be deeply disappointed. While the weather was beyond their control, the lack of a reserve day denied them a fair chance to stake their claim for a final berth against their traditional rivals.

After being sent into bat, Lahore Whites flourished, posting 194 for six. No. 3 batter Imran Dogar was in a punishing mood, hitting three fours and five sixes in a 31-ball 62. Together with opener Mohammad Akhlaq (42), Imran added 64 runs for the second wicket.

After a mid-innings wobble at 127 for four, Farhan Yousaf and Mohammad Mohsin provided the late impetus. Farhan finished with an unbeaten 33 from 19 balls, while Mohsin struck 24 from 16 balls.

For Abbottabad, Shahab Khan continued his excellent form, finishing with figures of 4 for 28.

ABDULLAH DAZZLES FOR KARACHI

In the first semi-final, a 92-run opening partnership between left-handers Abdullah Fazal and captain Saud Shakeel set the foundation for Karachi Whites’ five-wicket win over Sialkot.

Although Karachi endured some anxious moments when they slipped to 114 for three and 146 for five, Haroon Arshad closed out the match with a winning boundary with 29 balls and five wickets to spare.

Abdullah Fazal was the star, belting six fours and seven sixes in a 41-ball 88. He was deservedly named Player of the Match, having now scored 189 runs in the tournament at a strike-rate of 167.

Saud Shakeel provided the early momentum with a 21-ball 45 before falling to Usama Mir. The Sialkot captain also claimed the scalps of Shan Masood (1) and Khawaja Nafay (1) to finish with three for 46. The wrist spinner ended his journey in the tournament as the most successful bowler with 16 wickets, three ahead of Abbottabad’s Shahab Khan.

Earlier, Sialkot posted 165 for nine. Khawaja Arham scored 40 from 33 balls, while Hasan Nawaz struck a 33-ball 43 – an innings that took him to the top of the batting charts with 227 runs.

For Karachi, fast bowler Mohammad Umar was rewarded for intelligent death bowling, finishing with three for 29, while left-arm spinner Mohammad Asghar successfully controlled the middle overs to finish with two for 23.

Scores in brief:

Match 21 (1st semi-final) – Karachi Whites beat Sialkot by five wickets

SIALKOT 165-9, 20 overs (Hasan Nawaz 43, Khawaja Arham 40, Ali Afzal 26, Usama Mir 19; Mohammad Umar 3-29, Mohammad Asghar 2-23)

KARACHI WHITES 167-5, 15.1 overs (Abdullah Fazal 88, Saud Shakeel 45; Usama Mir 3-46)

PLAYER OF THE MATCH – Abdullah Fazal

Match 22 (2nd semi-final) – Lahore Whites vs Abbottabad. No-result.

LAHORE WHITES 194-6, 20 overs (Imran Dogar 62, Mohammad Akhlaq 42, Farhan Yousaf 33 not out, Mohammad Mohsin 24; Shahab Khan 4-28)

WEDNESDAY’S FIXTURE

KARACHI WHITES VS ABBOTTABAD (7:30pm, PST)