Karachi Dolphins chase down 346 against Multan

Karachi Dolphins chased down Multan Tigers' 346 in a high-scoring match in Multan. Multan were put into bat, and were led by a 95-run stand between Zeeshan Ashraf and Usman Liaqat. Sohaib Maqsood scored a maiden List-A century, finishing on 156 off 95 balls, which included 13 fours and ten sixes. The rest of the order chipped in as Multan finished on 346 for 7 at the end of their fifty overs.

Karachi Dolphins' openers started well, putting on 69. Shazaib Hasan and Saeed Bin Nasir were then involved in a 181-run stand for the second wicket. Hasan finished with a career-best 135, while Nasir finished on 114. Contributions from Fawad Alam (24) and Sarfraz Ahmed (20), ensured they would finish the chase inside the 49th over, with five wickets to spare.

Contributions from Mukhtar Ahmed and Mansoor Amjad led Sialkot Stallions to an eight-wicket victory over Hyderabad Hawks in Hyderabad. Hyderabad were put in to bat, and found themselves in trouble at 23 for 3. A 54-run stand for the fourth wicket between Rizwan Ahmed and Faisal Athar helped regain some stability. Contributions lower down the order from Lal Kumar (36), Mir Ali (34) and Kashif Bhatti (53*), pushed their total to 244. Bilawal Bhatti had the best figures of 4 for 59.

After losing Yasir Aziz for five, Sialkot were guided by opener Ahmed and Mansoor Amjad, as they put up a 99-run partnership for the second wicket. Ahmed eventually fell for 91 off 68, as Shahid Yousuf came in to help Amjad steer the chase. Ultimately the two would finish not out, with Amjad reaching his century, and Yousuf contributing with 45. With this win Sialkot moved to the top of the table in Group A.

Lahore Eagles successfully chased Bahawalpur Stags' target of 202 in Ghari Khuda Baksh, Bahawalpur were put in to bat, and the top order, barring Rafay Ahmed's 44 and Mustansar Hussain's 54, did not contribute much to their total. Kamran Hussain's 21 and Waqas Khan's unbeaten 26 pushed them to 202 for 7 at the end of their 50 overs. Asfan Mehran picked up the best figures of 3 for 45.

Lahore Eagles' top order, in comparison, were much stronger in reply. Contributions from Sami Aslam (53), Abdul Wahab Dar (38), Abid Ali (37) and Jahangir Mirza's unbeaten 55, ensured they chased Bahawalpur's target inside of the 48th over. Bahawalpur used seven bowlers, but none proved incisive enough.

Rawalpindi Rams thrashed Peshawar Panthers by 165 runs in Islamabad to win their third match and move to third place in Group B. Electing to bat first, Rawalpindi were 96 for 3 but Umar Waheed scored 96 off 93, which included 10 fours and a six, which laid the platform for a big score. Among the lower-order batsmen and the tail, Mohammad Nawaz (55 off 43) Jamal Anwar (41 off 27) and Akhtar Ayub (29 off 18) made sure Rawalpindi set Peshawar a target of 317.

Peshawar could not score even half the runs required as their top order was reduced to 25 for 4. Only No. 3 batsman Gauhar Ali resisted with a knock of 41 but he did not get enough support and Peshawar did not get many partnerships going, the longest one being of 60 for the fifth wicket. Three bowlers from Rawalpindi took two wickets each - Umar Amin, Ayub, and Nawaz - which made Peshawar crumble under pressure as they were all out for 151.

Faisalabad Wolves sneaked a two-wicket win against the Islamabad Leopards in a topsy-turvy match in Rawalpindi. After Islamabad lost their openers cheaply, Babar Azam (49) and Umair Khan (39) steered them to safety with a 66-run partnership. However, Imran Ahmed removed both of them and took two more wickets to finish with figures of 4 for 22. He was ably supported by Asad Ali (3-37) and they wrapped up Islamabad for 159.

The Faisalabad batsmen got off to starts but could not convert them into big scores. Ammar Mahmood (28) and Imran Ahmed (24) took them to 50 but they were soon 90 for 5 as Raheel Majeed and Imad Wasim dented their top order. However, their captain Mohammad Salman stayed unbeaten till the end with a run-a-ball 32 and ensured a victory with 26 balls to spare even though they lost eight wickets.

Lahore Lions trounced the Abbottabad Falcons by 197 runs at the Mirpur Cricket Stadium. Lahore Lions' openers Umar Siddiq (101) and Azhar Ali (107) put together 208 for the opening wicket as Umar struck his first List-A hundred. Their partnership was followed by a fifty from Saad Nasim (57 off 37) but they lost four quick wickets after that, moving from 285 for 2 to 303 for 6. A cameo of an 11-ball 24 from Fahad-ul-Haq took them to 327 for 7 in the end.

Their bowlers made sure the Abbottabad batsmen did not settle down and struck at regular intervals. No. 3 batsman Rameez Ahmed top scored with 30 but this was followed by three single-digit scores that kept the pressure mounting. Khalid Kail and Yasir Shah resisted for a while in the end but could not avoid a huge defeat when they were dismissed for 130 in 35 overs.