All-round Kashif Naved stars in narrow Multan win

Group A

Haris Sohail scored a 44-ball 66 to set up a 72-run win for Sialkot Stallions over Quetta Bears in Islamabad. Sialkot, who chose to bat first, were propelled towards a total of 154 for 8 by Sohail's 44-ball knock, which included three fours and five sixes, and a 34-ball 33 from Shakeel Ansar. The middle and lower-order didn't contribute too much, with offspinner Fareeduddin coming on as fifth-change and picking up four wickets in two overs.

Even so, a target of 155 proved well beyond Quetta, who crawled to 82 for 9 in their 20 overs. Nazar Hussain, coming in at No. 9, ensured his side wouldn't be bowled out, scoring a 27-ball 26 with a four and two sixes. Medium-pacer Hasan Ali and left-arm spinner Raza Hasan took three wickets each for Sialkot.

Group B

Kashif Naved scored a 26-ball 44 and took three wickets in two overs as Multan Tigers beat Rawalpindi Rams by 2 runs in a thriller in Rawalpindi.

After Naved had had two batsmen stumped with his left-arm spin in the 14th over of the chase, Rawalpindi were left needing 62 runs in 37 balls, with only three wickets in hand. From there, Yasim Murtaza smashed a 12-ball 21 in a partnership of 25 with Mohammad Nawaz before he became Naved's third victim. This left Rawalpindi with 37 to get from 21 balls.

Jamal Anwar then continued from where Murtaza had left off. It came down to 18 from six balls, and, after Jamal struck two fours in Rizwan Haider's final over, five to get off the last ball. Anwar could only manage two.

Sent in to bat, Multan's openers, Zain Abbas and Zeeshan Ashraf, set them up for a big score by putting on 71 in 9.1 overs. Sohaib Maqsood scored a 21-ball 32, Naved a 26-ball 44 with six fours and two sixes, and Gulraiz Sadaf an unbeaten 11-ball 29 to power them to 183 for five.

Group C

Imran Khan took three wickets to help Peshawar Panthers beat Lahore Eagles by seven wickets in Rawalpindi. After Peshawar elected to field, right-arm seamer Imran dismissed both openers to leave Lahore struggling on 3 for 2 in the third over. Kamran Akmal led a brief recovery, scoring 21 off 16 deliveries, but once he was dismissed, Lahore never quite recovered. They lost regular wickets and were 64 for 7 in the 15th over. Mohammad Khalil, the No. 9, lifted Lahore with 22 in 13 balls, but he was caught behind off Imran. Lahore weren't bowled out, but finished on a below-par 104 for 9.

Peshawar's chase wasn't straightforward. They lost three wickets in a hurry to go from 21 for 0 to 30 for 3, but Mohammad Fayyaz and Adil Amin scripted an unbroken 77-run stand that took Peshawar home with 27 balls to spare. Fayyaz was not out on a 38-ball 35 while Amin made an unbeaten 25-ball 40, with two fours and two sixes.

Group D

Yasir Hameed and Younis Khan scored breezy unbeaten half-centuries to power Abbottabad Falcons to a massive 200 for 1, a score that proved well beyond Bahawalpur Stags' reach. Abbottabad won by 77 runs.

Bahawalpur might have regretted their decision to field first, after Hameed and Younis put on an unbroken 169-run partnership for the second wicket. Hameed struck 11 fours and a six in his unbeaten 68-ball 97, while Younis smashed six fours and two sixes in a 47-ball 71 as Abbottabad galloped along at 10 an over.

In reply, Bahawalpur never got going. They were 49 for six, before Ansar Javed's unbeaten 32 and Faisal Mubashir's 29 helped them cross 100. In the end, they finished on 123 for eight. For Abbottabad, left-arm spinner Khalid Usman took three wickets.