Karachi Blues, Peshawar through to final

Karachi Region Blues overcame a late scare as Aamer Yamin's unbeaten 20-ball 45 was not enough to prevent an eight-run loss for Multan Region in the first semi-final in Rawalpindi. Requiring 69 off the last four overs, six fours and four sixes were hit - primarily by Yamin - bringing the equation down to 9 off 2 balls but two dot balls thereafter meant Karachi qualified for the final, a stage they have reached on five occasions but never gone on to win the tournament.

Chasing 190, Multan lost Imran Farhat in the second over but brisk stands of 47 and 45 for the second and third wickets kept them on course. Sohaib Maqsood smashed three consecutive sixes in a 21-run 10th over off Fawad Khan and followed that with another six in the next. However, they suffered a collapse as 100 for 2 turned to 120 for 7 in the 16th over, before Yamin's late blitz gave Multan some hope. Abdul Ameer conceded 21 runs and also picked up four wickets in four overs, a performance that earned him the Man-of-the-Match award. At the other end of the spectrum, Khan conceded 66 runs in his four overs.

Earlier, Karachi slumped to 22 for 3 inside three overs, after electing to bat. Sarfraz Ahmed (38) and Asad Shafiq (53), however, lifted their side with a 57-run stand in 28 balls. Shafiq then combined well with Fawad Alam (60) for a 75-run partnership, taking Karachi to 189.

Opener Rafatullah Mohmand's 51-ball 78 and an unbeaten 47 from Mohammad Rizwan set up Peshawar Region's five-wicket win over Sialkot Region, sealing the team's place in the final of the Haier Mobile T20 Cup. Peshawar will play Karachi Region Blues in the final on Tuesday.

Mohmand's half-century controlled the early part of Peshawar's 170-run chase, ensuring the side were unaffected by the wickets of Israrullah and Iftikhar Ahmed. His 79-run partnership with Rizwan which came off 9.1 overs kept Peshawar in control, and despite a couple of quick wickets towards the end of the innings, the side reached the target with more than an over to spare.

Sialkot's innings of 169 for 7 was powered by Adeel Malik's unbeaten 46-ball 70 but the side was held back by the loss of quick wickets in the middle overs, which saw them go from a promising 44 for 1 to 92 for 5. Malik and Shakeel Ansar's 62-run partnership for the sixth wicket stemmed the slide and pushed the score past 150. The side took 60 runs off the last five overs to finish at a challenging 169 for 7.