Lahore Lions, Faisalabad Wolves storm into final

Fifties from Nasir Jamshed and Mohammad Hafeez helped Lahore Lions reach the final of the Faysal Bank T20 cup, as the team crushed Islamabad Leopards by 79 runs at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

Lahore, batting first, were buoyed by an opening stand of 84 between Jamshed and Ahmed Shehzad that gave the team a solid platform to build on. Jamshed fell for a 33-ball 60 having drilled eight fours and two sixes, but Lahore did not slow down, rallying behind a 57-run association for the second wicket between Shehzad and Hafeez.

Shehzad hit 42 off 41 balls, while Hafeez contributed a more aggressive 51 with three fours and four sixes to eventually lift the team to a mammoth 188 for 4.

Islamabad never really got going during the chase, and the fall of wickets at regular intervals prevented them from producing even one meaningful partnership. Only four batsmen reached double digits, as Aizaz Cheema, Hafeez, Adnan Rasool and Imran Ali each took two wickets to bundle the team out for 109 inside 19 overs.

Farrukh Shehzad scored an unbeaten 84 to help Faisalabad Wolves beat Abbottabad Falcons by 51 runs in Rawalpindi. Shehzad was at the crease for the duration of Wolves' innings as they scored 186 for four. He struck eight fours and three sixes in his 63-ball innings, sharing stands of 45 with Ali Waqas, 55 with Khurram Shehzad, and 55 with Asif Ali for the first, second and fourth wickets. Asif struck a 19-ball 37 with two fours and two sixes.

Chasing 187, Falcons began briskly, their openers putting on 41 in four overs. But they went from 41 for 0 to 67 for 5 in the space of five overs. Adnan Raees and Shakeel Ahmed halted the slide somewhat, putting on 21 in five overs, but by the time Saeed Ajmal dismissed Shakeel, the match was well and truly beyond Falcons. Raees remained unbeaten at the end, having scored 30 off 31 balls, as Falcons finished on 135 for 7. Ajmal and Ehsan Adil finished with two wickets each.