Sami among wickets as Karachi trounce Lahore

Group A

Mohammad Sami picked up three wickets for Karachi Dolphins as his side romped home to a 103-run win over Lahore Eagles. Sami dismissed three key batsmen as Lahore finished at 206 for 9 in response to Karachi's tall score of 309 for 3.

Karachi were sent in to bat and the top four batsmen responded with half-centuries. Sarfraz Ahmed scored 76, while Saeed Bin Nasir scored an unbeaten 74. The openers, Shahzaib Hasan and Khalid Latif, also chipped in, scoring 63 and 64 respectively.

An unbeaten 72 from Razeem Alam and fifties by Zeeshan Ashraf and Sohaib Maqsood helped Multan Tigers coast to a seven-wicket win over Bahawalpur Stags. Chasing a target of 265, Multan's impressive batting took them home with five overs to spare. Ashraf and Maqsood led the way, adding 105 runs for the second wicket before Alam wrapped up the chase.

Earlier, Bahawalpur who chose to bat, made 264, thanks largely to half-centuries from Bilal Khilji and captain Kamran Hussain who consolidated the innings after a dismal start. Offspinner Aamer Yamin was the most impressive bowler for Multan, finishing with figures of 5 for 65, his first five-wicket haul.

Hyderabad Hawks registered a massive, 150-run win over Quetta Bears, riding on centuries from Azeem Ghumman and Rizwan Ahmed and a five-wicket haul by left-arm spinner Kashif Bhatti.

Ghumman and Ahmed shared a stand of 144 for the second wicket, taking their side to 260 for 2. In reply, the Quetta innings folded for a meager 110 in 33.5 overs. Taimur Ali was the only batsman to make more than 30 as the Hyderabad bowling, led by Bhatti, dominated. Bhatti finished with figures of 5 for 30, while Ghulam Yasin and Zahid Mahmood picked up two wickets apiece.

Group B

An all-round performance from captain Khalid Usman helped Abbotabad Falcons beat Peshawar Panthers by 45 runs. Usman took 3 for 31 with his left-arm spin as Peshawar folded for 174 in reply to Abbotabad's total of 219.

Earlier Abbotabad, who chose to bat first, were tottering at 139 for 8 before Usman batted well with the lower order to take the score to 219. He scored 80 off 94 balls, including four fours and two sixes.

Karachi Zebras registered an emphatic 92-run win over Lahore Lions. Opener Fakhar Zaman scored a quick century for Karachi and was ably supported by captain Faisal Iqbal as Karachi posted 314 for 6. The pair added 158 for the third wicket to effectively bat Lahore out of the match.

In reply, Lahore were dismissed for 222 in the 45th over. The Lahore reply was shaky and although captain Azhar Ali and Fahad-ul-Haq tried to build the innings, the Karachi bowlers struck regularly to restrict them. Fast bowler Rumman Raees picked up three wickets for 21 runs for Karachi.

A century from opener Awais Zia and an unbeaten 54 from Yasim Murtaza, who later picked up three wickets, set up a 66-run win for Rawalpindi Rams against Islamabad Leopards. Zia and Murtaza powered their side to a commanding 338 for 7.

In reply, Islamabad fell short in spite of a hundred from Babar Azam, and were kept to 272 for 9. The chase began strongly but lost momentum after a cluster of wickets fell towards the end of the innings. Murtaza picked up 3 for 49, while Akhtar Ayub and Hammad Azam took two wickets each.