Lions, Stags, Wolves enter last-4 in Faysal Bank T20 Cup

By AM Khan

LAHORE, Pakistan (TheSportsNEXT) December 6, 2012: Lahore Lions, Bahawalpur Stags, and Faisalabad Wolves booked berths in semi-finals of Faysal Bank T20 Cup 2012 by recording their fifth straight victories Thursday.

Misbah-ul-Haq played rollicking knock of 72 not out to help Faisalabad Wolves beat Karachi Dolphins by two wickets. Bahawalpur Stags recorded 11-run victory over Hyderabad Hawks while Sialkot Stallions defeated Abbottabad Falcons by 34 runs to stay on course to grab the final vacant last-four berth.

FBT20: Rawalpindi Rams thrash Lahore Eagles by 8wkts

At LCCA ground, Rawalpindi Rams thrashed Lahore Eagles by eight wickets. Lahore Eagles, batting first, posted 155 runs for the loss of five wickets in 20 overs. Saad Nasim was top scorer with 44 runs and Abid Ali added 23. Yasir Arafat claimed 3-37. In reply, Rawalpindi Rams achieved the target for the loss of just two wickets. Naveed Malik batted brilliantly and contributed 41-ball 77 runs laced with five fours and seven huge sixes while stylish opener Awais Zia scored 36-ball 54 runs with four fours and the same number of sixes. Naveed Malik of Rawalpindi Rams was named player of the match.

FBT20: Faisalabad Wolves beat Karachi Dolphins in last-ball thriller

Faisalabad Wolves recorded their fifth consecutive victory on Thursday to storm their way into semifinals of the Faysal Bank T20 Cup 2012 at Bagh-e-Jinnah Ground in Lahore.

Faisalabad Wolves defeated a star-studded Karachi Dolphins by two wickets on the final delivery of the match.

Pakistan’s former T20 captain Misbah-ul-Haq was the star of the show as he played the captain’s innings and remained unbeaten on 72 runs from 46 balls to steer his team to a superb victory.

Faisalabad Wolves, achieving the target of 146-7 in 20 overs, chased the victory target on the last ball of the match with Misbah playing his unbeaten 72-run innings with the help of four fours and three sixes.

Misbah Khan clinched 3-44 and Shahid Khan Afridi got 2-22 for the Karachi Dolphins.

Earlier batting first, Karachi Dolphins scored 147 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs.

Khurram Manzoor (51) hit an impressive half century while wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed delivered the final punch (29*) with Khalid Latif also chipping in with 23.

Ehsan Adil was the key bowler for the winners as he captured four scalps for just 28 runs.

Misbah-ul-Haq was named Man of the Match for his captain’s knock.

FBT20: Islamabad Leopards edge out Quetta Bears by five wickets

Islamabad Leopards recorded an impressive five wicket victory over struggling Quetta Bears in the Faysal Bank T20 Cup 2012 at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Thursday.

The match stood no significance as both the teams had already crashed out of the semifinals contentions.

Put into bat first, Quetta Bears scored 111 for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs.

Farhan Khan top-scored with 32 runs on 32 balls with five fours while Naushad Irshad also played well and remained unbeaten on 19 runs.

Rao Iftikhar Anjum secured three wickets for 11 runs and Imad Wasim took two for 29 runs for the Islamabad Leopards.

In reply, Islamabad Leopards achieved the target for the loss of five wickets from 18.4 overs.

Junaid Nadir (32) and Bazid Khan (23) were the main contributors to the Leopards’ victory.

Arun Lal got one wicket for four runs.

Rao Iftikhar Anjum of Islamabad Leopards was named Man of the Match for yet another superb spell of medium-paced bowling.

FBT20: Multan Tigers pip Karachi Zebras by 17 runs

Multan Tigers continued to impress cricket fans across the country as they edged out Karachi Zebras by 17 runs in Faysal Bank T20 Cup 2012 at LCCA Ground on Thursday.

Multan Tigers, who can still topple Sialkot Stallions for a place in the semifinal of the event, scored 140 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs.

The top scorers for Tigers were Zain Abbas (46), Saeed Anwar Jr (39) and Gulraiz Sadaf (22).

Haris Ayaz (2-22) and Faraz Ahmed (2-25) bowled brilliantly for the winners.

Karachi Zebras, in reply, were all out on 123 runs from 19.4 overs. Javed Mansoor (35), Ramiz Aziz (29) and Saeed Bin Nasir 27 played well.

Rahat Ali was hero of the winning side as he clinched four wickets for 15 runs while Saeed Anwar Jr claimed 3-22 and M Irfan 2-17. Saeed Anwar Junior of Multan Tigers was named Man of the Match.

FBT20: Sialkot Stallions a victory away from SF berth

At Bagh-e-Jinnah Ground, Sialkot Stallions stunned Abbottabad Falcons by 34 runs. Put into bat first, Sialkot Stallions piled up a good total of 164 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs. Haris Sohail remained unbeaten on 62 runs with six fours and three sixes while Shoaib Malik added 33 runs and Rana Naveed 27. Pace bowler Junaid Khan bowled well and grabbed 3-22. In reply, Abbottabad Falcons could manage to score 130 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs. Yasir Hameed made 37 runs and Hammad Ali 33. Rana Naveed bagged 2-26. Haris Sohail of Sialkot Stallions was declared man of the match.

FBT20: Unbeaten Bahawalpur Stags enter last-four

At Gaddafi Stadium, Bahawalpur Stags, which is taking part in the National T20 for the first time, defeated Hyderabad Hawks to enter the semi-finals of the event on the sixth day. Bahawalpur Stags won the toss and decided to bat first. They lost their early wickets at a low score as their two batsmen were shown pavilion on just 13 runs while their third wicket fell on 47 runs. Stags players then played responsible innings and contributed well to make their team’s total a reasonable one. Ali Haider remained top scorer with 26-ball 40 runs while Usman Tariq added important 34. Bilal Khilji played captained innings and smashed 37 and remained on the crease till the end of their innings. Rehan Riaz and Kashif Bhatti bowled well for the Hyderabad Hawks and bagged two wickets each.

Hyderabad Hawks took a good start and scored 44 runs for the first-wicket partnership but Stags captain with his superb ball dented the Hawks batting getting the first wicket of Sharjeel (28). Zeeshan and Azeem Ghumman then played well and added 29 runs for the second-wicket partnership which was broken by Attaullah in the 11th over and soon Hawks lost another wicket in 13.1 over as Imran bowled out Zeeshan Gull (24). After that no batsmen of Hawks could play a big innings and lost their wickets one after another. Hawks tail-enders showed some resistance but could help their team to score win. Karam Hussain, M Talha and captain Bilal Khilji took two wickets each to guide their team to impressive triumph.

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Ehsan Adil makes strong case for national selection

By Farhan Nisar

LAHORE, Pakistan (TheSportsNEXT) December 6, 2012: Right arm fast medium bowler Ehsan Adil impressed Dav Whatmore, Pakistan national cricket team’s head coach, with his impressive bowling in his first match for the Faisalabad Wolves in the Faysal Bank T20 Cup 2012 on Thursday.

Dav Whatmore has been keeping a close look at the pool of young players exhibiting their skills in the ongoing Faysal Bank Twenty20 Cup in Lahore and Ehsan Adil’s brilliant bowling performance against Karachi Dolphins caught his eyes.

Karachi Dolphins are regarded as one of the top Twenty20 domestic sides in Pakistan but Ehsan Adil maintained his discipline and confidence against the likes of Shahzaib Hasan, Khalid Latif, and Khurram Manzoor as Faisalabad Wolves stormed into semifinals of the most prestigious domestic tournament.

Ehsan Adil gave away only 28 runs from his four overs and took four crucial wickets which helped his side restrict a strong batting unit of Karachi Dolphins to an average score of 147 for six from their 20 overs.

Ehsan Adil first removed Khalid Latif (23 from 19 – 2 fours, 1 six) by dislodging his stumps and then got rid of Fawad Alam (16 from 13 – 1 six), Khurram Manzoor (51 from 41 – 8 fours), and Anwar Ali (12 from 9 – 1 four).

The impressive performance by the fast medium bowler has earned him praise of Dav Whatmore who looked at his bowling with keen interest and the young pacer may get a chance to prove his mettle in Pakistan’s upcoming tour to South Africa.

Ehsan Adil, who represented Pakistan in this year’s ICC U19 World Cup in Australia, came up with the goods both with bat and ball in the top U19 tournament and impressed all and sundry with his control and discipline in bowling.

Ehsan Adil has also performed exceedingly well for Habib Bank Limited in the President’s Trophy this year as he is the second highest wicket taker in the tournament with 47 wickets, including three five-wicket hauls and an average of under 16 and with his yet another jaw-dropping performance the PCB selectors may find him room in the squad for South Africa tour.

Ehsan Adil has the ability to swing the ball both ways and bowls them at a pace over 130 kilometers per hour which makes him a perfect choice for Pakistan on the pacey and bouncy pitches in South Africa.

Ehsan Adil has toured South Africa in the past with the U19 team where he not only performed with the ball but also showcased his skills with the bat as he hit them big in the 3^rd youth One-dayer. Earlier this year, Ehsan Adil also performed with the bat in the quarterfinal match against India where he scored 35 from 38 balls to take Pakistan to 138 runs after they were reduced to 98 for seven. He followed that batting performance up by two wickets for 25 runs from his 10 overs.

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