KARACHI : Test off-spinner Saeed Ajmal bowled an outstanding spell to
guide Faisalabad Wolves to an emphatic 54-run victory against Multan
Tigers in their Faysal Bank T20 match at the National Stadium Karachi
here on Wednesday.Ajmal was in full as he picked up three
wickets for just five runs as the Tigers were restricted 107-7 in 20
overs while chasing 162.Wicketkeeper-batsman Gulraiz Sadaf
scored 32, hitting a six and four boundaries, but failed to save his
team from a big loss. Exciting left-hander Zain Abbas was also not at
his blistering best and made a 27-ball 28. Imran Khalid bowled
splendidly, picking up two wickets.Earlier, a 57-run opening
stand between Asif Hussain (25) and Asif Ali (44) laid a solid platform
for Wolves to post a big total. But Wolves failed to capatilise on it
and could only managed 161-8 in their allotted overs and that too with
the help of 30 extras. Khurram Shezad made 43. Allrounder Kamran Hussain
bagged two wickets. In the first match of the day, Nauman Habib
and Test fast bowler Umar Gul shared seven wickets between them to help
Peshawar Panthers beat Islamabad Leopards in Group ‘D’ opener.Set
a target of 151, Leopards were reduced to 4-18 in four overs before
being finally bowled out for 122 in 19.3 overs. Naeem Anjum top-scored
with a 41-ball 40 to save his side from a colossal defeat, while Afaq
Raheem made a fluent 32. Nauman took four wickets with Umar Gul bagging
three.Earlier, Panthers posted a total of 150 for nine in 20
overs. Aftab Alam played an anchor role making 36 off 33 balls with a
six and two fours. Zohaib Ahmed claimed three wickets.On Tuesday
night, Sialkot Stallions set a semifinal date with Lahore Eagles after
they edged-out Lahore Lions with a six-wicket win in a low-scoring Group
‘C’ tie.Lions chose to bat first and were put on back-foot by
left-arm medium pace Sarfraz Ahmed, as he removed the dangerous Kamran
Akmal (5) and Ahmed Shehzad (22) early on.Lions had no answer
against Stallions’ impressive bowling attack, which was bolstered by the
return of Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Sarfraz Ahmed and Naved Arif (all were
missing in the Super-Eight T20 event). In addition, Raza Hasan who
played for Rawalpindi Rams’ was recalled to represent his native Sialkot
side.Meanwhile, apart from Lions’ skipper Abdul Razzaq (42) no
one was able to rise to the occasion. They were all out for 121 in 19.4
overs.Rana Naved bagged three wickets, while Raza Hasan, Sarfraz Ahmed and Abdur Rehman picked up two scalps each.In
reply, Stallions chased down the target with six wickets in hand and
five balls to spare. Shahid Yousuf (47) and wicketkeeper Shakeel Ansar
(42) both played sensible knocks to guide their side to victory.
