RAWALPINDI: Sialkot Stallions crushed Peshawar Panthers by 40 runs to reach the final of the Faysal Bank Super Eight Twenty20 Cup here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
They will play the final against Karachi Dolphins on Sunday (April 1) at the same venue.
After the Stallions captain Shoaib Malik won the toss and elected to bat, openers Shakeel Ansar and Imran Nazir made 39 before the latter went out for 15.
Then Shakeel and Haris Sohail batted till the end of the innings and added 158 runs for an unbeaten second wicket partnership to steer their team to a huge 197 for one – the highest total of the tournament.
Shakeel became the first batsman to score a hundred in the tournament. He made exact 100 not out from 67 balls with ten fours and two sixes while Haris also hit an unbeaten 69 off 45 balls with five fours and two sixes.
In reply, the Panthers could make 157 for eight in the allotted 20 overs.
Gauhar Ali was the top scorer with 68 in 53 balls with eight fours and two sixes.
For the Stallions, left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman grabbed three wickets for 17 runs while Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Raza Hasan took two wickets each.
Shakeel Ansar was declared the man-of-the-match.
Both semi-finals were telecast live by Geo super.
