Awais Zafar's unbeaten 87 secures second win for Faisalabad
Day five of the National T20 Cup 2024-25 saw the Faisalabad Region, Hyderabad Region, Islamabad Region, Karachi Region Whites, Multan Region, and Sialkot Region claim victories. Three doubleheaders took place across the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, the LCCA Ground, and the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Group B – Lahore Karachi Region Whites vs Lahore Region Blues At Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Karachi Whites defeated Lahore Blues by 37 runs, powered by Saud Shakeel's 73 and Arif Yaqoob's four-wicket haul. Saud's brilliant 73 off 52 balls (8 fours, 3 sixes) guided Karachi Whites to 171-5 in 20 overs. In reply, Lahore Blues struggled to build momentum as Qasim Akram top-scored with 36 off 28 balls. Karachi's spinners, Arif (4-23) and Danish Aziz (2-28), dismantled Lahore Blues, bowling them out for 134 in 18.5 overs.
Islamabad Region vs Dera Murad Jamali Region In the second Group B game, Islamabad Region secured a 68-run victory over Dera Murad Jamali Region, defending a total of 184-7. Rohail Nazir led Islamabad's innings with 58 off 43 balls, while Naseerullah Khan added 41. Dera Murad Jamali, reduced to 58-6 early, could only manage 116-6, with Arsal Sheikh shining with figures of 3-14.
Group C – Faisalabad Rawalpindi Region vs Faisalabad Region Faisalabad claimed a 24-run win over Rawalpindi, defending a 207-run total. Muhammad Awais Zafar's unbeaten 87 off 55 balls (6 sixes, 6 fours) and Raees Ahmed’s 53 helped Faisalabad set a solid total. Despite Mubasir Khan's 44 and Mehran Mumtaz's explosive 51 off 24 balls, Rawalpindi fell short at 183 all out. Faisalabad's Momin Qamar impressed with 3-25.
Abbottabad Region vs Hyderabad Region Hyderabad comfortably chased Abbottabad's 127 in 14.5 overs for a seven-wicket win. Shahzaib Khan (31) and Sajjad Ali Hashmi (29) provided a solid start for Abbottabad, but their team collapsed for 79, thanks to Kashif Bhatti, Majid Asghar, and Jawad Ali, who each claimed three wickets. Hyderabad's Saad Khan (43) and Ubaidullah (36) ensured an easy chase.
Group D – Lahore Multan Region vs Azad Jammu and Kashmir Region At LCCA Ground, Multan chased 165 with ten balls to spare, securing a five-wicket win. Imam-ul-Haq played a captain’s knock, scoring 79 not out, while Sharoon Siraj contributed with both bat (39) and ball (3-10). AJK’s Usman Maroof top-scored with 40 off 22 balls in their total of 164-8.
Sialkot Region vs FATA Region Sialkot bowled out FATA for 107 in 18.1 overs and chased the target in 14.2 overs to claim a seven-wicket win. Hasan Ali (3-16), Usama Mir (3-19), and Ahsan Hafeez Bhatti (2-18) starred with the ball. Mirza Tahir Baig and Mohammad Huraira led Sialkot’s chase, both scoring 37.
Scores in Brief:
- Match 13: Karachi Whites beat Lahore Blues by 37 runs (Karachi Whites 171-5; Lahore Blues 134 all out).
- Match 14: Multan defeated AJK by five wickets (AJK 164-8; Multan 168-5).
- Match 15: Faisalabad beat Rawalpindi by 24 runs (Faisalabad 207-3; Rawalpindi 183 all out).
- Match 16: Islamabad defeated Dera Murad Jamali by 68 runs (Islamabad 184-7; Dera Murad Jamali 116-6).
- Match 17: Sialkot beat FATA by seven wickets (FATA 107 all out; Sialkot 110-3).
- Match 18: Hyderabad defeated Abbottabad by seven wickets (Abbottabad 127 all out; Hyderabad 131-3).
Upcoming Fixtures – Wednesday:
- Islamabad vs Bahawalpur (Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 4:30 PM)
- Quetta vs Larkana (Multan Cricket Stadium, 4:30 PM)
- Abbottabad vs Faisalabad (Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, 7:00 PM)
- Lahore Blues vs Dera Murad Jamali (Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 9:00 PM)
- Peshawar vs Karachi Blues (Multan Cricket Stadium, 9:00 PM)
- Rawalpindi vs Hyderabad (Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, 11:00 PM)
National T20 Cup 2024-25 Match update 
Karachi Region v Peshawar Region 
Peshawar Region have won the toss and are Bowling first.
