LAHORE: Lahore Blues and Peshawar registered win after chasing down the targets against their respective opponents as Imran Butt and Haseebuallah notched splendid centuries in the third round of the Pakistan Cup here on Sunday. In the other two matches, Faisalabad overcame Karachi Whites while Rawalpindi thumped Lahore Whites in one-sided affairs.
Lahore Blues defeated FATA by 7 wickets at Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi – chasing down a 278-run target in 41.5 overs. Imran Butt’s splendid knock of 128 stole the show, while Rizwan Hussain contibuted 83. Both Imran and Rizwan also notched a 160-run opening partnership to help their team sail over FATA. Batting first, FATA were helped by Samiullah Jr and Mohammad Farooq as both scored 62 and 54 runs, respectively.
Peshawar secured a 4-wicket victory against Multan at Mirpur Cricket Stadium. Multan, batting first, reached 257 runs for 3 wickets in 45 overs, with Haseebullah playing a remarkable unbeaten inning of 116. Peshawar successfully chased down the target in 43.5 overs, with Adil Amin contributing an unbeaten 74 and Zain Khan scoring 63 runs.
Faisalabad Region secured a convincing 7-wicket win against Karachi Whites at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. Opting to field, Karachi Whites posted 254 for the loss of 8 wickets in 45 overs. Danish Aziz’s 49 and Azam Khan’s 40 were the noteworthy contributions. Faisalabad’s Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Faizan took key wickets. n response, Faisalabad reached the target with three wickets in hand. Muhammad Saleem (90) and Atiqur Rehman (74) remained unbeaten.
At Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi claimed a 4-wicket win against Lahore Whites. Lahore Whites, batting first, managed 201 for the loss of 9 wickets in 45 overs, with Saad Naseem’s unbeaten 78 being a standout performance. Rawalpindi reached the required score in 35.1 overs, with Bilawal Bhatti’s unbeaten 69 and Umair Masood’s 37 not out guiding them to victory.