Peshawar outsmart Karachi Blues to retain title

KARACHI: Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed helped Peshawar win their second successive title when they overwhelmed Karachi Blues by seven wickets in the final of the National T20 Cup in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.
Rizwan (58*), declared man of the match, and Iftikhar (57*) added 110 runs for the fourth wicket unbroken stand to enable Peshawar to chase the 178-run victory target with seven balls to spare.
Rizwan hammered eight fours and one six in his 34-ball blitz. Iftikhar, who seemed uneasy against Shahid Afridi in the middle of the innings, smashed four sixes and two fours from 40 deliveries.
Rafatullah Mohmand hit a blazing 23-ball 43 with six fours and two sixes to provide a brisk start to Peshawar.
Rafat, who was removed by Anwar Ali, dominated the 48-run opening stand with Israrullah (9).
Left-arm medium-pacer Abdul Ameer had Israrullah before Musaddiq Ahmed (4) was trapped lbw by Shahid Afridi to leave Peshawar gasping at 68-3 in 8.1 overs.
Debutant left-arm paceman Salman Zeb remained the most expensive as he gave away 50 runs in four overs. After being asked to bat first, Karachi Blues had a brittle start when they lost their key player Shahzaib Hasan for a duck.
He was excellently caught at mid-wicket by Adil Amin off Imran Khan Senior.
Khalid Latif (23) and Khurram Manzoor (41) then consolidated the innings by scoring 52 off 31 balls for the second wicket.
Khalid was caught and bowled by Imran Khan Junior with a slower one in his first over, which left Karachi Blues at 53-2 in 5.5 overs. Khalid clobbered four fours from 17 deliveries.
Khurram departed in the tenth over when Iftikhar Ahmed’s superb throw from the deep crashed the stumps at the non-striker’s end with the batsman far away from the crease.
Khurram smashed three sixes and two fours in his rapid 24-ball feat.
Imran Junior had Asad Shafiq (19) caught by keeper Mohammad Rizwan. Asad hit two fours from 16 balls. Karachi Blues were 95-4 in 12 overs.
In the next over, left-arm spinner Zohaib Khan removed Shahid Afridi (15), caught by Imran Junior. Afridi struck one six from 17 balls.
Fawad Alam (19) and Sarfraz (47*) then added 36 off 24 balls for the sixth wicket.
Fawad, who was caught by Imran Khan Senior off his own bowling, smashed one six and one four from 13 balls.
Sarfraz stayed till the end and hammered six fours from just 26 deliveries.
Imran Khan Junior (3-26) took important wickets of Khalid Latif, Asad Shafiq and Anwar Ali to end as leading wicket-taker of the event with 16 scalps.
Imran Khan Senior ably backed him with 2-35 in four overs.
This was the fifth time in the domestic T20 history that Karachi lost in the final.
In the second semi-final, on Monday night, Peshawar overwhelmed Sialkot by five wickets thanks to Rafatullah Mohmand’s explosive fifty.
Rafat smashed 51-ball 78 with five sixes and six fours to enable Peshawar to chase down the 170-run target with eight balls to spare.
The experienced first-class cricketer added 109 for the third wicket with Mohammad Rizwan, who smacked unbeaten 32-ball 47, in which he hit four fours and a superb six over square-leg.
Young pacer Ammad Butt took 2-36.
Sialkot had to face tough time before posting a fighting total in the end. After Shoaib Malik (1) failed to click, his younger brother Adeel Malik took responsibility and struck unbeaten 70 off 46 deliveries to take his side to a decent total.
Adeel struck seven fours and three sixes. He dominated the 62-run sixth wicket stand with Shakeel Ansar, who belted 14-ball 20 with two sixes.
Mukhtar Ahmed (34) and Bilal Asif (20) had scored 38 off 20 balls to provide a solid base to their team.
Mukhtar hit four fours and a six from 24 deliveries. Bilal smashed one six and one four from 14 balls.
Imran Khan Junior picked 2-34 in four overs.
Score Board
Peshawar won toss
Karachi Blues
Khurram Manzoor run out 41
Shahzaib Hasan c Adil Amin b Imran Khan 0
Khalid Latif c & b Imran Khan (1) 23
Asad Shafiq c M Rizwan b Imran Khan (1) 19
Shahid Afridi c Imran Khan (1) b Zohaib Khan 15
Fawad Alam c & b Imran Khan 19
*†Sarfraz Ahmed not out 47
Anwar Ali c & b Imran Khan (1) 7
Rumman Raees run out 0
Salman Zaib not out 0
Extras (lb 1, w 4, nb 1) 6
Total (8 wickets; 20 overs) 177
Did not bat: Abdul Ameer
Fall: 1-1, 2-53, 3-83, 4-95, 5-105, 6-141, 7-168, 8-173
Bowling: Imran Khan 4-0-35-2 (1nb, 2w); Taj Wali 3-0-39-0 (1w); Imran Khan (1) 4-0-26-3; Zohaib Khan 4-0-38-1 (1w); Iftikhar Ahmed 2-0-17-0; Adil Amin 3-0-21-0
Peshawar
Rafatullah Mohmand c Salman Zaib b Anwar Ali 43
Israrullah c Rumman Raees b Abdul Ameer 9
Iftikhar Ahmed not out 57
Musadiq Ahmed lbw b Shahid Afridi 4
†M Rizwan not out 58
Extras (lb 1, w 4, nb 2) 7
Total (3 wickets; 18.5 overs) 178
Did not bat: M Fayyaz, *Zohaib Khan, Adil Amin, Imran Khan (1), Imran Khan, Taj Wali
Fall: 1-48, 2-55, 3-68
Bowling: Anwar Ali 4-0-34-1 (1w); Rumman Raees 3-0-33-0; Abdul Ameer 3.5-0-39-1 (1w); Shahid Afridi 4-0-21-1; Salman Zaib 4-0-50-0 (2nb, 2w)
Result: Peshawar won by 7 wickets
Series: Peshawar won the National T20 Cup
Twenty20 debut: Salman Zaib (Karachi Blues)
Umpires: Ahsan Raza and Shozab Raza. TV umpire: Ahmed Shahab. Match referee: Mussadaq Rasool