PESHAWAR: Captain Imam-ul-Haq’s superb half-century and Mohammad Ismail’s scintillating bowling led Multan Region to a comprehensive 74-run win over Karachi Blues in the National T20 Trophy on Thursday.
The win at the Imran Khan Cricket Stadium marked their second straight win in the tournament.
Batting first, Multan zone scored 201-6 in 20 overs.
The foundation was laid by a 70-run opening partnership between Imam and Muhammad Naeem. Naeem was aggressive early on, scoring 39 runs off just 25 balls including 7 fours and a six as he was dismissed by Asad Akhtar.
Captain Imam found another capable partner in Bismilla Khan and the pair added another 70 runs for the third wicket.
Imam brought up his fifty in style, anchoring the innings with a fluent 71 off 40 balls, studded with 9 fours and 2 sixes. Bismilla provided excellent support with a 23-ball 34 with 2 fours and a six.
Wasim Akram’s unbeaten 22 off 8 balls with 3 fours and a six provided a late boost to the innings. Fast bowler Shahnawaz Dahani took 2 wickets for Karachi Blues.
Set a tough target of 202, Karachi Blues’ chase never really gained momentum. In the end they were bowled out for 127 runs in just 15.4 overs.
Opener Usman Khan top-scored with a 23-ball 43 but received little support from the other end as wickets fell at regular intervals.
The architect of Karachi’s collapse was left-arm spinner Mohammad Ismail, who scored 3.25 runs in his three overs.
He received excellent support from Arafat Minhas, who took two wickets, and five Multan bowlers – Wasim Akram, Sirajuddin, Amir Yamin, Mohir Saeed and Muhammad Naeem – claimed a wicket each to ensure a resounding win for Multan Region.