A four-wicket haul from Waqas Ahmed and twin fifties from the openers, Raza Ali and Sohail Ahmed, helped
Lahore Lions coast to a seven-wicket win against
Islamabad Leopards at the
Gaddafi Stadium. Put in by the hosts, the Islamabad openers made a solid start, putting on 65. But once both fell identically, caught by Raza off Waqas, the remaining batsmen struggled as they were reduced to 119 for 6. Ashar Zaidi, with his run-a-ball 48 along with Imad Wasim (29) fought bravely with a 45-run partnership as the visitors were bowled out for a disappointing 179 in the 31st over. Raza and Sohail looked completely in charge during the chase, racing away to 104. Both were aggressive as they decimated the bowling. Raza stroked seven boundaries and a six before he finally fell on 54. Sohail remained unbeaten on 87 off 77 balls, hitting ten boundaries en route, as Lahore reached the target in the 29th over. With the win, Lahore displaced Islamabad at the top, with the top three teams all locked on eight points.
Peshawar Panthers and
Sialkot Stallions had to be content with split points with the the weather playing havoc at the
Jinnah Stadium. Sialkot chose to field in the 28-overs-a-side match and were given the perfect start by left-arm paceman Naved Arif who accounted for Peshawar's top three batsmen. Offspinner Suleman Ali picked up 3 for 26 as the visitors ended on 128. Kamran Younus then turned on the heat during the reply hitting five boundaries and a six during his 17-ball 32. Even Haris Sohail's 26 off 16 balls was to no avail as only 10 overs could be bowled with Sialkot remaining stuck on 87 for 2.
Both matches - between
Pakistan Customs and
Sui Southern Gas Corporation at the
Diamond Club Ground and
Khan Research Laboratories' fixture against
Zarai Tarqiati Bank Limited at the
Khan Research Laboratory Ground - were abandoned without a ball being bowled.