Shoaib Malik stars in Sialkot's eight-wicket win
A round-up of Twenty20 matches that took place on February 25
Cricinfo staff
26-Feb-2006
Pool A
Shoaib Malik's stellar allround performance helped Sialkot Stallions to a comfortable eight-wicket victory against Rawalpindi Rams. After being asked to bat, Rawalpindi collapsed spectacularly after Mohammad Wasim had clobbered 74 off 48 balls. From 129 for 1, Malik ripped through the line-up with 5 for 13 from three overs to restrict them to 163 for 7. Chasing 164 to win, Malik scorched 50 from 31 balls with four sixes and three fours, and Shahid Yousuf hit 68 off 42, to lead Sialkot to 165 for 2.
Karachi Zebras won their match against Peshawar Panthers by virtue of having lost fewer wickets after both teams were tied on 160 at the end of 20 overs. Half-centuries from the openers, Khurram Manzoor and Ashraf Ali, and Hasan Raza's 29-ball 46 boosted the Karachi's score to 160 for 3 after they had won the toss. Rafatullah Mohmand top-scored with 49 off 29 in Peshawar's chase but even though they drew level on 160 for 7, the fact that they lost more wickets cost them the match.
Mohammad Hafeez hammered 59 off 29 balls
as Faisalabad Wolves overhauled Multan Tigers' total of 122 in just 7.3 overs at Karachi. Imran Khalid took 2 for 12 in four overs and Saeed Ajmal chipped in with 3 for 33 as Faisalabad dismissed Multan for 122 in the 19th over. Hafeez clubbed four sixes and six fours as Faisalabad's chase began in explosive fashion. Asif Hussain's 37 included three sixes and four fours as they galloped to 123 for 2 with 12.3 overs to spare.
Pool B
Making their Twenty20 debut this season, Abbottabad Rhinos won their second consecutive match with a seven-wicket victory against Quetta Bears. After winning the toss, Quetta were restricted to 142 for 5 of which Shoaib Khan contributed 67. Shakeel-ur-Rehman was the best of Abbottabad's bowlers, taking 3 for 30. Ali Naqvi sealed the victory with a 27-ball 41 as Abbottabad coasted to 144 for 3 in the 17th over.
Riding on quickfire top-order contributions, Karachi Dolphins completed a five-wicket win against Islamabad Leopards. Bilal Asad top-scored for Islamabad with 51, as they posted a sizable total of 183 for 6. Irfanuddin bowled superbly for Karachi, taking 4 for 20 in four overs. In the chase, Faisal Iqbal blitzed 42 off 25 balls and received support from Khalid Latif (30) and Fawad Alam (32 not out) as Karachi edged home with four balls to spare.
Lahore Lions' bowlers restricted Hyderabad Hawks to just a 110 for 9 and allowed their batsmen to complete an easy seven-wicket win. Imran Tahir took 2 for 11 from four overs and together with Ali Azmat (3 for 15) and Taufeeq Umar (2 for 12), strangled Hyderabad to a below-par score. Kamran Akmal struck an unbeaten 47 to lead Lahore to 111 for 3 in the 18th over.