- Scorecards, stats and tournament schedule is available here; Action pictures are available here; please credit @PCB; Points Table is available here
- Online tickets available at pcb.tcs.com.pk and physical tickets can be bought from dedicated TCS express centres in Islamabad & Rawalpindi
- The official nomenclature of the tournament is Bahria Town Champions T20 Cup; official hashtag is #DiscoveringChampions; Media houses are requested to use the correct event nomenclature and hashtag in headlines, bulletins and write-ups
Rawalpindi, 21 December 2024: ABL Stallions skipper Mohammad Haris knocked an unbeaten half century while pacer Mohammad Ali grabbed four wickets to guide their team into the final with a thumping six-wicket win over Engro Dolphins on the last day of the double-league games in the Bahria Town Champions T20 Cup at Rawalpindi Stadium on Saturday.
Ali grabbed 4-15 and Hussain Talat 3-16 to bulldoze Dolphins to 131 all out before Haris cracked a 30-ball 52 not out with eight boundaries and a six to see his team overhaul the chase in 14 overs.
ABL Stallions finished with 12 points from eight games, as many as UMT Markhors got in their eight, but with a superior net run-rate Stallions qualified for the 25 December final. Markhors, who earlier in the day thumped Lake City Panthers by six wickets will play the Qualifier against Nurpur Lions on Monday. Lions finished with five wins in their quota of eight games, securing ten points.
Lake City Panthers scored six points while Engro Dolphins failed to win any of their eight games.
Once Ali and Hussain rocked Dolphins with their devastating bowling the writing was on the wall for Dolphins. Qasim Akram hit 34-ball 40 with two sixes and as many boundaries while skipper Faheem Ashraf scored 23-ball 26 with five hits to the rope. Abbas Afridi chipped in with 11-ball 21 with three sixes.
Yasir Khan with 32 off 26 balls with six boundaries and Maaz Sadaqat with 15-ball 28 inclusive of four boundaries and a six gave Stallions an ideal start of 58 by 5.4 overs. Haris then built on that with a brisk knock, hitting the winning boundary.
In the first match of the day, sent into bat, Lake City Panthers managed 155-6 in their 20 overs with Umar Siddiq top-scoring with a 34-ball 41. He cracked three fours and two sixes. Arafat Minhas 24-ball 34 (three fours and a six) and Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 25-ball 24 with four boundaries were the others who contributed well. Left-arm pacer Mohammad Imran Jnr was the best bowler for Markhors with 3-35.
UMT Markhors overhauled the target in 13.3 overs for the loss of four wickets. Muhammad Imran hit a 34-ball 69 not out with five maximums and six boundaries. He added a quick 81 for the third wicket with Fakhar Zaman whose 28-ball 49 had seven boundaries and two sixes. Abdul Samad showed his six hitting prowess with five hits over the boundary in his blistering 34 not out which came off just nine balls.
Scores in brief:
Match 19 - UMT Markhors beat Lake City Panthers by six wickets at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
Lake City Panthers 155-6, 20 overs (Umar Siddiq 41, Arafat Minhas 34, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 24; Mohammad Imran Jnr 3-35)
UMT Markhors 160-4, 13.3 overs (Muhammad Imran 69 not out, Fakhar Zaman 49, Abdul Samad 34 not out; Mohammad Ibtisam 2-41)
Player of the match - Muhammad Imran (UMT Markhors)
Match 20 - ABL Stallions beat Engro Dolphins by six wickets at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
Engro Dolphins 131 all out, 20 overs (Qasim Akram 40, Faheem Ashraf 26, Mohammad Abbas Afridi 21; Mohammad Ali 4-15, Hussain Talat 3-16, Zaman Khan 2-41)
ABL Stallions 133-4, 14 overs (Mohammad Haris 52 not out, Yasir Khan 32, Maaz Sadaqat 28; Mohammad Rameez Jnr 2-29)
Player of the match - Mohammad Ali (ABL Stallions)
