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Ajmal 'much better' than Hauritz – Salman Butt

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The batsman Salman Butt has said Pakistan will take a spin advantage into the series against Australia, labelling offspinner Saeed Ajmal as “much better” than Nathan Hauritz. Butt’s comments came on a day when Hauritz was challenged by Australia’s chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch to improve his record in the final innings of Tests to help bowl Australia to victories.Pakistan have Ajmal and Danish Kaneria to choose from in the three-Test series starting on Boxing Day, and the Melbourne and Sydney pitches are expected to suit the slow bowlers. Ajmal has confounded the Australians with his doosra in one-day cricket and Butt said he had a distinct edge over Hauritz.”He [Hauritz] is a good offspinner,” Butt said. “He’s conventional. The only advantage Saeed has is he can spin the ball both ways and a bit faster than Hauritz. That makes him the best spinner. Hauritz is also good but I think Saeed Ajmal is much better.”The series could be a telling one for Hauritz, who will encounter friendly surfaces but also some of the most accomplished players of spin in the world. Hauritz has been a steady part of the attack in the past 12 months but has not taken more than three wickets in an innings and averages 49.66 in the fourth innings of games.”In the first innings of Tests, Hauri has played a good role for us,” Hilditch told the . “The challenge for him is to take the next step when a spinner needs to come to the fore late in Test matches. Can he win us a Test match? All I can say is that his next challenge will be to see whether he can step up to play that role.”Hauri is a very capable bowler. But we will continue to look for that next group of spin bowlers. It is really important to us that we can develop a group of maybe four different types of spin bowlers and we can pick from that group.”For the time being, Hauritz’s position is not under threat and he will be hoping to prove himself as a matchwinner over the next few months. Australia’s vice-captain Michael Clarke said Hauritz was a strong character and would not be upset by Hilditch’s comments.”I think Hauri will take that on,” Clarke said. “I think it’s constructive criticism for Nathan and he’s a pretty strong guy and a great guy also to have around. He’s young, he’s got a lot of talent with both bat and ball. His performances have been really good since playing all forms of the game.”Clarke is wary of Pakistan’s dangerous attack, which as well as two class spinners features Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul and the 17-year-old left-arm fast man Mohammad Aamer. They will be joined by Mohammad Sami, who is in form having just taken eight wickets in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final.”He’s got some pace,” Clarke said of Sami. “The young left-armer looks like he’s got a bit of pace as well and a couple of good spinners in their squad as well. We’re going to have to be at our best. I think the conditions here and probably in Sydney as well will help Pakistan.”

Bravo West Indies, but Australia survive for draw

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDwayne Bravo was the star of the final day but it wasn’t enough to secure a West Indies win•Getty Images

In the end, five days just wasn’t enough. Despite the finest efforts of Dwayne Bravo – and his best was brilliant – and a captain’s innings from Chris Gayle, West Indies ran out of time to beat Australia for the first time in six years. Draws like this might leave non-fans nonplussed, but they make cricket purists appreciate the huge workload required to win a Test.West Indies dominated the match but lost the Frank Worrell Trophy. Australia clung on for a draw that earned them the right to keep the silverware, which has resided at Cricket Australia headquarters since Mark Taylor’s men won it from Richie Richardson’s side in the Caribbean in 1995. But following their three-day humiliation in Brisbane, this match was about more than the result for West Indies.It was about pride, and about proving that they remain a dangerous Test side. They achieved that much. For Australia, the result will be a relief on one hand – they could easily have crumbled on the final day – yet a concern on the other. It’s one thing to lose to India, South Africa or even England, but to go down at home to the eighth-ranked West Indies would have been unthinkable.Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin ensured that didn’t happen, batting patiently to see Australia through to 5 for 212. The target of 330 had long since become irrelevant when the pair came together half an hour after tea. Bravo, the first-innings centurion, was swinging the ball dangerously and had just picked up a pair of wickets that meant survival was the only aim for Australia.Despite some agonisingly close moments as balls stayed low or shots lobbed into gaps, Haddin and Clarke did their job; Clarke played the role of a team leader with an unbeaten 61 and Haddin ended up on 21. Kemar Roach regularly breached the 150kph barrier, Sulieman Benn challenged with turn and bounce without adding a wicket to his five from the first innings, and Gayle set attacking fields until the very end.West Indies entered the final session needing seven wickets for victory – an unlikely goal but one that allowed them to dream. Australia became a little nervous when Bravo delivered a brilliant first over after the break, troubling Michael Hussey on a number of occasions and finally enticing an edge behind from a ball angled across the left-hander. Six wickets to get.Marcus North, arguably the Australia batsman best suited to attrition, survived for 27 deliveries before he too played at a Bravo delivery pushing across him and edged to first slip, where Ramnaresh Sarwan took a great catch low to his left. Five wickets needed.And that’s how it remained. Despite the expectations that Benn would be the man to watch out for on a fifth-day turning pitch, it was the fast men who caused Australia most of the worries. Before lunch, Simon Katich drove Bravo on the up to cover for 21, and shortly after the break Ricky Ponting (20) played on trying to cut a Ravi Rampaul offcutter.With each wicket Australia’s hopes of victory faded, although they retained some chance while Shane Watson remained at the crease, anchoring the innings. He guided them to 2 for 114 and kept looking for runs, which brought about his undoing when on 48 he pulled Darren Sammy to a deepish midwicket where a superb catch was taken by – who else? – Bravo, diving to his left.Bravo was outstanding but Gayle was the Man of the Match and the game’s most influential player. As time ran out and the Adelaide sun sunk lower in the horizon, Gayle was left to ponder whether he made the right decision in not declaring.Would they have had time to dismiss Australia had they closed their innings overnight? Would that have made any difference at all? West Indies will never know but it was easy to understand Gayle’s thinking – he’d have been much more nervous about losing the match if Australia had to chase 297 from 90 overs rather than 330 off 81.Had Australia reached their target it would have been the highest fourth-innings total ever scored to win an Adelaide Test, and the fifth-highest for any in Australia. After last summer’s mind-boggling chase of 414 by South Africa to win in Perth anything seems possible but here, time was Australia’s enemy. They had expected West Indies to play more aggressively on the fourth afternoon and perhaps even send them in before stumps.As it happened, Gayle batted on for 6.5 overs – about half an hour – on the final morning and West Indies shored themselves up with another 33 that pushed their total to 317. He became the first West Indies captain to carry his bat through a Test innings and finished unbeaten on 165, a seven-hour-plus effort that went a long way to restoring his team’s pride after their Brisbane thrashing.Doug Bollinger finished with 3 for 50 and Mitchell Johnson collected 5 for 103 – his fourth five-wicket haul in Tests – as Gayle lost his Nos. 10 and 11, Rampaul and Roach. Having never been in control of the match at the Gabba, West Indies enjoyed every minute in which they were the front-runners in Adelaide.The Frank Worrell Trophy will remain in Australia but West Indies can still draw the series with victory in the third Test. And here’s a thought to keep Caribbean fans interested: the final match is at the WACA in Perth. Australia have lost their past two Tests there.

How Sri Lanka's World Cup venues were chosen

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No World Cup matches at the picturesque Galle Stadium•Getty Images

Can you justify the choosing of Hambantota and Pallakele as World Cup venues ahead of other reputed grounds?
The project to build an international cricket stadium in Hambantota with lights was taken three to four years ago and its ownership is with SLC. As Hambantota is a rapidly developing city, with a port and airport to be constructed in the near future, having an international stadium with a capacity of 25,000 would be beneficial for schools around the area and for international cricket. SLC will also accrue tax-free benefits as the cricket stadium is part of the massive Hambantota project (to develop a new sea port in the city). The entire cost of the stadium is Rs 900 million (US$7.86m) and we have already invested Rs 600 million (US$5.24m) on it. It will be ready by August 2010.Pallakele was acquired by SLC three years ago and as the ownership is with us we thought of investing into it and developing it into an international venue with lights so that international cricket matches can be hosted. The Asgiriya Stadium belongs to Trinity College and there was a crying need for a stadium in Kandy so that schools in and around the area can benefit. The capacity of the Pallakele Stadium is 25,000 and the entire cost of the project is Rs 450 million (US$3.93m). We will play the first international matches at this venue later this month when we host the Under-19 one-day tri-series with Pakistan and Bangladesh.Why were venues like Galle, Dambulla, SSC and P Sara Oval not considered as World Cup venues?
The problem with venues as Galle, SSC and P Sara Oval is that the capacity of these grounds is less than 20,000. If we are to develop SSC and P Sara Oval with a larger capacity, lights and a bigger media box it will cost us at least Rs. 750-800 million (US$6.55m to 7m) for each venue. We cannot invest such a large amount of money at venues where SLC don’t have any ownership. The ICC requirement for a media box is for a minimum of 200 journalists. With Galle we cannot increase the crowd capacity and fit lights because of the constraints of erecting buildings in front of the Galle Fort which is a world heritage site. At Dambulla there are a few technical issues to overcome like lights, and increasing the media box capacity to 200 and the spectators’ capacity from the present 17,000 to 25,000. We plan to have Dambulla ready by 2012 when we host the ICC World Twenty20.Does the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo measure up to the World Cup requirements?
Not quite but the improvements are minimal compared to the other venues. We have to increase the media box capacity from 80 to 200 and the spectator capacity from 14,000 to 35,000. We intend doing this by increasing the seating capacity of spectators in stands ‘C’ and ‘D’. The wiring in the lighting system also needs to be redone.

Big win takes India Blue to final

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50 overs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA 265-run opening stand – the highest such partnership in the Challenger Trophy – between Wasim Jaffer and Abhinav Mukund flattened India Green and carried India Blue into the final. Jaffer top-scored with a run-a-ball 143 and Mukund continued his amazing run of form with 114 as Blue put up a mammoth total of 351 for 2. After Tanmay Srivastava and Srikkanth Anirudha added a century opening stand in good time, Green meandered without much purpose and ended up with 263 for 9.After Blue opted to bat, Mukund and Jaffer played out the first four overs quietly. In the fifth, bowled by Vikramjeet Malik, they took 18 and increased the rate from there on. Dhawal Kulkarni, who began very tidily, should have had Jaffer on 28 but dropped an easy return catch during a maiden ninth over. Kulkarni lost his line hereon and Jaffer went on to cross his half-century off off 59 balls. Mukund’s half-century came up off 71 balls.The pair batted very well in tandem, taking smart singles and rotating the strike. They maintained a constant run-rate and eased past the 200 mark in the 34th over just after Mukund was put down by Suresh Raina on 80.When Mukund fell at the end of the 41st over, MS Dhoni strode out and hit a breezy unbeaten 34 from 25 balls, while Yusuf Pathan biffed 34 from 18 to further deflate the attack. Malik, who opened the attack for Green, bore the brunt of the powerful Red batting. His first three overs cost 32, his fourth went for 11, and when he came back for a third spell after 42 overs Dhoni and Pathan took him apart. Malik had the most expensive figures of the innings (7-0-81-0), and none of the overs bowlers, apart from Anirudha, went for less than 5.60.The chase lost steam after the first 15 overs, at which time Green were 96 for 0. Until here Anirudha led the scoring with 56 from 44 balls, but Harbhajan Singh got him to drag one on soon after. Harbhajan and Yusuf Pathan tied down proceedings well and Srivastava shut shop and appeared content to play out the overs. He was sixth out at 237 for a 133-ball 100, after which Green went on to finish on 263 for 9. Once Anirudha was dismissed there seemed no conscious effort to even attempt to chase down a massive target.

Hampshire victory eases relegation fears

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ScorecardHampshire, and Dominic Cork in particular, must wish they played Worcestershire every week.After failing to win any of their last seven Championship matches, Hampshire secured the victory they needed to lift them away from the relegation positions at New Road. They are not yet assured of safety, however, and probably need to avoid defeat in their final two games, against and Durham (home) and Yorkshire (away).It was a particularly fine game for Cork. Now aged 38, he may have lost a little pace, but he showed that an ability to shape the ball away from the batsman and deliver a probing line and length are timeless skills.They are not always rewarded so generously, though. This was his first five-wicket haul since June 2006 and only his second in the last five years. It also meant he had taken 12 for 81 against Worcestershire in the Championship season. Bowling is not always so straightforward.There was some encouragement from a Worcestershire perspective. The batting of Alexi Kervezee – who was celebrating his 20th birthday – and Richard Jones – who is just 22, not only delayed the inevitable, but also suggested a little room for optimism at New Road. Here, at least, are a couple of players who might form the nucleus of a new Worcestershire.Kervezee is a particularly exciting prospect. A short, compact right-hander, his drives through extra-cover bear the hallmark of real class, though he may have to curb his impetuousness if he is to flourish. His dismissal here, attempting a repeat of a delightful straight drive for six off Imran Tahir, was a case in point: Imran saw him coming and delivered a much shorter, quicker delivery that left Kervezee hopelessly out of position and resulted in a tame catch to mid-off. It was an unworthy end to a pleasing innings.Jones is a neat, technically correct batsman, too. Though this was a career-best effort, there is no reason why he should not score far more runs.Their resilience – the pair added 70 for the seventh wicket – helped Worcestershire stretch the game into the second session of the day and forced Hampshire to bat again. But it was only delaying the inevitable; the visitors required just nine deliveries to secure victory.It was Worcestershire’s tenth defeat in 14 Championship games this season and meant that they’ve now gone 18 first-class games without a win. Not since May 2004 have Worcestershire won a Division One game at New Road.Earlier it had taken only 13 deliveries for Hampshire to breakthrough in the morning. Cork, finding some bounce, induced an edge from Steve Davies before Moeen Ali’s indeterminate prod resulted in another slip catch.Afterwards Stephen Moore remained non-committal about his plans for the future, though he did suggest he would come to a decision “within a month.” Moore, who signed a three-year contract about 12 months ago, has a get-out clause in the case of Worcestershire’s relegation so is now free to talk to other counties should he wish.”Some time over the next month I’ll have to come to some sort of decision,” he said. “We’ve two big one-day games left, though, so it would be wrong decide now. I know I’ll have to decide soon enough”The key thing is to decide how I can best progress as a cricketer. My ambition is to play for England, so if I feel I’m not able to fulfil that ambition at the club – that the club can’t offer what I need – then I’ll sit down with the club and discuss things. I’ll chat with the England management about how to progress.”I’m not just trying to leave to make money. It’s a about trying to be the best cricketer I can be. I love this place. I’ve really enjoyed every minute here and I’ve made some great friends, but I don’t want emotion to get in the way of such a decision.”I wouldn’t want to go when things are bad. I’ve pride in my role and I’d like to leave a legacy here, so if I did leave I’d want to go on a high.”After an excellent 2008 season – when he scored six first-class centuries – Moore has struggled this year. He is averaging under 28 in the Championship and has failed to build on the form that had taken him to the brink of the England team.”I can’t put my finger on it,” Moore admitted. “I do believe I’m a better cricketer now. I’m fitter, stronger and feel my balance is better. But my stats aren’t in the same league as last year, are they?”I don’t think it’s much to do with the higher division. I scored a century against the Australians [for the Lions], after all. I believe the stats don’t lie over the long-term, so I’ve just got to work even harder.”I’ve missed Graeme Hick, too, both as a friend and as a dressing room influence. He gave confidence just by his presence.”

Compton ton frustrates Derbyshire

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Division Two

Aggressive batting from the Derbyshire openers gave them a chance of a final-day push for victory against Middlesex at Uxbridge after Nick Compton’s fine century kept the home side afloat. A win is important to keep Derbyshire in the promotion race so Chris Rogers and Wayne Madsen wasted no time in building on a 48-run lead after Middlesex had declared at nine down and the lead closed on 244. Rogers and Madsen added 181 in 31 overs with Madsen moving to 89 to go alongside his 167 in the first effort. Middlesex had been indebted to Compton for keeping in touch with the visitors as he made 178. He and Gareth Berg (70) added 135 for the fifth wicket to stabilise the innings from 122 for 4. When Compton was bowled by Tim Groenewald, Middlesex were one short of a fourth batting point and Adam London came out with a broken finger. He hit his first ball for four before Shaun Udal declared.Gloucestershire’s promotion hopes have taken a blow as they face conceding a major deficit against Glamorgan in Cardiff. A number of batsmen made starts without capitalising and they closed on 251 for 7, still 159 runs behind. The innings made a rocky start at 13 for 2 then Kadeer Ali and Alex Gidman fell to Jim Allenby to leave Gloucestershire 111 for 5. James Franklin (66) and Stephen Adshead (48) staged a recovery as they added 90, but after seeing off the main bowlers fell to Mark Cosgrove and Jamie Dalrymple respectively. Glamorgan’s last pair of Robert Croft and Garnett Kruger had earlier managed to secure a fifth batting point.Mark Pettini, the Essex captain, attempted to breathe life into the match against Northamptonshire as he declared behind after his middle order had staged a fightback at Chelmsford. Essex are more desperate for a win than the visitors, so it will be down to them to bowl Northamptonshire out, and David Masters gave them hope with two early wickets. For much of the day, Northamptonshire were in control as Essex’s top order struggled. Alastair Cook laboured over a 23-ball duck before being caught in the gully and they were 21 for 3 when Tom Westley fell to David Lucas. Pettini and Matt Walker steadied the innings, but both fell to spin as Monty Panesar and Nicky Boje made inroads. However, the depth of Essex’s batting came to their aid as Ryan ten Doeschate hit 75 off 74 balls – his fifty taking 30 deliveries, with Boje twice going for 16 in an over – and Pettini declared after the second batting point. Masters then trapped Stephen Peters and Paul Harrison leg before, but a draw is still the favourite outcome. Northamptonshire won’t mind that.Kent secured the Division Two title when they reached 250 against Derbyshire and Mark Pennell watched the action at Canterbury.

Division One

Sussex were battling to stay on level terms against Yorkshire in their relegation fight at Hove. The visitors’ tail had performed impressively to lift them to 403 with David Wainwright ending unbeaten on 84 and Ajmal Shahzad making a career-best 88. Shahzad then starred with the ball, too, as he had Michael Yardy caught at midwicket for a stubborn 58 and trapped Carl Hopkinson lbw first ball to leave Sussex on 165 for 4, but Murray Goodwin and Rory Hamilton-Brown played well until the close. Yorkshire had begun on 274 for 7 after an even first day, but Sussex couldn’t break through as Shahzad and Wainwright took their eighth-wicket stand to 157 before Hamilton-Brown removed Shahzad. Although Azeem Rafiq went without scoring, Matthew Hoggard hung around long enough to take the total past 400. Sussex started well in reply, but Chris Nash fell to Wainwright after an opening stand of 68 and Joe Gatting – who hit ten fours in his 46 – was lbw to a full ball against Hoggard.Chris Benham’s 100, in just his fourth Championship match of the season, led a Hampshire recovery against Durham at the Rose Bowl as they aim to keep themselves out of the relegation dogfight, although two late wickets still left an outside chance of them needing to follow-on. Benham and Nic Pothas added 152 for the fifth wicket after the home side limped to 114 for 4 against Durham’s spinners. After an opening stand of 52 life got tricky for Hampshire when Ian Blackwell had Liam Dawson caught behind and then trapped Michael Lumb lbw for 6. Scott Borthwick, the young legspinner, then played his part as he removed James Vince for his maiden first-class wicket and soon added Jimmy Adams for 57. However, Benham and Pothas fought off a full-blown collapse and Benham reached his first hundred of the season. Borthwick, through, struck again late on when Benham was caught at slip and nightwatchman David Griffiths couldn’t survive against Liam Plunkett.Worcestershire made the most of another flat pitch at Taunton and Daryl Mitchell fell two short of a triple century against Somerset. John Ward watched the action.

WICB has to select best available team – mediator

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Shridath Ramphal, the mediator in the dispute over contracts between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA), has said that the ongoing negotiations between the two parties in no way affects the obligation of the WICB to select the best available team for the ICC Champions Trophy.Ramphal, a former Commonwealth secretary-general, added that the board had until August 22 to name the team, reiterating his objective to end the impasse before the end of the month. Ramphal had been appointed to mediate following a meeting between the WIPA, the WICB and Guyana president Bharrat Jagdeo, who is also chairman of the 15-nation trading bloc Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM), in Georgetown in July.”For the removal of doubt and avoidance of misunderstanding, I make clear that the Mediation Process following the Georgetown Agreement between the West Indies Cricket Board and the West Indies Players Association in no way affects the obligation of WICB to select the best West Indies team available for the ICC Champions Trophy tour of South Africa,” he said. “The WICB has at least until 22 August to do so, including any changes to lists earlier supplied notwithstanding the on going Mediation Process.”However, none of the top players, with the exception of Fidel Edwards, feature in the 30-man provisional squad for the Champions Trophy, which was named on 21 July. Chris Gayle and the other players who had boycotted the Test series against Bangladesh made themselves available for international duty but haven’t yet been picked.The WICB fielded a makeshift team against Bangladesh for the home series which saw the hosts lose the Tests 2-0, the ODIs 3-0 and earn a consolation win in the only Twenty20 international.

Reifer looks at positives from loss

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Floyd Reifer led a weakened West Indies team to defeat in the first Test against Bangladesh, but he chose to see the brighter side of a dispiriting loss, lauding his players for fighting hard under adverse circumstances. “For a team that was brought here right before the Test match, I thought we really fought well,” he said. “We represent West Indies and we’ll go to Grenada [the venue for the next Test] and fight hard.””It was a rush,” Reifer said about the experience coming into this Test. “But we’ve been training and practicing hard, and it’s good to be back here again playing Test cricket.”Reifer singled out the performance of the batsmen in the first innings as the factor that tilted the game in Bangladesh’s favour. West Indies were bowled out for 307 in their reply to Bangladesh’s 238, but only after Dave Bernard and Darren Sammy helped take them into the lead following a middle-order wobble. Each of the first five batsmen, including Reifer, reached double figures, but only one among them went on to score a half-century. “In the first innings, a lot of the guys got starts but never carried on to make big scores,” he said. “Omar Phillips made 94, but we should have got a bigger total in the first innings.”Reifer’s Barbados team-mate Kemar Roach, who grabbed six wickets in his debut Test, came in for special praise. Roach finished with 3 for 67 in the second innings with the wickets of Mushfiqur Rahim, and Mahmudullah in the morning on the fifth day. “The first time I saw him [Roach] as an under-19 bowler, I always thought he was going to play for West Indies. He does a lot, especially with the old ball, getting it to move in and out and he performed very well this morning, bowling decent lengths and lines.”While mentioning that West Indies could opt for an extra batsman for the next Test to counter the Bangladesh spinners, Reifer added he would want a more competitive surface for his fast bowlers – his team’s main strength. “We would want some more grass on the wicket, and some bounce,” he said.

Siddle wants new-ball responsibility

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Peter Siddle has been assured of his place in Australia’s attack for the first Test and now he is keen to take the new ball after missing out in South Africa. Siddle was a change bowler behind Brett Lee and Ben Hilfenhaus in Hove but those two are still jostling for a spot in a team that will feature Mitchell Johnson, who shared the new ball with Hilfenhaus during the tour of South Africa.”It’s a big series but I don’t get too overwhelmed and it will be exciting if I get the new ball, but it’s going to be a tough battle,” Siddle said in the . “Hopefully, I get the opportunity with the new ball at times. I have back home in Australia and I missed out in South Africa. If I’m bowling first, second change or opening the bowling, I’ll be quite happy as long as I’m in that side.”The coach Tim Nielsen believes Siddle will be in the team, along with Johnson, and the two men are just over a week from their first taste of the intense pressure of an Ashes series. Siddle said he was looking forward to the tough encounters with Kevin Pietersen and the rest of the England batsmen.”There is always a good little war between you and the two batsmen out there,” Siddle said in the . “I think the bowling attack they used in South Africa was tremendous really and the young blokes Siddle and Hilfenhaus really proved themselves.”That was a really big challenge against top-class South African batsmen and I’d like to see that attack continue in England. You might use one of Lee or [Stuart] Clark later in the series if things aren’t going so well.”

Razzaq stars again as Lions coast home

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Group A

Semi-final line-up
  • Islamabad Leopards v Lahore Lions, 17:30 local, 11:30 GMT
  • Lahore Eagles v Sialkot Stallions, 21:00 local, 15:00 GMT

A day after smashing a century, captain Abdul Razzaq showed his prowess with the ball, starring in Lahore Lions‘ comfortable five-wicket win against Faisalabad Wolves at the Gaddafi Stadium. The parsimonious Razzaq gave away only 13 runs in his four overs and picked up four wickets, thereby restricting Faisalabad to a barely defendable 124. Naved Latif and Khurram Shehzad offered some resistance in a fifth-wicket stand of 66 before Wahab Riaz struck. Riaz supported Razzaq well with the ball, taking 2 for 22 in his four overs. Umar Akmal and Nasir Jamshed led the chase with a stand of 70 for the second wicket before a sudden wicket-burst gave Faisalabad a ray of hope. Mohammad Talha picked up three quick wickets to leave Lahore at 105 for 5 but the breakthroughs came too late as the sixth-wicket pair guided the side home in the 15th over.Unbeaten half-centuries by Naved Malik and Awais Zia helped Rawalpindi Rams blaze to a nine-wicket win against Quetta Bears at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Naved smashed 73 off 37 balls while Awais made an exact 50, off 38 balls to knock off a below-par target of 128 within 13 overs. Fast bowler Mohammad Aamer warmed up for the ICC World Twenty20 with a three-wicket haul while captain Sohail Tanvir took 2 for 18 to restrict Quetta. Quetta had early success when Usama Shahroon fell for a second-ball duck but from then on, it was all one-way traffic.

Group B

Defending champions Sialkot Stallions thrashed Multan Tigers by 87runs – the second-largest victory in the tournament – at the Gadaffi Stadium to confirm their place in the semi-finals. Half-centuries from Sialkot’s top three set up their huge total of 197. Opener Imran Nazir continued to be a bowler’s nightmare, racing to 60 off 29 balls, including nine fours and two sixes in what was his second consecutive half-century. His opening partner Kamran Younis made a more measured 54 and No. 3 Shoaib Malik top scored with an unbeaten 62 off 37 balls. Multan’s hopes of overhauling a stiff target were virtually ended by Sialkot’s new-ball bowlers, Naved Arif and Kashif Daud, who took two early wickets each. Multan were at 18 for 4 in the third over and spent the rest of the match attempting to limit the margin of defeat to face-saving levels.

Group C

Islamabad Leopards marched into the semi-finals with an authoritative six-wicket win over Hyderabad Hawks at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. It was the bowlers who set up with the victory by bowling out Hyderabad for a paltry 117. After Shehzad Azam had struck two early blows, Hyderabad had stabilised and moved to 92 for 4, before collapsing spectacularly to not even play out their full quota of overs. Imad Wasim and Fayyaz Ahmed took two each to derail the Hyderabad middle order, and fast bowler Saad Altaf polished the tail. Islamabad were rarely in trouble during the chase, with opener Afaq Raheem’s unbeaten 60 shepherding them to the semi-finals. Fayyaz also chipped in with 31, his 57-run third-wicket association with Afaq putting Islamabad on course.

Group D

Lahore Eagles strode to their second consecutive win and a semi-final berth, edging past Karachi Dolphins by 11 runs at the Gaddafi Stadium. Khaqan Arsal’s half-century lifted Lahore to 167 before a combined effort from the bowlers restricted Karachi to 156. Arsal scored 56 off 30 balls before he was dismissed in the 12th over, caught by Sohail Khan off Fawad Alam. The lower order, led by Asif Raza, then pushed the score to 167. The Karachi top order didn’t string together any big partnerships, losing four wickets and Shahid Afridi by the 9th over. Fawad resisted with a half-century and fell in the 15th and it was left to Hasan Raza to carry the team through. When he fell in the penultimate over, for 49, the task got tougher for Karachi.