A round-up of matches from the second day of the RBS Twenty20 Cup
Cricinfo staff26-May-2009Group AA blistering century from captain Abdul Razzaq gave Lahore Lions their second win as they beat Quetta Bears by 74 runs at the Gaddafi Stadium. Razzaq, who came in at No.3, took a couple of overs to settle in and then opened up, smashing eight fours and as many sixes in his innings of 109. The blitz included 28 runs off an Irfan Ismail over that helped propel Lahore to 214 for 6. Razzaq received excellent support from Salman Butt (31), and Nasir Jamshed (58), with whom he added 162 for the third wicket, as Lahore batted Quetta out of the match.Quetta, in response, were never in a position to scale down such a massive target, struggling to 24 for 3 at one stage. Their captain Taimur Ali resisted with 42, and wicketkeeper Bismillah Khan chipped in with 26 to help them recover somewhat, but a good bowling display saw them finish on a disappointing 140 for 9. As a result, Quetta find themselves at the bottom of the Group A table with two successive defeats.Mohammad Hafeez was the star for Faisalabad Wolves yet again as they beat Rawalpindi Rams by 27 runs at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Hafeez boosted Faisalabad to a challenging score of 170, stroking an unbeaten 79 off 56 balls including 11 fours. Not that Rawalpindi were without a chance. They had restricted the opposition to 21 for 3, but Hafeez was supported ably by Khurram Shehzad, who made a 51-ball 65 to help his team recover. Sohail Tanvir was impressive, taking 3 for 24 but his efforts were in vain.In their reply, Rawalpindi faltered from the outset, losing wickets at frequent intervals. Opener Naved Malik threatened with a quickfire 50, smashing seven fours and two sixes, but was short of support from the other end. Hafeez did the damage once again, taking 3 for 14 to take his team to the top of the Group A table.Group BA 118-run opening stand between Babar Ali (58) and Sohaib Maqsood (59) laid the foundation for Multan Tigers’ successful run-chase against Karachi Zebras at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground.Karachi had posted a competitive score of 158, thanks to half-centuries from Shahzaib Hasan and Fahad Iqbal. They were comfortably placed at 140 for 2, but lost their way a little, losing four wickets for 18 runs. Kashif Naved, the left-arm fast bowler, took 3 for 20, and played an important role in stemming the flow of runs.Babar and Maqsood led the reply with the latter being the more aggressive. Multan’s job was made easier by an 18-ball 30 from Rizwan Haider who struck two sixes and a four to complete the job, and hand Multan their first win. Karachi, on the other hand, have lost two in two.Group CHyderabad Hawks opened their account in the RBS Twenty20 Cup at the Gaddafi Stadium with a comfortable eight-wicket win against Peshawar Panthers, who suffered their second consecutive defeat in as many days. Peshawar fell away after a good start, to post 148, and the target was easily overhauled thanks to Faisal Athar’s unbeaten 55 and Azeem Ghumman’s steady 40.Peshawar were in a good position to post a bigger score when they were at 86 for 1 in the 12th over. The top three, including captain Younis Khan, made starts but couldn’t push on. Hyderabad too got off to a good start, with their openers adding 61 in eight overs. Faisal, walking in at No.3, hit three sixes and six fours in his 37-ball knock. Rizwan Ahmed joined him in an unbeaten stand of 74 to help Hyderabad finish the formalities.Group DHalf-centuries from captain Khalid Latif and Fawad Alam boosted Karachi Dolphins to a formidable score, one that they were able to defend comfortably against Abbottabad Rhinos – who lost their second consecutive game – at the Gaddafi Stadium. Karachi piled on 209 as Latif blasted a 50-ball 81, and added 106 with Fawad, who was equally ruthless, smashing 11 fours in his knock of 70.Abbottabad were dented early in their innings, Mohammad Sami striking twice in the third over to remove the openers, though captain Adnan Raees and Fawad Khan did stage a recovery with a 61-run stand. However, it proved inadequate as Fawad chipped in with two wickets to remove both of them, and produced a run-out to seal a convincing 52-run win.