Karachi Dolphins v Lahore Lions - Faysal Bank Super Eight T-20 Cup - 1st Semi-Final – Match Recap
Lahore http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Dolphins-c781 170/3 (19.0/20 ov) - Karachi Dolphins won by 7 wickets (with 6 balls remaining)
With things heading towards the final of the ongoing Faysal Bank Super Eight T-20 Cup, Karachi Dolphins left tournament favourites Lahore Lions bleeding by winning the game by seven wickets with six deliveries to go on Saturday, March 31, 2012.
Lahore Lions after winning the toss at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, chose to bat first as they wanted to post a mammoth total on the board. And with the importance of the match it was imperative for both sides to give their best.
With fans backing Lahore as the stronger side, Karachi had their eyes well set on the final and were in no mood to let the Lions get carried away.
Karachi made headways when with a tally of 15 on the board, they dismissed Lahore’s first wicket as the hard-hitting http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ahmed-Shehzad-c42359 failed in the most important match of the tournament, going back without scoring a run.
With Shehzad out for not, things heated up early giving Karachi something to look forward to and putting Lahore in the defensive mode.
Opener http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Kashif-Siddiq-Khan-c70404 then crafted a formidable resistance against the opposition.
However, the partnership failed to prosper for a longer period of time as with 78 runs on the board, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Nasir-c78728 was dismissed after scoring 36 runs.
Siddiq was then joined by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Kamran-Akmal-c70122 and the arrival of Akmal trigged a Mexican wave in the capacity crowd stands, who bolstered the arrival of the hard-hitting batsman.
However, this was just not Akmal’s day as he could bat for only 11 deliveries before walking back to the pavilion after scoring 16 runs.
With 122 runs on the board, Siddiq was the next man to go, as he departed after belting a stupendous innings of 48 runs.
Later, Lahore amassed 167 runs for the loss of seven wickets at the end of their innings to give Karachi a tough total to chase. With their impressive bowling attack this tally was surely good enough to defend, adding pressure on Karachi who needed to bear the brunt of the Lahore bowling.
It was a do-or-die situation for Karachi and with everything at stake, Karachi openers http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Khalid-Latif-c71261 launched a brave batting onslaught, which actually worked out well, as the side amassed 78 runs before losing their first wicket.
With http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Hasan-c61990 back in the pavilion after playing a blistering knock of 57 runs off 28 deliveries, Karachi had laid down the foundation for an emphatic victory.
Latif then went on to hammer 45 runs off 35 deliveries and played a vital role in his side’s win as Karachi reached the required target in 19 overs for the loss of three wickets.
Shahzaib Hasan was named as the Player of the Match for his outstanding hitting.
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