LAHORE - Brilliant unbeaten knocks by man-of-the-match Iftikhar Ahmad and Sahibzada Farhan helped Khyber Pakhtunkhwa register a thumping seven-wicket victory over Sindh in the 25th match of the National T20 played here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday. 
This was Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s fifth victory out of eight matches, which helped them top the points table and also join Sindh, Central Punjab and Northern on 10 points as semifinal qualification in the National T20 is all set to go down to the wire at the Gaddafi Stadium. The KP’s win also denied Sindh an opportunity to seal a place in the last four. 
Put into bat first, Sindh recovered from 75 for four in the 12th over to finish at 152 for six – thanks to a fine 37-ball 54 with five fours and a six by Shan Masood and 34 not out by Anwar Ali off 27 balls (three sixes). Their 32-run fifth-wicket partnership came at the back of a 51-run second-wicket stand between Shan and Sharjeel Khan (26, 27b, 5x4, 1x6) before Sindh lost their way. Iftikhar Ahmed was the most successful Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bowler with two for 25, while Niaz Khan and Asif Afridi scooped a wicket each.
In their turn at the wicket, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa slipped from 19 for one to 54 for three before Sahibzada Farhan and Iftikhar Ahmed held the innings together and took them home with 12 balls to spare. Farhan scored 49 out off 37 balls with five fours and a six and Iftikhar completed a good day in the office with a 34-ball 55 not out that included five fours and three sixes. He was later adjudged player of the match.
SCORES IN BRIEF
KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA 154-3, 18 overs (Iftikhar Ahmed 55 not out, Sahibzada Farhan 49 not out, Musadiq Ahmed 23, Aamer Azmat 18)beat SINDH 152-6, 20 overs (Shan Masood 54, Anwar Ali 34 not out, Sharjeel Khan 26; Iftikhar Ahmed 2-25) by 7 wickets. 
GFS SINDH 196-7, 20 overs (Sharjeel Khan 101, Saud Shakeel 26, Shan Masood 22; Mohammad Imran 2-32, Naseem Shah 2-49) beat ATF SOUTHERN PUNJAB 151 all out, 18.5 overs (Tayyab Tahir 32, Mohammad Imran 29, Aamer Yamin 27, Salman Ali Agha 21; Rumman Raees 3-23, Anwar Ali 2-18, Danish Aziz 2-30, Zahid Mahmood 2-40) by 45 runs.