Sialkot beat Islamabad by four wickets

LAHORE Sialkot Stallions beat Islamabad Leopards by four wickets in the Faysal Bank Super Eight Twenty20 Cup at Iqbal Stadium Faisalabad on Wednesday. Islamabad Leopards, batting first posted 170 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 20 overs with the help of Nouman Masood scoring 47 runs in 24 balls laced with five fours and three sixes. The other main contributors for Islamabad Leopards were Naeem Anjum (30) and Fakhar Hussain (23). Abdul Rehmans bowling was superb as he clinched three wickets for 28 while Sarmad Anwar took two for 27. In reply, Sialkot Stallions Shakeel Ansar took the responsibility and batted his team to victory with his brilliant 55 runs off 34 balls with the help of five fours and two sixes as his team chased the target successfully for the loss of six wickets in 19.1 overs. Shakeel was ably assisted by Shahid Yousaf (41) and Ali Khan (22). Saad Altaf and Iftikhar Anjums two wickets could not help their team to face defeat. Shakeel Ansar of Sialkot Stallions was declared man of the match. Meanwhile, Rawalpindi Rams scored an easy victory over Multan Tigers by seven-wickets. Multan Tigers, after won the toss decided to bat first, and made 129 runs in 19.5 overs. Yasir Arafat scored 27 runs, Naveed Yasin 22, Zeeshan Ashraf 22, and Zain Abbas 21. Raza Hasan of Rawalpindi Rams grabbed four wickets for 21 runs while Sohail Tanveer and Hammad Azam took two wickets each for 21 and 25 runs respectively. Brief Score: Islamabad Leopards: 170-9 in 20 overs: (Nouman Masood 47, 24 balls, 5x4, 3x6,Naeem Anjum 30, 23 balls, 3x4, 1x6, Fakhar Hussain 23, 18 balls, 3x6, Abdul Rehman 3-28, Sarmad Anwar 2-27, Shoaib Malik 1-47) Sialkot Stallions: 171-6i n 19.1 overs: (Shahid Yousaf 41, 37 balls, 5x4, Shakeel Ansar 55, 34 balls, 5x4, 2x6, Ali Khan 22, 9 balls, 1x4, 2x6, Saad Altaf 2-24, Iftikhar Anjum 2-30).