Gujranwala out of race as Farzan keeps Lahori Qalandars alive in PDP tournament

LAHORE: A brilliant bowling performance by Raja Farzan kept the hope of Lahori Qalandars reaching the final four alive with a 22 run win over Gujranwala Qalandars.

Farzan got five wickets for 17 runs as Gujranwala was restricted to 151/7 in 20 overs, while chasing a target of 174.

They were once 58/1 but their batting collapsed as Farzan bowled a magical spell which pushed Gujranwala to 68/6. Ashir Malik was top scorer with 44 against his name while Zubair Lodhi scored an unbeaten 40 off 31 deliveries.

Earlier, Lahori Qalandars had scored 173/4 after winning the toss. Shahzad Ali smashed three sixes and stroked five boundaries to score 64. Asif Khan fell one run short of his half-century after hitting three sixes and equal numbers of fours.

The result means Gujranwala is eliminated from the race to reach the final four while Lahori Qalandars will face Rawalpindi Qalandars on Wednesday in a virtual quarter-final.

Rawalpindi was beaten by Faisalabad Qalandars earlier in the first game on Tuesday which confirms Faisalabad’s berth to the semi-final.

An all-round performance by M Faizan guided Faisalabad Qalandars to their second win in the Lahore Qalandars player development program on Tuesday.

Faizan scored 46 off 35 and took three crucial wickets with his economical spell which helped Faisalabad beat Rawalpindi by 51 runs at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore.

Faizan’s innings helped Faisalabad Qalandars score 190 runs in 20 overs.

In response, Rawalpindi Qalandars was bowled out for 138 in the 19th over as M. Faizan sent three Rawalpindi batsmen back to the pavilion. Tahir Baig, with 52 against his name, was the top scorer for his side.