Karachi Whites 285 for 5 (Manzoor 100, Akbar-ur-Rehman 82) beat Peshawar 281 (Rizwan 72, Israrullah 47, Asghar 3-43) by five wickets
A century from Khurram Manzoor guided Karachi Whites to a five-wicket win over Peshawar in the first semi-final on Thursday. Peshawar, who had decided to bat first after winning the toss, posted 281 before they were bundled out in the final over.
Eight of the top nine batsman reached double figures, with captain Mohammad Rizwan top-scoring with 72. Regular wickets in the final third of the innings derailed Peshawar in their quest for a 300-plus score. Anwar Ali and Mohammad Asghar were the pick of Karachi's bowlers, taking three wickets each to chip away at Peshawar.
Karachi Whites led an impressively strong reply, with an 80-run opening partnership between Manzoor and captain Asad Shafiq setting them on course. Akbar-ur-Rehman, at number three, linked up with Manzoor in the match-defining partnership. The pair contributed 113 runs for the second wicket as Rehman scored 82, with the game effectively done.
Quick wickets made it a tense affair towards the end, but Danish Aziz ensured the good work of the top order would not go to waste. He hit two sixes and a four in an 8-ball 20 to see his side home with five balls to spare.