Rawalpindi opener Yasir Khan continued his blistering run of form to boost his team to a three-wicket win over Sialkot and a consolidated spot atop the National T20 Cup Super Eight stage standings here at the UBL Sports Complex on Sunday. Meanwhile, Abbottabad and Peshawar — who placed second and third in the table, respectively — also won their respective matches to stay in the race for the tournament’s semi-finals.
Yasir, who smashed his maiden T20 century a day earlier, undid a fine batting effort by veteran Pakistan international Shoaib Malik, who had helped Sialkot post a hefty 163-2. Rawalpindi kept losing wickets regularly during the chase, but Yasir did not relent. The right-hander breezed his way to an unbeaten 87 off 52 balls, bludgeoning seven sixes and four fours. His was one of the only three contributions in double figures, along with Umar Amin and Jahadad Khan, who added an impactful 29 off 11 balls down the order, hitting three maximums and two boundaries to take Rawalpindi across the finish line with Yasir. The onslaught saw Shoaib’s unbeaten 56-ball 82 go in vain.