LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik led from the front with both bat and the ball to set up another clinical win for reigning Faysal Bank National Twenty20 Cup champions Sialkot Stallions, while Rawalpindi Rams survived a late charge from Karachi Dolphins on an overcast second day of action here on Sunday.

Malik was the cornerstone of the innings with a 33-ball knock of 51 that featured six boundaries as the Stallions scored 149-7 against Quetta Bears in the Group ‘A’ fixture at the LCCA Ground. He then grabbed four wickets for 13 runs in his four overs as the Bears mustered only 77 to lose by 72 runs.

Faisalabad Wolves, winners of the inaugural championship, opened their Group ‘B’ campaign in nervy fashion before struggling to a five-wicket win over Lahore Eagles at the Gaddafi Stadium. Chasing a modest 104, Misbah-ul-Haq’s Wolves almost threw it away when the skipper was out in the 17th over with 19 runs still required. But they got home in the end with five deliveries to spare.

Paceman Asad Ali (3-19), slow left-armer Imran Khalid (2-12) and world’s best off-spinner Saeed Ajmal (2-13) hardly allowed the Eagles to soar high. Imran Farhat, who scored 100 against Hyderabad Hawks, was the top-scorer with 20.

The Rams had to stave off a sensational turnaround by the Dolphins to clinch their first success in Group ‘B’ by five runs at the Gaddafi Stadium. The Dolphins, who despite big names, are yet to win this title, looked down and out in pursuit of 189 when their skipper Shahid Afridi was dismissed in the 14th over for three.

But Fawad Alam (an unbeaten 40 off 17 balls, four fours and two sixes) and Tanvir Ahmed (33 off 20, five boundaries) added 53 in the next five overs before Yasir Arafat struck twice to ease the tension in the Rams camp. Fawad then scored 20 runs from the first five balls of the last over before Sohail Tanvir, the Rams captain, delivered a dot ball to seal the game.

Discarded Pakistan opener Khurram Manzoor had earlier hit a 37-ball 50 (five fours and one six) before becoming second wicket for Hammad Azam in the same over.

Umar Amin was the chef run-getter for the Rams with an undefeated 52 in a 31-ball innings embedded with four boundaries and three sixes, while fellow left-hander Babar Naeem hit seven fours in his 23-ball 44 that helped the Rams reach 188-5. Afridi proved ineffective with the ball and was hit for 49 runs in four overs to emerge as the most expensive bowler in the match.

Lahore Lions emulated the Stallions by winning their second straight Group ‘A’ game when they beat Younis Khan’s Abbottabad Falcons by 30 runs at the Bagh-e-Jinnah.

The top-order batting clicked as Nasir Jamshed (39 off 35 balls, six fours), Ahmed Shehzad (28 off 26, five fours), Kamran Akmal (59 off 33, nine boundaries and one six) and Umar Akmal (22 off 13) all fired to the Lions to 186-4.

Mohammad Hafeez, the Lions captain who surprised everyone by holding himself back, wasn’t required to bat while Mohammad Yousuf, who is bidding to make comeback to the national team, dropped out of this fixture. But Hafeez played a critical role with the ball to claim four for 25 from four overs to ensure the Falcons were curtailed to 156-6.

Former Pakistan opener Yasir Hameed (45 off 40 balls, four fours and one six) and Younis (47 off 32, five fours and one six) shared a second-wicket partnership of 54 before fell to Hafeez.

Newcomers Bahawalpur Stags also had a day to remember as they celebrated their second victory on the trot at the Bagh-e-Jinnah. Their latest victims were Peshawar Panthers who lost the Group ‘B’ tie by 29 runs.

Kashif Siddique picked his second consecutive three-for as the Panthers, chasing 135, crashed to 105 all out in the penultimate over of the match.

In the closest finish of the day, Karachi Zebras kept cool to hand Islamabad Leopards their second Group ‘A’ loss in two days. The Zebras squeezed home by four runs to make amends for seven-wicket thrashing against the Lions on Saturday.

After restricting the Zebras to 121-8, with ex-Test paceman Rao Iftikhar capturing 4-16, the Leopards limped to 117-9 despite a belated onslaught by all-rounder Imad Wasim who was the highest scorer of the game with a 16-ball 34 (five fours and one six).

Results: Sialkot Stallions beat Quetta Bears by 72 runs LCCA Ground.

SIALKOT STALLIONS 149-7 in 20 overs (Shoaib Malik 51, Shahid Yousuf 28; Nazar Hussain 3-16); QUETTA BEARS 77 in 17.5 overs (Jalat Khan 17; Shoaib Malik 4-13, Umaid Asif 2-14, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan 2-23).

Lahore Lions beat Abbottabad Falcons by 30 runs at Bagh-i-Jinnah.

LAHORE LIONS 186-4 in 20 overs (Kamran Akmal 59, Nasir Jamshed 39, Ahmed Shehzad 28, Umar Akmal 22; Ahmed Jamal 2-37); ABBOTTABAD FALCONS 156-6 in 20 overs (Younis Khan 47, Yasir Hameed 45, Mir Azam 29, Khalid Usman 27 not out; Mohammad Hafeez 4-25).Faisalabad Wolves beat Lahore Eagles by five wickets at Gaddafi Stadium.

LAHORE EAGLES 103 in 19.4 overs (Imran Farhat 20; Asad Ali 3-19, Imran Khalid 2-12, Saeed Ajmal 2-15, Khurram Shehzad 2-20); FAISALABAD WOLVES 104-5 in 19.1 overs (Farrukh Shahzad 47; Raza Ali Dar 2-21, Mohammad Khalil 2-22).

Karachi Zebras beat Islamabad Leopards by four runs at LCCA Ground.

KARACHI ZEBRAS 121-8 in 20 overs (Faisal Iqbal 26; Rao Iftikhar 4-16); ISLAMABAD LEOPARDS 117-9 in 20 overs (Imad Wasim 34, Zohaib Ahmed 20; Haris Ayaz 2-21, Tabish Khan 2-33).

Bahawalpur Stags beat Peshawar Panthers by 29 runs at Bagh-i-Jinnah.

BAHAWALPUR STAGS 134 in 19 overs (Bilal Khilji 33, Usman Tariq 29, Kamran Hussain 23 not out; Mohammad Imran Khan 2-21, Waqar Ahmed 2-29, Azizullah 2-31); PESHAWAR PANTHERS 105 in 18.5 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 36; Kashif Siddique 3-11, Imranullah Aslam 2-16, Faisal Elahi 2-22).

Rawalpindi Rams beat Karachi Dolphins by five runs at Gaddafi Stadium.

RAWALPINDI RAMS 188-5 in 20 overs (Umar Amin 52 not out, Babar Naeem 44, Naved Malik 39, Awais Zia 22; Tanvir Ahmed 2-28); KARACHI DOLPHINS 183-7 in 20 overs (Khurram Manzoor 50, Fawad Alam 40 not out, Tanvir Ahmed 33, Khalid Latif 25, Asad Shafiq 21; Hammad Azam 2-27, Sohail Tanvir 2-42).

Monday’s fixtures: Lahore Eagles v Peshawar Panthers (LCCA Ground, 9:30am); Karachi Dolphins v Bahawalpur Stags (Bagh-i-Jinnah, 9:30am); Islamabad Leopards v Abbottabad Falcons (Gaddafi Stadium, 12:00pm); Faisalabad Wolves v Hyderabad Hawks (LCCA Ground, 1:15pm); Lahore Lions v Multan Tigers (Bagh-i-Jinnah, 1:15pm); Karachi Zebras v Sialkot Stallions (Gaddafi Stadium, 4:00pm).