LAHORE, Oct 6: A superb unbeaten 42 by left-hander Ashar Zaidi helped Islamabad Leopards move into the semi-finals of the National Twenty20 Cup, after completing a sensational six-wicket win against Multan Tigers in a do-or-die game on Monday.

Set to score 142 and that too in 17.3 overs to better their run-rate against the Tigers in order to qualify, Ashar blasted all bowlers to hit two sixes and five boundaries in his 18 ball innings as the Leopards achieved victory in 17.2 overs.

At one stage, Leopards needed 43 runs off 21 balls but the introduction of left-arm spinner Imranullah Aslam to bowl crucial 16th over proved disastrous for the Tigers . Imran gave away 18 runs in that over as Ashar blasted one six, two fours, two twos and three wides to make the target easy.

The Tigers fielding was shoddy as four easy catches were dropped. Skipper Abdur Rauf remained unluckily as two catches were dropped off his bowling. In addition, their ground fielding was poor as unnecessarily singles and twos were given away.

Earlier, the Tigers’ innings revolved around Sohaib Maqsood (44 off 35 balls, three sixes and four fours) and Saeed Anwar Junior (34 off 35 balls, three fours) who helped their team to reach a fighting 141-8 in the stipulated overs.

Leopards skipper Rao Iftikhar claimed two wickets but he conceded 36 runs in four overs. Shoaib Akhtar was accurate as he gave away only 14 runs for one wicket. Immad Wasim snared two wickets for 25 runs.

Apart from the Leopards, Karachi Dolphins and Sialkot Stallions also qualified for Tuesday’s semi-finals. The clash between Lahore Lions and Rawalpindi Rams late on Monday night will decide the last semi-finalists.

Defending champions Sialkot Stallions sealed their semi-final berth with crushing eight-wicket win over Hyderabad Hawks at the Bagh-i-Jinnah.

Unbeaten half-centuries by Kamran Younis and skipper Shoaib Malik led their team to victory. The pair put on 113 for the unfinished third-wicket stand as the Stallions scored 145 for two in 19.1 overs.

Kamran hit up 65 off 56 balls with eight boundaries while Shoaib scored a 46-ball 61 with seven fours.

An undefeated 57 off 34 balls by Rizwan Ahmed and Taj Wassan’s 37 were the only significant scores as the Hawks made 142-5 in 20 overs.

In a match of academic interest, Faisalabad Wolves outclassed Lahore Eagles by six wickets at the LCCA Ground.

Having restricted the Eagles to a paltry 106, the Wolves romped home in 18.4 overs with Mohammad Salman (41) their main scorer.

Karachi Dolphins, who had already qualified for the semi-finals on Sunday, enjoyed a cakewalk win against Abbottabad Rhinos by six wickets.

Chasing a modest target of 97, the Dolphins batted for 16.3 overs to score their third successive win with Afsar Nawaz (33) and Shahid Afridi (26) the leading run-getters.

Meanwhile, late on Sunday night, Lahore Eagles beat Abbottabad Rhinos by eight wickets.

Summarised scores:

Played on Monday:

At Bagh-i-Jinnah: Sialkot Stallions beat Hyderabad Hawks by eight wickets.

HYDERABAD HAWKS 142-5 in 20 overs (Rizwan Ahmed 57 not out, Taj Wassan 37; Kashif Raza 2-23, Abdur Rehman 2-24); SIALKOT STALLIONS 145-2 in 19.1 overs (Kamran Younis 65 not out, Shoaib Malik 61 not out).

At LCCA Ground: Faisalabad Wolves beat Lahore Eagles by six wickets.

LAHORE EAGLES 106-8 in 20 overs (Shahab Basharat 22, Ashfaq Ahmed 22; Samiullah Niazi 2-30, Asad Ali 2-17); FAISALABAD WOLVES 112-4 in 18.4 overs (Mohammad Salman 41, Khurram Shahzad 32; Azhar Ali 2-13, Mohammad Naved 2-22).

At Gaddafi Stadium: Karachi Dolphins beat Abbottabad Rhinos by six wickets.

ABBOTTABAD RHINOS 96-9 in 20 overs (Adnan Raees 30; Faraz Ahmed 3-15, Tahir Khan 2-14); KARACHI DOLPHINS 99-4 in 16.3 overs (Afsar Nawaz 33, Shahid Afridi 26; Rashid Mansoor 2-26).

At Gaddafi Stadium: Islamabad Leopards bt Multan Tigers by six wickets.

MULTAN TIGERS 141-8 in 20 overs (Sohaib Maqsood 44, Saeed Anwar 34, Bilal Khilji 26; Imad Wasim 2-25, Rao Iftikhar 2-36); ISLAMABAD LEOPORDS 142-4 in 17.2 overs (Ashar Zaidi 42 not out, Umair Khan 37, Bazid Khan 25).

Played on Sunday night:

At Gaddafi Stadium: Lahore Eagles beat Abbottabad Rhinos by eight wickets.

ABBOTTABAD RHINOS 87 in 15.4 overs (Usman Khan 23; Usman Malik 3-22, Mohammad Naved 2-14, Azhar Attari 2-15, Suleman Khan 2-18); LAHORE EAGLES 88-2 in 12.5 overs (Ashfaq Ahmed 31, Asif Khan 28, Azhar Ali 22).