Usman Gems downed AOT GFC and Crown Steel defeated My Care Hala to lock horns in the final of the WPCA Premier League at the WPCA Eskan grounds. My Care Hala, which opted to bat first against Crown Steel, could score 137 for 6 in the allotted 18 overs. Kashif topscored with 73, Sajid Makki made 26 and Waqas 19. Hussain Anwer Bhatti grabbed 4 wickets for 13 in just 2 overs. Shoaib and Zaheer accounted for one wicket each. Crown Steel, in response, was cruising along comfortably with the scoreboard reading 111 for 1 and it required 27 runs in 7 overs. Then Azeem who took his first scalp followed with 3 more in 3 overs to claim 4 wickets for just 9 runs and Abdullah took 3-33 to put Crown under pressure. But a cool Fahad continued and hit the winning stroke with a six to get to 140-7. Skipper Shafeeq made 42, Abid Shaikh 41 and Hammad Saeed 25. In the other semifinal, Usman Gems elected to bat first and was all out for 183. Moazzam Shaukat hammered 71 in 39 balls, Zahid made 29 and Amjad 19 with 4 fours. Imran Yusuf took 2-42. Shahzad, Qaiser, Nasir Iqbal and Zeeshan accounted for one wicket each. AOT GFC, in reply, lost Faisal on the first ball but Qaiser blasted 6 sixes and 4 fours for a quickfire 53 in mere 16 balls to fire the team to 64 for 1 in 3 overs. Once Qaiser departed AOT GFC slumped from 65 for 1 to 85 for 6 with their top order back in the pavilion. Later, Abbas who made 32 and Zeeshan who scored 33 tried to repair in vain as they collapsed to 159. Asif was the pick of the bowlers with 3-21, Ejaz Butt claimed 2-11, Zahid Anwer 2-22, Hashim one and Imran one.
