An unbeaten 58 from opener Ahmed Shehzad and 26 from left-hander Nasir Jamshed was enough to see Lahore Lions into the final of the Super8 T20 Cup. Shehzad and Jamshed were the only Lions' batsmen to get double-figure scores as they made 105 for 6 in 19.1 overs chasing 101.
Rams chose to bat first in the second semi-final at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad and found themselves at 14 for 3 inside four overs. A 36-run fourth wicket partnership between Mohammad Nawaz and Tayyab Riaz took them to 50.
After Nawaz fell in the 11th over it was only a 26-run sixth wicket stand between Sohail Tanvir and Hammad Azam and the 15-run ninth wicket stand between Jamal Anwar and Samiullah that helped them finish on 100 for 8 in 20 overs. Lions' Left-arm spinner Mustafa Iqbal and right-arm pacer Aizaz Cheema picked up two wickets each.
Lions found themselves at 8 for 1 as Mohammad Asghar dismissed Kamran Akmal for a golden duck in the second over of the run-chase. But a 59-run second wicket stand between Nasir Jamshed and Ahmed Shehzad, who struck seven fours for his 57-ball 58, put Lions on course. They seemed to have been pushed on the back foot when they lost 5 wickets for 27 runs but Shehzad remained unbeaten to take them through to Monday's final against Sialkot Stallions.
