An unbeaten 63 from Shoaib Malik helped Pakistan International Airlines cement a place in the final with a seven-wicket victory over Khan Research Labs
ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-2013
ScorecardShoaib Malik’s illustrious form continued as Pakistan International Airlines clinched a place in the final•Pakistan Cricket Board
An unbeaten 56-ball 63 from Shoaib Malik helped Pakistan International Airlines cement a place in the final with a seven-wicket victory over Khan Research Labs in Karachi.Put into bat, KRL’s openers gave a solid platform, with an opening stand of 52. Once opener Mohammad Yasin fell for 31, and Ali Khan followed soon after for just 3, Saeed Anwar junior and Zain Abbas combined for a 74-run third wicket partnership to help KRL reach 146 for 5 in their allotted overs. Abbas finished with an imperious 66-ball 91, while PIA bowler Salman Saeed, playing his first T20 series, finished with career-best figures of 3 for 29.PIA started strongly in their reply, with the openers putting up a comparable 57-run stand, ended only by a run-out courtesy of Ali Khan. Malik anchored the innings with his 63 as PIA were able to build regular partnerships. They eventually knocked off the target with just four balls to spare in the match. Malik crossed 200 runs in the tournament, becoming the third-highest run-getter in the seriesPIA will take on the winner of the second semi-final between Habib Bank Limited and Port Qasim Authority.