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Lions in main draw
Medium-pacer Aizaz Cheema (3-15) was the destroyer-in-chief as Lahore, who won their second of the three qualifying matches, find themselves competing with Mumbai Indians for a spot in the main event.
Raipur: Muhammad Hafeez led from the front with a blazing 67 as Lahore Lions trounced Sri Lankan side Southern Express by 55 runs in their penultimate Oppo Champions League Twenty20 qualifier and entered in to the main-draw after Mumbai Indians lost their last tie to Northern Knight here on Tuesday.
Put into bat, Hafeez smashed a 40-ball 67 to power the Pakistan T20 champions to 164 for six in 20 overs.
In reply, Express never really got going as the Lahore bowlers turned on the heat to pack the Lankans for 109 in 18 overs.
Medium-pacer Aizaz Cheema (3-15) was the destroyer-in-chief as Lahore, who won their second of the three qualifying matches, find themselves competing with Mumbai Indians for a spot in the main event.
Earlier, the Lahore openers provided a brisk start as the they managed 40 runs in the powerplays. Left-handed opener Umar Siddiq though lost his wicket in the last delivery of the sixth over while trying to dab at a rising Farveez Maharoof (3-28) bouncer and was caught behind for 18.
Maharoof continued the good work by sending back Ahmed Shehzad (29 off 21 balls) and Nasir Jamshed (1) in one over to stop the Lahore surge.
If Shehzad, who was looking dangerous till then, tried a silly-looking 'dilscoop' against Maharoof then Jamshed was guilty of fishing on an away-going delivery to be caught at slip. Saad Nasim (31) and Hafeez, registering his 22nd T20 fifty, then stuck it out to stitch a superb 75-run fourth-wicket partnership that gave Lahore the perfect platform to finish off on a high in the final overs. Hafeez hit a boundary and three straight sixes to help the side get 25 runs in the over.
Brief Scores: Lahore Lions 164/6 (Mohammed Hafeez 67, F Maharoof 3/28) beat Southern Express 109 (Jehan Mubarak 35, Aizaz Cheema 3/15, Wahab Riaz 2/20).
