Southern Punjab chased down a target of 162 set by Balochistan in a dramatic fashion to book their place in the semi-finals of the National T20 Cup. Southern Punjab needed to chase the target within 12.3 overs to qualify on a better net run rate, and they chased it down in style, reaching the target in 10.4 overs.
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Man of the Match @sohaibcricketer blasted 81 off 29 balls to seal a dramatic win for Southern Punjab and the last semi-final spot in the final group match
Highlights https://t.co/7H6AE6lXT4#NationalT20Cup | #HarHaalMainCricket | #BALvSP pic.twitter.com/xGxshn4h6l
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 16, 2020
Sohaib Maqsood was named the man of the match for his match-winning knock of 81 off 29 balls. He reached his half-century on just 18 balls, becoming the fastest to 50 in this year’s National T20 Cup. He also scored the third-fastest half-century in the history of the tournament.
Previously, Faheem Ashraf and Khushdil Shah were the joint holders of the honor, scoring their half-centuries on 19 balls.
| Sr. No. | Batsman | Balls | Match |
| 1 | Imran Nazir | 14 | Sialkot vs Lahore Eagles (2005) |
| 2 | Imran Nazir | 17 | Sialkot Stallions vs Lahore Lions (2009) |
| 3 | Sohaib Maqsood | 18 | Southern Punjab vs Balochistan (2020) |
| 3 | Faheem Ashraf | 19 | Central Punjab vs Southern Punjab (2020) |
| 4 | Khushdil Shah | 19 | Southern Punjab vs Sindh (2020) |
Overall this is the 4th fastest T20 half-century by a Pakistani batsman.
| Sr. No. | Batsman | Balls | Match |
| 1 | Imran Nazir | 14 | Sialkot vs Lahore Eagles (2005) |
| 2 | Ahmed Shehzad | 16 | Barisal Burners v Duronto Rajshahi (2012) |
| 3 | Imran Nazir | 17 | Sialkot Stallions vs Lahore Lions (2009) |
| 4 | Kamran Akmal | 17 | Peshawar Zalmi v Karachi Kings (2018) |
| 5 | Sohail Tanvir | 17 | St Lucia Zouks v Barbados Tridents (2014) |
| 6 | Sohaib Maqsood | 18 | Southern Punjab vs Balochistan (2020) |
Sohaib hit 4 sixes in the innings and became the leading six-hitter in the history of the tournament. He has now hit 91 sixes since the inception of the National T20 Cup.
Most sixes in National T20 Cup history
91 SOHAIB MAQSOOD
86 Asif Ali
69 Kamran Akmal
66 Mohammad Hafeez
63 Shahzaib Hassan#NT20Cup #HarHaalMainCricket— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) October 16, 2020
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With 20 sixes in the tournament, Sohaib has also hit the 2nd highest maximums in the tournament, only trailing his teammate Khushdil Shah, who has hit 22 sixes.
The 33-year old has had a frustrating international career hampered with injuries, but he has had a tremendous tournament so far. He is currently the leading scorer in the tournament, with 377 runs at an average of 37.70 and an impressive strike rate of 175.34
| Sr. No. | Name | Matches | Runs | Average | Strike Rate |
| 1 | Sohaib Maqsood | 10 | 377 | 37.70 | 175.34 |
| 2 | Imam-ul-Haq | 9 | 375 | 53.57 | 144.78 |
| 3 | Abdullah Shafique | 10 | 358 | 44.75 | 133.08 |
| 4 | Khurram Manzoor | 10 | 334 | 33.40 | 136.88 |
| 5 | Khushdil Shah | 10 | 327 | 36.33 | 183.70 |
