- Pacer Mushtaq Ahmed starred for Larkana with 4-14, while Bismillah Khan and Abdul Wahid Bangalzai scored match-winning fifties for Quetta
- Match highlights are available here; Tournament scorecards and stats are available here; Action images are available here
Lahore, 18 February 2026: Larkana Region and Quetta Region from Pool A registered victories against Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Region and Islamabad Region, respectively on day five of the ABS Developers present University of Lahore National T20 Cup Qualifier on Wednesday here at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Defending the 132-run target, Larkana’s Shahnawaz Dahani struck in the first over to dismiss opening batter Hasan Raza for a duck. Mushtaq Ahmed then removed the other opener Husnain Nadeem for a duck as well in the very next over, reducing AJK to 5-2 in 1.5 overs.
Top-scorer Hasnain Shamir (37, 37b, 2x4s, 2x6s) put together another 26 runs with Awais Akram Minhas (7, 12b, 1x4) before the latter fell prey to Mushtaq leaving AJK further in trouble with 31 runs on the board in 5.1 overs.
Afterwards, Hasnain and Arslan Mehzood (26, 31b, 3x4s) shared a 67-run alliance for the fourth wicket before Asif Ali Chandio put an end to it. At 98-4 after 14 overs, AJK required 34 more runs from the last six overs to avoid a second successive loss.
However, AJK slipped to 115 all out in 18.3 overs, losing their last seven wickets for a mere 17 runs in a span of 27 balls.
Mushtaq starred with figures of 4-1-14-4, his best haul in T20s, while Dahani (4-0-17-3) and Asif Ali Chandio (3.3-0-28-2) shared five wickets between them.
Earlier, Larkana opted to bat first after a delayed start due to rain and scrapped to 131-8 in their 20 overs. Opening batter Malhar Rasool struck a 17-ball 32 including two fours and three sixes. Malhar also shared a 37-run partnership with no.3 batter Zahid Hussain, who top scored with a run-a-ball 33, hitting two fours and three sixes as well.
From 87-5 in 13.2 overs, Larkana’s skipper Zahid Mehmood a six and a four to take his team’s total into three digits. No.8 Mushtaq Ahmed (9, 10b, 2x4s), No.9 Ali Asghar (8 not out, 10b) and No.10 Asif Ali (4 not out, 5b) combined to add 21 runs to the total, which eventually turned out to be slightly more than their winning margin.
For AJK, Hasan Raza (3-0-27-2) and Zaman Khan (4-0-31-2) shared four wickets between them.
In the second game of the day, table toppers Islamabad elected to bat first and raced to 24 in 2.1 overs before losing opening batter Raja Hamza Waheed (10, 9b, 2x4s).
Top-scorer Ali Imran (45, 37b, 6x4s, 1x6) and Naseerullah Khan (25, 22b, 4x4s) then stitched 64 runs for the second wicket, before the latter was dismissed in the 11th over as the scoreboard read 88-2.
Coming in to bat at no.5, batter Rizwan Ali struck a quickfire 40 off 19 balls, featuring six fours and one six to lift Islamabad to 177-7 in their 20 overs. For Quetta, Muhammad Junaid and Khalil Ahmed picked up two wickets each.
In reply, Quetta lost their opening batter Syed Jahangir Shah in the second over with just six runs on the board. Opening batter Abdul Wahid Bangalzai and Bismillah Khan then stitched together a match-defining 156-run stand off 98 balls, guiding Quetta to an eight-wicket victory and securing their first win of the tournament.
Bismillah Khan smashed an 80 off 44 balls, hammering six fours and five sixes. Wahid stayed unbeaten on 85 off 59 balls striking 11 fours and one six to register his highest T20 score. He sealed the game in the 19th over, plundering 18 runs off Musa Khan with three fours and a six to drive his side home.
In Pool A, Islamabad and Karachi Blues have four points each to their name with the former placed top of the table due to better net run rate. Quetta are placed third, while Larkana are at fourth with two points each. AJK remain winless in their both games.
Scores in brief:
Match 9: Larkana Region beat AJK Region by 16 runs at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
Larkana 131-8, 20 overs (Zahid Hussain 33, Malhar Rasool 32; Hasan Raza 2-27, Zaman Khan 2-31)
AJK Region 115 all out, 18.3 overs (Hasnain Shamir 37, Arslan Mehzood 26; Mushtaq Ahmed 4-14, Shahnawaz Dahani 3-17)
Player of the match: Mushtaq Ahmed (Larkana Region)
Match 10: Quetta Region beat Islamabad Region by eight wickets at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Islamabad Region 177-7, 20 overs (Ali Imran 45, Rizwan Ali 40, Naseerullah Khan 25; Muhammad Junaid 2-29, Khalil Ahmed 2-32)
Quetta Region 179-2, 18.5 overs (Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 85 not out, Bismillah Khan 80)
Player of the match: Abdul Wahid Bangalzai (Quetta Region)
Thursday’s fixtures
Hyderabad v Bahawalpur at 7pm PKT
Dera Murad Jamali v Rawalpindi at 11:15pm PKT
