KP, Northern reach National T20 Cup semis.

LAHORE -- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Northern have qualified for the semifinals of the National T20 Cup semifinals to be played today (Wednesday) at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad.

In the first semi-final, first-placed Northern will take on fourth-placed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The second semi-final will see Balochistan, second on the points table, face-off Southern Punjab, who finished number three on the points table.

Earlier, Blistering knocks by Fakhar Zaman and Khushdil Shah helped KP beat Central Punjab by 7 wickets. Fakhar and Khushdil put up unbeaten scores of 82 and 46 - at strike rates of 152 and 177 respectively - to help their side chase down the 178-run target with three balls spare. The defeat knocked Central Punjab out of the tournament.

Fakhar cracked 7 fours and 2 sixes and crafted a 45-run stand with Sahibzada Farhan (17 off 15) for the first-wicket and a 62-run stand for the third-wicket with Iftikhar Ahmed (19 off 20). But, it was Khushdil's 46 not out off 26 balls, studded with 3 fours and 3 sixes, which settled the match for KP, who needed 68 off 42 when Khushdil took the crease. For his batting exploits, Khushdil was named man-of-the-match.

Earlier, Central Punjab scored 177-3 in 20 overs after they were asked to bat. Their captain Babar Azam starred with 83 runs from 56...