KARACHI: Captain Shamil Hussain’s superb century put defending champions Pakistan Television (PTV) on top on the opening day of their fifth round President’s Cup Grade-1 match against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) at the UPL Sports Complex on Wednesday.
Opting to bat first, Holders finished the first day at 348/6 in 87 overs, with top-order batsman Mohammad Taha and veteran all-rounder Amad Butt unbeaten on 82 and 2 respectively.
Leading the way for them was their captain Shamil who top scored with a blistering 111 off 104 balls with 12 fours and 6 sixes.
His efforts were supported by fellow opener Waqar Hussain (69) and Taha, while middle-order batsman Mohammad Mohsin scored a 75-ball 47.
Mohammad Hamza took 3 wickets, Akib Liaqat 2 wickets and Arshad Iqbal 1 wicket for KRL side.
Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd (SNGPL) were equally dominant with the bat as they finished the opening day of their fifth round match against Ghani Glass at 308/4 at the National Bank Stadium here.
All-rounder Mubasir Khan finished second with an unbeaten century in the previous edition.
Mubasir will open the first innings of the SNGPL on day two with an unbeaten 113 off 171 balls, while middle-order Muhammad Awais Zafar remained unbeaten on 71 off 148 balls.
Both recovered from a mixed start to the SNGPL, which saw them reduced to 101/4 despite opener Azan Awais’ 44.
Mir Hamza took three wickets on the opening day off the bowling of Ghani Glass, while Khurram Shahzad claimed a scalp.
In another fifth-round President’s Cup Grade-I match, Naqeebullah’s five-wicket haul helped Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) take a first-innings lead against Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) on the opening day at the KCCA Stadium here.
Despite a half-century from all-rounder Danish Aziz, his side’s batting unit collapsed to 159 in 57.1 overs as OGDCL skipper Umar Siddiqui opted to bat first.
Danish stood out for OGDCL with 69 off 106 balls with 6 fours and a six. Apart from him, Abbas Ali (31), Jawad Ali (13), Abdul Rahman Muzammil (12) and Haroon Arshad (11) can score double centuries.
Naqeebullah picked WAPDA’s bowlers, returning impressive bowling figures of 5/36 from his 18 overs. Mohammad Asghar and captain Khalid Usman took 2 wickets each and Mohammad Zeeshan took one wicket.
In reply, WAPDA amassed 56/2 in 24 overs before stumps were drawn at the KCCA Stadium.
Mohammad Ammar and Shahroon Siraj remained unbeaten on 24 and 6 runs respectively as they need 104 runs to take the lead and will continue WAPDA’s reply on day two.
For the OGDCL, Mohammad Amir Khan and Asif Afridi could take a wicket each on the opening day, dismissing openers Maher Rasool (eight) and Imran Dogar (16) respectively.
The remaining fifth round of the President’s Cup Grade-I match between Sahir Associates and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) hung in the balance after a pulsating opening day at the State Bank Stadium.
At the end of play on the first day, Sahir Associates were 229/7 with Mohammed Saleem and Razaullah not out on 59 and 4 respectively.
Sahir Associates had a poor start to their innings as they were reduced to 54/4 before middle-order batsmen Mohammad Faiq and Saleem recovered with a 70-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
The crucial stand ended with the dismissal of Fike, whose 109-ball 48 followed a 100-run partnership between Saleem and Mohammad Mohsin Khan, further cementing Sahir Associates’ batting journey.
Mohsin fell victim to Niaz Khan when he scored 62 runs off 99 balls with the help of 7 boundaries.
Sahir Associates suffered another setback as Niaz dismissed Hafiz Mohammad Suleman for a seven-ball duck before Salim and Rasaullah hung on.
For SBB, Niaz took 3 wickets while Kaship Bhatti, Saqlain Nawaz and Mohammad Abbas took one each.