KARACHI: Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), Ghani Glass and Sahir Associates won the last round matches of President Trophy Grade-I on Wednesday.
Test spinner Sajid Khan’s five-wicket haul in the second innings helped the joint leaders successfully defend a modest 172-run target against Oil & Gas Development Company Limited at the UBL Sports Complex here.
Earlier in the day, SNGPL resumed their second innings at 102/6, a slender 92-run lead, in which they added a valuable 79 runs for the remaining four wickets, aided by Awais Zafar’s crucial half-century.
Awais was the top scorer in the second innings of the SNGPL with 51 off 80 balls with 6 fours and a six.
He was supported by all-rounder Amir Jamal who scored 38 runs off 31 balls with 6 fours.
Asif Afridi bowled well for OGDCL with 6 for 64 in 26.4 overs, while Mohammad Amir Khan took 4.
Chasing a target of 172 runs, OGDCL’s batting unit was dismantled by Sajith and managed to score 148 runs before being bowled out in 55.3 overs.
Wicketkeeper batsman Umar Siddiqui top-scored with a cautious 26 off 75 balls, followed by skipper Imam-ul-Haq’s 24 off 41 balls.
Sajid led the SNGPL’s bowling charge with five wickets for 71 runs in his 23 overs. His efforts were supported by Shehzad Gul who bagged three seats while Muhammad Ali and Jamal bagged one each.
At the KCCA Stadium here, Kani Glass dashed Khan Research Laboratories’ (KRL) finals qualification hopes, handing the third-placed team an innings and 101-run defeat.
Resuming the first innings from 343/9 in reply to KRL’s 189 on the decisive third day, Ghani Glass could add five more to their overnight score, leaving them bowled out for 354 in 113.1 overs.
All-rounder Haseeb-ur-Rahman scored 87 runs off 156 balls with the help of 9 fours. Middle order Dayab Tahir patiently scored 82 off 203 balls with 3 fours while Mohsin Riaz scored a fluent 71 off 122 balls with 8 fours.
For the KRL side, Hamza Nasser took 4 wickets, Mohammad Hamza took 2 wickets, Arshad Iqbal, Iftikhar Ahmed, Subian Mukeem and Saad Paik took one wicket each.
Trailing by 165 runs, KRL’s batting unit surrendered further as they were booked for 64 runs in 20.4 overs in the second innings.
Lower-order batsman Hamza Nasser remained the top-scorer with 26 off more balls, while skipper Iftikhar (10) was the other to hit double figures.
Shoaib Akhtar led Ghani Glass’ bowling charge with five wickets in the second innings, while Sameen Gul claimed four wickets.
In another last-round President’s Cup Grade-I match, Sahir Associates made it 10 wickets on the final day as defending champions Pakistan Television (PTV) took four wickets from Mohammad Suleman.
On the opening day of the third day at the HPC Oval, the holders resumed their second innings at 19/3 and managed to add another 119 runs to their overnight score, posting a total of 138 runs in 36.2 overs despite a half-century from wicketkeeper batsman Taimur Khan.
Taimur top-scored with 54 off 70 balls followed by Mohammad Taha with 32 off 85 balls. Apart from them, only Mohammad Mohsin (21) and Amat Bhatt (10 not out) managed to score double centuries.
Suleman took 4 wickets for 21 runs in 8.2 overs for Sahir Associates. He was supported by Khan Saif and Razaullah with two wickets each and Revayat Khan and Mohammad Faiq with one wicket each.
Chasing a paltry 17-run target, Sahir Associates piled on 12 and 5 not out in 3 overs with openers Faiq and Faham-ul-Haq.
In the remaining final round of the President Cup Grade-I, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) was in a commanding position against joint leaders Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) as the home team led by 244 runs with 7 wickets at the end of the last day.
At the start of a pulsating third day of play, WAPDA resumed their first innings at 282/5 in reply to SBB’s 394 and were all out for 412 in 131.4 overs, taking an 18-run lead.
Leading their batting in the first innings was wicketkeeper batsman Bismilla Khan, who scored an important century and anchored their top score of 115 off 203 balls with 14 fours and 2 sixes.
Bismilla shared a 142-run partnership for the sixth wicket with captain Khalid Usman, who made a key contribution with a half-century, scoring 62 off 120 balls, with six fours.
For SBP, Mohammad Ismail took 4 wickets, Shahid Aziz and Kashib Bhatti took 2 wickets each and Niaz Khan and Qasim Akram took one wicket each.
Trailing by 18 runs, SBP’s batsmen produced another strong performance in the second innings as they ended the final day with a lead of 262/3, 244 runs.
Wicket keeper batsman Ghazi Ghori led them with an unbeaten 85 off 72 balls and will resume the second innings alongside Kashif Ali, who scored 32 runs on the final day.
Ghazi put on a crucial 148-run third-wicket partnership with top-order Mohammad Huraira, who anchored a remarkable 72 off 97 balls.
Mujdaba Khan was the lone wicket taker for WAPDA in the second innings as he accounted for all three SBP dismissals on the final day.