March 27, 2008	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 18, 1429

KARACHI, March 26: PIA maintained their unblemished record in the ongoing ABN-Amro National One-day Cricket Championship after a tense 11-run victory over Rawalpindi Rams at the UBL Sports Complex here on Wednesday.The national carrier’s fourth straight win has now made them assured of a place in the Super Eight round. Without Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik, who was due to play against the Rams after skipping the first three matches, PIA had to fight hard for their four points.

Faisal Iqbal, the stand-in skipper, did a sterling job as he marshalled his troops well in the field to keep the Rams under check after PIA had posted a modest 210 in 49.5 overs.

PIA owed their total to the openers Khurram Manzoor (46) and Yasir Hameed (59) who together added 107.

Left-arm paceman Najaf Shah put PIA right on top by taking the first three wickets, but Babar Naeem (56) and Yasim Murtaza (42) kept the Rams in the game. Nauman Alvi’s spell of 3-37 also proved crucial.

In the other game, ZTBL kept alive their Super Eight hopes by condemning Karachi Dolphins to their fourth successive defeat at the NBP Sports Complex with Inam-ul-Haq providing a fine all-round performance.

The last lot of matches in the preliminary round will be played on Friday.

Summarised scores:

At UBL Sports Complex, Karachi: PIA beat Rawalpindi Rams by 11 runs.

PIA 210 in 49.5 overs (Yasir Hameed 59, Khurram Manzoor 46, Faisal Iqbal 33; Mohammad Aamir 3-40, Babar Naeem 2-42, Yasir Ali 2-42); RAWALPINDI RAMS 199 in 48.1 overs (Babar Naeem 56, Yasim Murtaza 42; Nauman Alvi 3-37, Najaf Shah 3-48).

At NBP Sports Complex, Karachi: ZTBL beat Karachi Dolphins by seven wickets.

KARACHI DOLPHINS 154 in 47.1 overs (Faraz Patel 35, Akbar Rehman 32; Kashif Dawood 4-16, Inam-ul-Haq 2-33, Mohammad Khalil 2-39); ZTBL 155-3 in 25.1 overs (Inam-ul-Haq 66 not out, Afaq Raheem 54 not out).

Our Sports Reporter adds from Lahore: Upcoming opener Ahmed Shahzad blasted 88 off 84 balls to help Lahore Eagles outclass Pakistan Customs by eight wickets in the Group ‘C’ match at the Gaddafi Stadium.

The youngster hammered 11 fours and one six as the Eagles sailed past their target of 202 by reaching 205-2 in just 19.1 overs.

Shahzeb Hasan hit a 63-ball 76 as Karachi Zebras recorded their first win in the event with a seven-wicket defeat of Faisalabad Wolves at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.

Wapda, meanwhile, consolidated their position at the top of Group ‘B; with a five-wicket victory against Hyderabad Hawks at the Sheikhupura Stadium.

Pakistan vice-captain Misbah-ul-Haq starred with a superb 125 as Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) beat Multan Tigers by 114 runs in Sialkot to stay in contention for the next round.

Misbah struck six sixes and five fours in his 89-ball knock while skipper Mohammad Hafeez (63) and Umar Akmal (68) also made useful contributions to help their side piled up 307-5 in 50 overs.

In reply, Multan Tigers were shot out for 193 in 43.4 overs with Usman Tariq the top scorer with 68.

Summarised scores:

At Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore: Lahore Eagles beat Pakistan Customs by eight wickets.

PAKISTAN CUSTOMS 201 in 46.2 overs (Asif Iqbal 41, Mohammad Hasan 31; Arsalan Mir 4-36, Sohail Ahmed 2-22); LAHORE EAGLES 205-2 in 30.5 overs (Ahmed Shahzad 88 not out, Junaid Zia 34 not out, Ashfaq Ahmed 32).

At Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad: Karachi Zebras beat Faisalabad Wolves by seven wickets.

FAISALABAD WOLVES 200 in 48.2 overs (Usman Arshad 54; Ahsan Jamil 3-47, Afsar Nawaz 2-39, Fahad Khan 2-48); KARACHI ZEBRAS 204-3 in 36.2 overs (Shahzaib Hasan 76, Rameez Raja 46, Khalid Latif 44; Saadat Munir 3-41).

At Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot: SNGPL beat Multan Tigers by 114 runs.

SNGPL 307-5 in 50 overs (Misbah-ul-Haq 125 not out, Mohammad Hafeez 63, Umar Akmal 60, Khurram Shahzad 36); MULTAN TIGERS 193 in 43.4 overs (Usman Tariq 68; Asad Ali 4-23, Mohammad Hafeez 3-52).At Sheikhupura Stadium: Wapda beat Hyderabad Hawks by five wickets.

HYDERABAD HAWKS 160 in 46.2 overs (Shahid Qambrani 61, Rizwan Ahmed 34; Sarfraz Ahmed 2-13, Aqeel Ahmed 2-31, Nawaz Sardar 2-62); WAPDA 161-5 in 33.3 overs (Sunny Irshad 61, Aamir Sajjad 41 not out; Nauman Ali 2-30).

Sports Reporter adds from Islamabad: Habib Bank scored a crucial 67-run win over Islamabad Leopards at the Diamond Club Ground to move closer towards the Super Eight stage from Group ‘A’.

Leaders KRL kept their unbeaten run by easing to a five-wicket victory against Quetta Bears with Saeed Ajmal (4-50) and skipper Mohammad Wasim (81 not out) playing leading roles.

Summarised scores:

At Diamond Club Ground, Islamabad: Habib Bank beat Islamabad Leopards by 67 runs.

HABIB BANK 276-9 in 50 overs (Aftab Khan 49, Fahad Masood 39 not out, Farhan Iqbal 39, Riffatullah Mohmand 37; Kamran Hussain 2-32, Saad Altaf 2-41, Raheel Majeed 2-54); ISLAMABAD LEOPARDS 209 in 41.5 overs (Umair Khan 62, Ameer Khan 55; Aslam Qureshi 3-39, Umar Gul 2-45).

AT KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi: KRL beat Quetta Bears by five wickets.

QUETTA BEARS 224 in 48.1 overs (M. Shahzad Tareen 57, Naseem Khan 56, Hameedullah 30; Saeed Ajmal 4-50, Saeed Anwar Jr 2-27); KRL 227-5 in 40.5 overs (Mohammad Wasim 81 not out, Fahad-ul-Haq 47, Saeed Anwar Jr 33; Samiullah 2-40).

At Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar: Lahore Lions beat Peshawar Panthers by one wicket.

PESHAWAR PANTHERS 287-6 in 50 overs (Akbar Badshah 81 not out, Nawaz Ahmed 67, Naveed Khan 57, Jamaluddin 43; Mohammad Shahzad 2-50, Mohammad Saeed 2-55); LAHORE LIONS 290-9 in 49.5 overs (Shahnawaz Malik 73, Mohammad Saeed 46, Mohammad Hussain 45, Ahmed Butt 40; Mohammad Fayyaz 3-52, Hidayatullah Khan 2-41, Akbar Badshah 2-65).