KARACHI: Holders Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) overcame a jittery start to their second innings to drive themselves into an unassailable position on an eventful third day of the President’s Trophy final against the United Bank Limited at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan on Friday.

After captain Misbah-ul-Haq opted against enforcing the follow on once UBL’s overnight first innings of 89-6 terminated at a measly 144 in response to their opponents’ 386, the SNGPL could have hardly anticipated nerve-racking moments when veteran all-rounder Tariq Haroon grabbed three wickets in eight deliveries, including the crucial scalps of Test batsmen Taufiq Umar and Azhar Ali.

The bearded 37-year-old cricketer from Karachi belied his advancing age in a superlative exhibition of medium-pace bowling to deliver all of his 16 overs in one remarkable spell on either side of Friday’s extended lunch/prayers break.

Tariq might have added the prized wicket of Misbah to his impressive haul had UBL skipper Atif Maqbool clung on to an edge that descended towards him at first slip. If that chance had been grabbed, the UBL might have been much better placed because at that point SNGPL would have been in real strife at 38-4 while having an overall lead of 280.

Instead, the UBL now find themselves resigned for the inevitable as the SNGPL built a commanding lead of 437 with Naeemuddin and Adnan Akmal still going strong in an unfinished partnership of 111 after coming together at 84-5. With two days to go, the SNGPL are likely to add a few more runs on Saturday to their current tally of 195-5 with Naeemuddin possibly on the threshold of reaching his second hundred of this final.

Without Naeemuddin’s 192, the SNGPL would have hot totalled close to 400 in the first innings. His arrival at the crease was delayed by the fact that the 32-year-old opener had been off the field for a while during the UBL innings and hence, according to the playing conditions, didn’t partner Taufiq when the SNGPL began their second innings.

Ali Waqas, the alternative opener, was held at third slip by Hamza Paracha who had to leap to his left to pluck an acrobatic catch when the left-hander attempted an expansive drive at Tariq’s second delivery.

Two balls later Azhar followed in that same first over when Tariq produced a gem of a delivery that swung away from the Test right-hander with wicket-keeper Mohammad Zohaib accepting the catch.

Taufiq, who spent 17 minutes in the middle but faced just three deliveries, was also a victim of another fine ball that found the outside edge of the discarded left-handed Test opener’s bat in Tariq’s second over.

With the top three gone with scoring — a rare sight in the scorecard — Khurram Shehzad and Misbah then got engaged in retrieving the situation while adding 47 for the fourth wicket. After going the hard work, Khurram (26 off 59 balls, two fours) wasted the opportunity for a long innings when seamer Prince Abbas induced him to deflect an attempted pull stroke onto his stumps.

Adil Raza, who didn’t the new ball in the second innings, had the satisfaction of grabbing the prized wicket of Misbah through a fine catch by Zohaib after the SNGPL captain had scored 34 from 102 balls (three fours) in 160 minutes.

Naeemuddin (59 off 133 balls, five boundaries) and Adnan (64 off 96, eight fours) then took game way from UBL with their enterprising approach in the final session.

Earlier, opener Abid Ali, who resumed at 31, was eighth out at 144 for an obdurate 51 (151 balls, seven boundaries) after battling for just over four hours since Thursday afternoon. He was caught at slip by Khurram off Yasir Shah.

Leg-spinner Yasir, in fact, claimed three of the four wickets to finish with excellent analysis of five for 41 in 18.2 overs. Kashif Bhatti (30 off 45 balls, five fours) partnered Abid in the highest stand of UBL innings — 47 in 59 minutes — before he was the first man to go when he lobbed a simple catch to mid-on.