KARACHI: Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) regained their lead at the top of the Gold League standings in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship on Wednesday after sealing a nine-wicket win against National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) in Abbottabad.

SNGPL’s seventh victory in nine matches helped them move back to the top after Port Qasim Authority (PQA) temporarily held the lead by virtue of having beaten United Bank in less than three days on Tuesday.

As it stands now, with two rounds left in the championship, SNGPL have accumulated 63 points with PQA second on 56 and NBP third a further nine points behind.

On the fourth and final day at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, NBP resumed at 165-3 before being dismissed for 340 in their second innings. Mohammad Nawaz added only 17 runs to his overnight score when he was trapped by spinner Imran Khalid for 91 (214 balls, 13 boundaries).

Skipper Kamran Akmal, who put on 79 for the fourth wicket with Nawaz, was dismissed for 39, while all-rounder Hammad Azam also hit 39.

Needing only 26, SNGPL raced home in just 4.4 overs for the loss of one wicket.

Wapda, meanwhile, took their points tally to 45 after outclassing Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) by 168 runs at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

After being all out for 291, Wapda bowlers, led by Waqas Maqsood and Mohammad Irfan, bundled ZTBL out for 131 in less than 33 overs. Left-arm paceman Waqas bagged four or 54 including scalps of Yasir Hameed (9) and Shoaib Malik (second-ball duck).

Irfan snared four for 35 while former Pakistan seamer Rana Naved-ul-Hasan chipped in with two wickets for 26 runs.

A career-best 204 not out from Mohammad Waqas enabled Karachi Dolphins to hold Islamabad Leopards to a draw at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar.

Following on after making only 185 in reply to the Leopards’ 384 on Tuesday, the Dolphins wet to stumps on the penultimate day at 159-3. On the last day, Waqas and Saad Ali extended their partnership to 185 in 286 minutes.

Left-handed Saad was caught off paceman Hamza Nadeem for 59 (180 balls, six fours). The Dolphins lost four wickets for the addition of 61 runs but Waqas and Shahzaib Ahmed Khan (23 off 94 balls) then added 70 priceless runs in 109 minutes to steer their side to safety.

Waqas, who adorned his innings with 25 fours and one six, remained unbeaten after having batted for 532 minutes and faced 365 balls when the Dolphins were all out for 383. Hamza finished with 5-48 in 28 overs.

The Leopards earned just three points with the Dolphins taking one.

Peshawar Panthers took three points for the first-innings lead after Rawalpindi Rams batted throughout the day at the NBP Sports Complex here to reach 302-8 in their second innings.

Scores and results on Wednesday (final day of four):

At NBP Sports Complex, Karachi: match drawn.

RAWALPINDI RAMS 340 in 123.1 overs (Zahid Mansoor 165 not out, Yasim Murtaza 120; Adil Amin 4-25, Afaq Ahmed 3-57, Taj Wali 2-107) and 302-8 in 98 overs (Zahid Mansoor 79, Yasim Murtaza 45, Babar Naeem 44, Usman Saeed 30; Afaq Ahmed 3-40, Altaf Ahmed 3-76, Salman Shah 2-43); PESHAWAR PANTHERS 350 in 121.2 overs (Ashfaq Ahmed 146, Akbar Badshah 62, Taj Wali 32; Rizwan Akbar 5-81, Yasim Murtaza 2-73, Abid Hussain 2-89).

At Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan: Wapda bt ZTBL by 168 runs.

WAPDA 193 in 75 overs (Ayaz Tasawwar 46, Ahmed Said 37, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan 25; Mohammad Khalil 5-51, Shoaib Malik 3-7) and 291 in 115.4 overs (Ali Azmat 60 not out, Adnan Raees 57, Ahmed Said 33, Asif Ali 30, Iftikhar Ahmed 27; Sajjad Hussain 6-61, Karamat Ali 2-69); ZTBL 185 in 65.3 overs (Shoaib Malik 45; Waqas Maqsood 5-68, Asif Ali 2-34) and 131 in 32.2 overs (Zulqarnain Haider 45’ Mohammad Irfan 4-35, Waqas Maqsood 4-54, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan 2-26).

At Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar: match drawn.

ISLAMABAD LEOPARDS 384 in 114.2 overs (Mohammad Irfan 131, Imad Wasim 76, Zohaib Ahmed 57, Faizan Riaz 34; Mir Hamza 5-91, Shahzaib Ahmed Khan 3-94); KARACHI DOLPHINS 185 in 64.5 overs (Majid Khan 65, Saad Ali 29, Adeel Malik 27 not out; Hamza Nadeem 4-22, Imad Wasim 3-39, Shehzad Azam Rana 3-52) and 383 in 138.3 overs (Mohammad Waqas 205 not out, Saad Ali 59; Hamza Nadeem 5-48, Umar Kayani 2-37).

At Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Abbottabad: SNGP bt National Bank by nine wickets.

SNGPL 506-7 declared in 139 overs (Naeemuddin 156, Khurram Shehzad 107, Mohammad Rizwan 70 not out, Hussain Talat 62, Imran Butt 47, Adnan Akmal 32; Mohammad Nawaz 2-92, Mohammad Zahid 2-137) and 29-1 in 4.4 overs; NATIONAL BANK 191 in 46.3 overs (Umar Waheed 50, Kamran Akmal 37; Hussain Talat 3-36, Samiullah Khan Niazi 3-46, Ahmed Safi Abdullah 2-26) and 340 in 104.4 overs (Mohammad Nawaz 91, Sami Aslam 49, Akbar-ur-Rehman 46, Kamran Akmal 39, Hammad Azam 39, Ahmed Jamal 29; Imran Ali 3-46, Imran Khalid 3-81, Samiullah Khan Niazi 2-100).

Published in Dawn December 4th , 2014