KARACHI: Sui Southern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) warmed up for next week’s Gold League final of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship with a two-day rout of Wapda here on Sunday.

In a low-scoring last round fixture at the Southend Club Ground, leaders SNGPL recorded their eighth victory in the championship when they handed Wapda an eighth-wicket defeat to finish their campaign with 72 points.

Wapda started their second innings afresh after having bowled SNGPL out in their first innings in the dying stages on day one. Having been dismissed for 90 on Saturday, Wapda fared marginally better when they mustered a grand total of 108 all out.

Aamir Sajjad was the top scorer with a 61-ball 32 that included two sixes.

Slow left-armer Imran Khalid bagged figures of five for 43 in 16 overs to finish with a match haul of nine for 60 in 29 overs.

Imran’s Wapda counterpart Khalid Usman returned match analysis of eight for 77 after taking two for 35 as SNGPL reached their target of 66 quite comfortably with returning skipper Taufiq Umar making an undefeated 36.

Mohammad Nawaz, who had never taken more than two wickets in an innings over past 17 first-class matches, snared remarkable figures of seven for 31 in 15.1 overs to put National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) in driving seat in the must-win clash against Port Qasim Authority (PQA).

PQA were dismissed for 91 after resuming the day at 37-3 in response to NBP’s 249 at the NBP Sports Complex. Nawaz, who having taken two wickets on the opening day, grabbed five more as PQA lost their last six wickets for 53.

Barring opener Shahzaib Hasan, who scored an 84-ball 46 with five fours and a six, and Daniyal Ahsan (21), no other batsman managed to get into double figures.

Starting their second innings with a decisive lead of 158, NBP pressed home their advantage further by posting 279 all out on the stroke of stumps. Former Test left-hander Qaiser Abbas played a splendid knock of 111 (142 balls, 10 fours and three sixes).

Adnan Rasool made a handy 36 while helping Qaiser, whose solitary Test appea­rance was against England in 2000, put on an invaluable 91 for the eighth wicket.

Off-spinner Tabish Nawab repeated his five-for act of the first innings with an expensive haul of five for 156 in 29 overs, giving him match analysis of 10 for 211 in 50 overs.

If PQA aspire to make the final they have to scale the ‘Mount Everest’ target of 438 on a pitch turning viciously. At this point in time NBP are firm favourites to qualify for the Dec 22-26 final at the National Stadium if they emerge winners in this game.

United Bank earned a lead of 69 after dismissing Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) for 185 in their first innings at the UBL Sports Complex with left-arm paceman Rumman Raees Khan taking four wickets for 49 runs.

Batting again, the bankers reached 50-2 to hold an overall lead of 119.

Umar Siddique underlined his immense poetical with a brilliant century as Lahore Lions collected 251-5 in their second innings against Islamabad Leopards at the National Stadium. The young left-hander hit 113 from 136 deliveries with the aid of 20 boundaries.

Umar was the dominant partner in the second-wicket partnership of 101 with opener Waqas Saleem (47).

Earlier, the Leopards added 55 to their overnight tally of 149 to secure a lead of 55 on the first innings. Paceman Mohammad Saeed claimed six for 66 in 19 overs.

Hosts Multan Tigers were in big strife at 113-8 after Peshawar Panthers’ last three wickets added 100 to swell the total to 403 all out at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

Aimal Khan, who began on the day on an already career-best 70, completed his maiden first-class century as he ended up making 113 (234 balls, 16 boundaries).

Tigers’ pace spearhead Majid Ali captured six wickets for 92 runs.

Azizullah has so far taken five for 52. The Tigers were reeling at 18-5 before Kashif Naved (45) and skipper Gulraiz Sadaf (43 not out) put on 67.

Seamer Haseeb Azam picked up match figures of 10 for 119 to raise hopes of a Rawalpindi Rams victory against Karachi Dolphins at the Niaz Stadium in Hyderabad.

The 28-year-old brother of discarded Pakistan all-rounder Hammad Azam captured career-best six for 52 to bowl the Dolphins for 165 in their second innings on the penultimate day of the four-day match. The Rams, chasing 238, were 48-1 at draw of stumps.

Close of play scores and result on Sunday (day two of four):

At National Stadium, Karachi: LAHORE LIONS 149 in 41.3 overs (Umar Siddique 41, Saad Nasim 36; Zohaib Ahmed 5-66, Hamza Nadeem 3-56, Mudassar Ali 2-27) and 251-5 in 63 overs (Umar Siddique 113, Waqas Saleem 47, Raza Ali Dar 26 not out; Sarmad Bhatti 2-21, Hamza Nadeem 2-90); ISLAMABAD LEOPARDS 204 in 54.1 overs (Imad Wasim 40, Sarmad Bhatti 37, Ali Sarfraz 28; Mohammad Saeed 6-66, Aftab Azwar 3-54).

At NBP Sports Complex, Karachi: NATIONAL BANK 249 in 72.1 overs (Akbar-ur-Rehman 72, Bilal Qureshi 62, Qaiser Abbas 41, Bilal Munir 25; Tabish Nawab 5-65, Sohail Khan 3-61) and 279 in 62.4 overs (Qaiser Abbas 111, Kamran Akmal 36, Adnan Rasool 36, Akbar-ur-Rehman 31; Tabish Nawab 5-156, Shahzaib Hasan 2-9, Kamran Younis 2-30); PORT QASIM AUTHORITY 91 in 38.1 overs (Shahzaib Hasan 46; Mohammad Nawaz 7-31, Mohammad Asghar 2-49).

At UBL Sports Complex, Karachi: UNITED BANK 254 in 83.2 overs (Ammar Hasan 90, Naved Sarwar 47, Ali Asad 43; Kashif Daud 7-30, Haseeb-ur-Rehman 2-20) and 50-2 in 19 overs (Ahsan Ali 28; Sajjad Hussain 2-11); ZTBL 185 in 73.2 overs (Haseeb-ur-Rehman 45, Ammar Mahmood 35; Rumman Raees Khan 4-49, Ali Zahid 3-32).

At Southend Club Ground, Karachi: SNGPL beat Wapda by eight wickets.

WAPDA 90 in 37 overs (Zeeshan Ali 30; Manzoor Khan 5-22, Imran Khalid 4-17) and 108 in 41.1 overs (Aamir Sajjad 32; Imran Khalid 5-43, Manzoor Khan 2-23); SNGPL 133 in 48.1 overs (Naeemuddin 32, Abubakar Khan 27; Khalid Usman 6-42, Mohammad Irfan 3-32) and 66-2 in 21.2 overs (Taufiq Umar 36 not out; Khalid Usman 2-35).

At Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan: PESHAWAR PANTHERS 403 in 114.3 overs (Aimal Khan 113 not out, Akbar Badshah 76, Mehran Ibrahim 63; Majid Ali 6-92, Mohammad Asif 2-109); MULTAN TIGERS 113-8 in 35 overs (Kashif Naved 45, Gulraiz Sadaf 43 not out; Azizullah 5-52, Taj Wali 3-38).

At Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad (day three): KARACHI DOLPHINS 325 in 91.2 overs (Mohammad Waqas 129, Yasir Mushtaq 62, Babar Hussain Agha 53; Haseeb Azam 4-67, Rizwan Akbar 4-113, Tayyab Abbas 2-77) and 165 in 65 overs (Faraz Ahmed Khan 62, Majid Khan 39, Mohammad Hasan 26 not out; Haseeb Azam 6-52, Rizwan Akbar 4-51); RAWALPINDI RAMS 253 in 73 overs (Yasim Murtaza 58 not out, Aaqib Shah 39, Babar Rehman 5-67, Mir Hamza 3-58) and 48-1 in 15 overs.

Published in Dawn December 15th , 2014