KARACHI: Seamer Mohammad Amir continued his wicket-taking form with another bag of five on Monday as Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) strengthened their grip in their penultimate-round fixture of the Inter-department qualifying tournament by dismissing PIA for a low total.

The leaders, who have chalked up three straight victories to head the standings with 27 points, will be assured of playing in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship later this month if they win the current match at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.

At stumps on day two of the four-day game, SSGC were comfortably placed with a commanding lead of 299 with six wickets standing by reaching 148-4 with Muzammil Nizam (58) and skipper Umar Amin (21) at the crease.

But the day belonged to 24-year-old Amir, who is making steady progress to revive his chequered international career, as the left-armer grabbed his fourth five-for in the ongoing qualifiers to send PIA tumbling for 140 all out after SSGC — starting the day 290-8, lost their remaining two wickets for the addition of one run.

Amir finished with five for 34 in 10.1 overs to take his haul to 32 wickets thus far at a miserly average of 9.53 in four matches.

The only PIA batsman to withstand Amir was ex-Pakistan right-hander Faisal Iqbal who struck an undefeated 56 from 59 balls with eight boundaries.

Second-placed State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) endured tough resistance from third-placed Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore as the latter posted a decent 340 in their first innings after resuming at 192-4.

Opener Imam-ul-Haq, overnight 90, completed his second century in the competition before becoming one of six wickets for the lanky left-arm Peshawar paceman Taj Wali. Former Pakistan skipper and batting legend Inzamam-ul-Haq’s nephew scored a patient 113 in a marathon stay of 434 minutes during the bespectacled 19-year-old left-hander negotiated 265 balls and hit eight fours.

Taj ended up with figures of six for 66 in 32.2 overs. All-rounder Aamir Yamin, who made for Pakistan in the recent one-day series win over Zimbabwe, grabbed three wickets for 60 runs in 28 overs.

SBP were 63-1 in reply when played ended for the day with the casualty being Test opener Sami Aslam for 15.

Pakistan seam-bowling all-rounder Sohail Tanvir played a skipper’s knock with a rapid century to help Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), current placed fourth in the standings, pile on the agony on Karachi Port Trust (KPT) at the Multan Cricket Ground in Multan.

The left-hander bludgeoned 119 from only 114 deliveries as ZTBL declared their first innings at 439-9 before reducing winless KPT to 213-8 in response.

In fact, KPT’s plight would have made a much more depressing reading had all-rounder Babar Rehman (62 off 83 balls, 11 boundaries) and Adeel Malik (61 off 55, 10 fours) not forged a face-saving unbroken partnership of 113 for the ninth wicket in only 78 minutes.

Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, who is currently out of the national team, marked his first appearance in the tournament with three wickets for 50 runs in 13 overs with all his victims caught by Sohail Tanvir.

Earlier, ZTBL began the day at 300-5 and lost Shahid Yousuf, who failed to add to his Sunday’s tally of 71. Shahid shared an invaluable sixth-wicket stand of 87 with Sohail, who then added 94 for the seventh wicket with wicket-keeper Shakeel Ansar (39).

Close of play scores on Monday (day two of four):

Inter-department qualifying tournament:

Fourth round:

At Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan: ZTBL 439-9 declared in 121.1 overs (Sohail Tanvir 119, Shahid Yousuf 71, Zohaib Khan 57, Naved Yasin 42, Shakeel Ansar 39, Saeed Ajmal 22; Adeel Malik 3-74, Babar Rehman 2-62, Yasir Hussain 2-98, Mansoor Ahmed 2-145); KPT 213-8 in 55 overs (Babar Rehman 62 not out, Adeel Malik 61 not out, Nadeem Javed 23, Faisal Khan 23; Saeed Ajmal 3-50, Shahid Yousuf 2-16).

At Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad: SSGC 291 in 87.5 overs (Umar Amin 93, Asif Zakir 52, Saifullah Khan Bangash 47, Mohammad Irfan 45; Fahad Iqbal 3-24, Mohammad Umar 2-41) and 148-4 in 28 overs (Muzammil Nizam 58 not out, Umar Amin 21 not out, Awais Zia 23) ; PIA 140 in 43.1 overs (Faisal Iqbal 56 not out, Shoaib Khan 30; Mohammad Amir 5-34, Adnan Ghaus 2-20, Awais Zia 2-31).

At Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore: KRL 340 in 137.3 overs (Imam-ul-Haq 113, Ali Nadeem Abbasi 44, Saeed Anwar Jr 39, Mohammad Yasin 33, Shoaib Ahmed 30, Nawaz Ahmed Jan 22; Taj Wali 6-66, Aamir Yamin 3-60); STATE BANK 63-1 in 20 overs (Israrullah 26, Mukhtar Ahmed 21 not out).

Published in Dawn, October 13th , 2015

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