KARACHI: Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) assured themselves of playing first-class cricket this season when they annihilated the troubled PIA side by 222 runs in their penultimate-round fixture of the Inter-department qualifying tournament in Faisalabad on Tuesday.

SSGC’s fourth successive victory meant they are through to the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship with 36 points irrespective of the outcome of their last-round game against Karachi Port Trust at the LCCA Ground in Lahore, starting from Saturday.

On the penultimate day of the four-day match at the Iqbal Stadium, SSGC added 46 runs to their overnight second-innings total of 148-4 before being dismissed for 194 with Ali Imran Pasha capturing five wickets for 52 runs.

Chasing 346 — a target that was seemingly impossible after his horrendous bating performance in the first innings in which they mustered 140, PIA were despatched for 123. Faisal Iqbal top scored for the second time in the match by scoring 31 to follow an undefeated 56 in the first innings.

Mohammad Amir, who claimed 5-32 in the first innings, grabbed two wickets for 28 runs. Fellow paceman Adnan Ghous took a hat-trick by getting rid of Aizaz Cheema, Mohammad Umar and Hazrat Shah to finish with three for 22.

Third-placed Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) earned a lead of 116 on the first innings by restricting State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), currently second in the six-team standings, to 224 all out at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

SBP added 161 to their Monday’s score of 63-1 with Abid Ali (48) and Israrullah (45) emerging as the leading run-getters. Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Irfan and Mohammad Abbas each claimed three wickets.

KRL lost one wicket in making 17 runs in nine overs bowled before stumps to have an overall lead of 133.

Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) were poised to overtake both SBP and KRL on the points’ table after KPT were forced to follow at the Multan Cricket Ground in Multan.

After being bowled out for 229, having begun day three at 213-8, in response to ZTBL’s 439-9 declared, KPT collected 257-7 in their second innings when play ended for the day.

Former Pakistan Under-19 all-rounder Ahmed Iqbal put up a defiant effort with an unbeaten 88 (off 143 balls, 14 boundaries) while Nadeem Javed hit 62 (148 balls, eight fours and one six).

Close of play scores and result on Tuesday (day three 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 229 in overs (Babar Rehman 75, Adeel Malik 64, Nadeem Javed 23, Faisal Khan 23; Zohaib Khan 3-24, Saeed Ajmal 3-60, Shahid Yousuf 2-16) and 257-7 in 82 overs (Ahmed Iqbal 88 not out, Nadeem Javed 62, Taimur Ali 37, Mohammad Hasan

24; Sohail Tanvir 2-35, Saeed Ajmal 2-71).

At Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad: SSGC beat PIA by 222 runs.

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 194 in 41.5 overs (Muzammil Nizam 70, Mohammad Irfan 30, Awais Zia 23, Umar Amin 21; Ali Imran Pasha 5-52, Mohammad Umar 2-25, Aizaz Cheema 2-49); 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) and 123 in 49.4 overs (Faisal Iqbal 31, Anop Ravi 30 not out; Adnan Ghous 3-22, Awais Zia 2-15, Usama Mir 2-19, Mohammad Amir 2-28).

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) and 17-1 in 9 overs; STATE BANK 224 in 91.1 overs (Abid Ali 48, Israrullah 45, Faisal Mubashir 31, Mukhtar Ahmed 29, Kamran Ghulam 29; Mohammad Irfan 3-43, Mohammad Abbas 3-50, Yasir Ali 2-57).

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2015

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