KARACHI: Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) set up a semi-final meeting with Habib Bank Limited (HBL) after both won their seventh-round fixtures in the National One-day Cup for Departments here on Thursday.

Wapda also emerged victorious against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) to retain their second spot in the final league-round standings while pairing up with Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) in the other last-four clash. In an inconsequential match, National Bank of Pakistan upstaged United Bank Limited (UBL) to bag the fifth place.

In Saturday’s last-four fixtures, table-toppers SNGPL face third-placed HBL at the National stadium, while Wapda take on fourth-placed SSGC at the NBP Sports Complex, where, to the surprise of many, no league-round fixture was played.

SSGC, who led the standings before start of play on Thursday, were brushed aside by SNGPL at the National Stadium where an ugly incident involving ex-Pakistan batsman and SNGPL head coach Basit Ali and former international Mahmood Hamid was the talking point.

Basit, whom the PCB has entrusted with coaching the women’s national side, cornered Mahmood when the latter turned at the stadium in the afternoon. The pair was engaged in a heated discussion over a TV talk show in which Mahmood passed crude remarks about Basit, who then lost his cool and slapped Mahmood in front of the players as well as media and other personnel.

Coming to the actual match, SSGC were restricted to 238 all out in 49.1 overs after SNGPL captain Mohammad Hafeez chose to field first upon winning the toss.

The highlights the batting of Adil Amin and skipper Shoaib Malik, who scored the lion’s share of runs in the forth-wicket partnership of 163 from 189 balls in 127 minutes.

Adil made 85 off 112 balls with the aid of eight fours and one six before being caught and bowled by left-arm spinner Sadaqat Ali, while Malik holed out to Asif Ali on the long-off boundary after striking seven boundaries and three sixes during his 111-ball knock of 94.

Paceman Asad Ali, who sent back Malik, finished with fine analysis of 4-43 in nine overs with Hafeez, Sadaqat and Mohammad Imran claiming two wickets apiece.

SNGPL needed 46.3 overs top displace SSGC at the top thanks to another wonderful innings from Pakistan reject Iftikhar Ahmed who struck an undefeated 107-ball 85 featuring six boundaries.

Khurram Shehzad (44 off 51 balls, six fours) lent great support to Iftikhar after Imran Butt (140, Salman Afridi (22) and Hafeez, who was run out for 20, had perished with 82 on the board as the two of them added 74 before Asif Ali (34 off 36, six fours) rubbed further salt into SSGC’s wounds in a stand of 71 with the well-set Iftikhar.

Slow left-armer Mohammad Irfan snared three wickets for 40 runs.

Ahmed Shehzad emulated a M.S. Dhoni-style helicopter stroke against PIA captain Anwar Ali for a six to inspire HBL to a thrilling three-wicket win at the SBP Sports Complex.

Shehzad, the Pakistan discard, ended up making a glorious 112 from 118 balls while striking two other sixes and seven fours as HBL chased down PIA’s 257-5 with only two balls left. It was the right-hander’s second century in the tournament.

Earlier, PIA recovered from 23-2 to reach a competitive total after HBL won the toss. Shoaib Khan (60), Faisal Iqbal (59 not out) and Anwar (52) were the main run-getters.

Kamran Akmal improved his case of recall to the Pakistan squad for next month’s ODI series in Australia by stroking his second hundred of the competition as Wapda defeated KRL by 36 runs at the Niaz Stadium in Hyderabad.

Kamran hit 107 from 113 balls with the aid of 12 boundaries and one six as Wapda posted 260-7 after the game was reduced to 47 overs per side owing to a delayed start.

Salman Butt made 84 (off 109 balls, six fours and one six) while putting on 176 for the third wicket with Kamran.

Seamer Mohammad Abbas continued his fine form this season with figures of 4-43 from 10 overs.

But his heroics were not matched by the batsmen as KRL reached 224-7 mainly due to a 29-ball cameo from Nauman Ali who blasted five sixes and four fours in scoring an undefeated 58.

In the otherwise meaningless fixture at the UBL Sports Complex, UBL suffered a six-wicket defeat against NBP.

Thursday’s results:

Seventh and final round:

At National Stadium, Karachi: SNGPL beat SSGC by five wickets.

SSGC 238 in 49.1 overs (Shoaib Malik 94, Adil Amin 85, Fawad Alam 23; Asad Ali 4-43, Mohammad Hafeez 2-35, Sadaqat Ali 2-39, Mohammad Imran 2-41); SNGPL 239-5 in 46.3 overs (Iftikhar Ahmed 85 not out, Khurram Shehzad 44, Asif Ali 34, Salman Afridi 22, Mohammad Hafeez 20; Mohammad Irfan 3-40).

At UBL Sports Complex, Karachi: NBP beat UBL by six wickets.

UBL 250-9 in 50 overs (Mohammad Wajihuddin 76 not out, Umar Siddique 62, Saeed bin Nasir 51, Sohaib Maqsood 24; Mohammad Irfan 3-35, Kamran Ghulam 2-22, Altaf Ahmed 2-68); NBP 251-4 in 47 overs (Hamza Paracha 59, Nasir Jamshed 52, Rameez Raja 43, Bilal Asif 42 not out, Kamran Ghulam 27 not out).

At SBP Sports Complex, Karachi: HBL beat PIA by three wickets.

PIA 257-5 in 50 overs (Shoaib Khan 60, Faisal Iqbal 59 not out, Anwar Ali 52, Majid Khan 46; Fahim Ashraf 2-54); HBL 263-7 in 49.4 overs (Ahmed Shehzad 112 not out, Aftab Khan 41, Imam-ul-Haq 35, Fakhar Zaman 22; Tahir Khan 3-50).

At Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad; Wapda beat KRL by 36 runs.

WAPDA 260-7 in 47 overs (Kamran Akmal 107, Salman Butt 84, Aamir Sajjad 32 not out; Mohammad Abbas 4-43); KRL 224-7 in 47 overs (Nauman Ali 58 not out, Shoaib Ahmed Minhas 38, Mohammad Yasin 38, Junaid Ali 25, Abdul Rehman Muzammil 20; Mansoor Amjad 3-31, Waqas Maqsood 2-57).

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2016