KARACHI, Nov 20: National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) both climbed up the President’s Trophy ladder on Wednesday with convincing victories while Aftab Alam Khan struck a career-best 181 to save Habib Bank Limited (HBL) from defeat against United Bank Limited.

NBP vanquished Wapda’s hopes of scoring the remaining 125 runs they needed at the start of the third day’s play at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi as the Bankers took the last seven wickets for the addition of 74 runs to emerge victors by 50 runs.

Zia-ul-Haq, the 18-year-old left-arm quickie who bagged career-best 5-39 in the first innings, dismissed nightwatchman Sarfraz Ahmed to finish four for 42 in the second innings and a match haul of 9-81.

Saad Nasim was the top-scorer for Wapda with 36 before he was sixth out at 63, becoming one of three wickets for discarded Pakistan all-rounder Hammad Azam.

Fast bowler Ahmed Jamal took a brace after being wicketless in the first innings.

NBP’s second win put them in the second spot seven points behind leaders and current champions Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) who have 28.

ZTBL moved into third place, a further three points behind, after brushing aside State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) by six wickets.

Chasing 181 with the entire fourth day to get those runs, ZTBL were home in only 36.4 overs after openers Yasir Hameed (62 off 87 balls, nine fours and one six) and Sharjeel Khan (run-a-ball 64, eight boundaries and three sixes) shared a rousing partnership of 127 in exactly 100 minutes.

It was then left to all-rounder Zohaib Khan (28 not out, six fours) to complete the last rites with Zulqarnain Haider (8) partnering him.

Paceman Faisal Yasin was the solitary bright spot for SBP as he claimed all four wickets to fall for 49 runs in 10 overs.

UBL were denied a golden opportunity to chalk up their second success in the championship when an anxious HBL side batted throughout the day at the Marghazar Cricket Ground in Islamabad to take their overnight score of 60-2 to 341-7.

HBL’s hero was Aftab, a 29-year-old right-hander who has been on the first-class scene since 2000-01, who batted with composure to strike 29 boundaries and two sixes during his 243-ball knock while occupying the crease for 307 minutes. It was Aftab’s eighth century in 124 matches.

Wicket-keeper Jamal Anwar also made his presence felt in a big way after it seemed UBL would wrap up the match in a matter of overs when HBL lost their sixth wicket in the 40th over.

But Aftab and Jamal remained unmovable for 57.2 overs during which they put on 207 priceless runs before off-spinner Atif Maqbool bagged his only wicket of the game by having Aftab caught by Tariq Haroon.

Jamal finished undefeated on 52 — an innings lasting 218 minutes and consuming 174 deliveries — with four boundaries and one six studded in it.

By taking three points UBL are sixth in the standings with 12 in three games but HBL need a lot of catching up to do as stay rooted to the bottom with just three points from four matches.

The fourth round of the President’s Cup one-day event is slated to be staged on Friday after which both these tournaments take a break as departments prepare to clash in the Twenty20 competition — which was originally scheduled to be played next February — being held in Lahore from Nov 27 to Dec 3 after PCB decided to shift it from Rawalpindi.

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

At KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi: Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited beat State Bank of Pakistan by six wickets.

STATE BANK Of PAKISTAN 217 in 64 overs (Usman Arshad 95, Rameez Alam 33; Mohammad Khalil 5-59, Mohammad Imran Khan 3-37) and 272 in 79 overs (Jalat Khan 88, Rameez Alam 45, Mohtashim Ali 39, Hasan

Mahmood 23 not out, Gulraiz Sadaf 21; Mohammad Khalil 4-70, Usman Khan Shinwari 2-63); ZARAI TARAQIATI BANK LIMITED 309 in 84.3 overs (Imran Nazir 91, Sharjeel Khan 81, Yasir Hameed 38, Haris Sohail 38; Kashif Siddique 3-19, Hasan Mahmood 3-51, Faisal Yasin 2-58) and 183-4 in 36.4 overs (Sharjeel Khan 64, Yasir Hameed 62, Zohaib Ahmed 28 not out; Faisal Yasin 4-49).

At Marghazar Cricket Ground, Islamabad: Match drawn.

UNITED BANK LIMITED 167 in 50.5 overs (Kashif Bhatti 45, Ali Asad 23, Saeed bin Nasir 22; Ehsan Adil 5-70, Fahad Masood 3-30) and 386 in 98.3 overs (Abid Ali 205 not out, Tariq Haroon 50, Saad Surkhail 28, Bismillah Khan 27, Ali Asad 21; Sarmad Anwar 4-108, Hafiz Asad Baig 2-28, Aslam Qureshi 2-54, Ehsan Adil 2-90); HABIB BANK LIMITED 130 in 43.3 overs (Hafiz Asad Baig 19, Imran Farhat 18, Shan Masood 17; Rumman Raees Khan 7-31, Mohammad Irshad 2-25) and 341-7 in 100 overs (Aftab Alam Khan 181, Jamal Anwar 52 not out, Imran Farhat 32, Aslam Qureshi 22; Tariq Haroon 2-71, Mohammad Irshad 2-78).

At Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi (day three): National Bank of Pakistan beat Water and Power Development Authority by 50 runs.

NATIONAL BANK OF PAKISTAN 162 in 62.1 overs (Hammad Azam 34, Sami Aslam 29; Azhar Attari 4-45, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan 3-49, Sarfraz Ahmed 3-50) and 116 in 28.1 overs (Zia-ul-Haq 22; Rana Naved-ul-Hasan 5-53, Sarfraz Ahmed 3-24, Azhar Attari 2-33); WATER AND POWER DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY 123 in 48 overs (Mohammad Naeem 26; Zia-ul-Haq 5-39, Ataullah 3-38, Hammad Azam 2-8) and 105 in 36.3 overs (Saad Nasim 36; Zia-ul-Haq 4-42, Hammad Azam 3-14, Ahmed Jamal 2-9).