KARACHI: Habib Bank Limited (HBL) were left battling for survival after Hyderabad Hawks built a healthy first-innings lead in their Quaid-i-Azam Trophy Silver League quarter-final in Mirpur on Monday.

Replying to HBL’s measly 128, the Hawks posted 266 all out after resuming the second day’s play at their overnight score of 95-2 at the Mirpur Cricket Stadium.

Trailing by 138, HBL went to stumps at a wobbly 86-3 in their second innings after Aftab Khan (41) and Bilal Shafayat (30) put on 57 for the third wicket. The bankers still require 52 to make their opponents bat again.

Earlier, the Hawks lost seven wickets for 107 runs before tailenders Babar Khan and Naeem-ur-Rehman forged together a partnership of 57 in 43 minutes for the last wicket. Babar remained unbeaten with 13 but Naeem blasted 43 off 39 deliveries to emerge as the top scorer.

Off-spinner Ashiq Ali, who played for National Bank in the PCB U-19 competition last season, marked his first-class debut with four for 60 in 15 overs. Seasoned left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman took 4-78 in 21.2 overs.

Centurion Usman Salahuddin puts SBP in charge

PIA, meanwhile, are closing in on victory after reaching 93-4 in pursuit of a modest 130-run chase against Bahawalpur Stags at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot.

After losing the first four second-innings wickets for 47, Fahad Iqbal (23) and his elder brother Faisal (28) put on 46 for the unbroken fifth wicket.

The bowlers were on song throughout. In an exact replica of Sunday’s opening day, another 17 wickets stumbled. PIA, who began their overnight first innings at 92-7, were first dismissed for 104 to enable the Stags to lead by 33 runs. Ansar Javed (4-32) and Zahir Siddiqui (4-37) shared the bowling honours.

The Stags then crashed to 96 all out in their second essay with PIA skipper Kamran Sajid repeating his four-wicket act of Sunday by taking 4-24 with slow-medium deliveries. Left-arm paceman Najaf Shah claimed 4-30.

An unbeaten knock of 135 (294 balls, 14 boundaries) from skipper Usman Salahuddin guided the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) into a commanding position against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) in their last-eight clash at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.

Resuming at 35-4 in response to KRL’s 176, SBP staged a magnificent comeback through successive century stands with Usman involved in both of them.

Mukhtar Ahmed, unwell to open the innings on Sunday evening, scored 61 (99 balls, 10 fours) as he helped Usman put on 120 for the sixth wicket. Incoming batsman Rizwan Haider (54 off 90, six fours and one six) then shared a partnership worth 102 with his captain.

Meanwhile, Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) took a lead of 44 after restricting Pakistan Television (PTV) to 222 in their first innings at the National Cricket Ground in Islamabad. By stumps, SSGC had extended their lead to 110 by reaching 66-0.

Off-spinner Atif Maqbool, making a return after his bowling action was deemed suspected, grabbed six wickets for 82 in 23.5 overs.

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

Quarter-finals:

At Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot: BAHAWALPUR STAGS 137 in 38.5 overs (Moinuddin 49, Adeel Basit 23; Kamran Sajid 4-14, Najaf Shah 3-61, Hazrat Shah 2-25) and 96 in 38 overs (Faisal Mubashir 29; Kamran Sajid 4-24, Najaf Shah 4-30; PAKISTAN INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES 104 in 41.1 overs (Fahad Iqbal 27; Ansar Javed 4-32, Zahir Siddiqui 4-37) and 93-4 in 26 overs (Faisal Iqbal 28 not out, Fahad Iqbal 23 not out; Zahir Siddiqui 3-34).

At Mirpur Cricket Stadium, Mirpur: HABIB BANK LIMITED 128 in 43.1 overs (Rameez Aziz 49, Abdur Rehman 28; Mir Ali Talpur 5-39, Naeem-ur-Rehman 3-25) and 86-3 in 21 overs (Aftab Khan 41, Bilal Shafayat 30); HYDERABAD HAWKS 266 in 73.2 overs (Naeem-ur-Rehman 43, Azeem Ghumman 40, Lal Kumar 37, Zeeshan Gul 27, Faisal Athar 27, Darya Khan 24; Ashiq Ali 4-60, Abdur Rehman 4-78).

At Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad: KHAN RESEARCH LABORATORIES 176 in 59.4 overs (Ali Khan 36, Nauman Ali 36, Luqman Butt 28, Usman Arshad 25, Saeed Anwar Jr 23; Zafar Gohar 4-30, Rizwan Haider 4-35, Zahoor Khan 2-67); STATE BANK OF PAKISTAN 338-8 in 106 overs (Usman Salahuddin 135 not out, Mukhtar Ahmed 61, Rizwan Haider 54, Maqbool Ahmed 21; Kaleem Sana 3-49, Osama Mir 3-103).

At National Cricket Ground, Islamabad: SUI SOUTHERN GAS COMPANY 266 in 72.3 overs (Usman Tariq 64, Mohammad Waqas 51, Tariq Haroon 50, Mohammad Irfan 28 not out, Atif Maqbool 27; Waqar Ahmed 5-53, Usman Ashraf 3-52) and 66-0 in 18 overs (Awais Zia 43 not out, Usman Tariq 21 not out); PAKISTAN TELEVISION 222 in 67.5 overs (Hasan Raza Jr 59, Mohammad Kashif 45, Usman Ashraf 32, Ali Raza 22; Atif Maqbool 6-82, Tabish Khan 2-47).

Published in Dawn, November 25th , 2014