Samiullah rolls over Wapda as SNGPL clinch Quaid Trophy title

Khalid H. Khan Published December 26, 2017

VICTORIOUS SNGPL players and team officials pose with the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy after defeating Wapda in the final at the National Stadium on Monday.—Tahir Jamal/White Star

KARACHI: Inspired by career-best bowling from Samiullah Khan Niazi, it took just 50 minutes on Monday for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) to wrap up Wapda’s second innings and regain the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship crown with a deserving 103-run victory here at the National Stadium.

Final scores: SNGPL 259 and 268; Wapda 271 and 153.

Samiullah grabbed all three remaining wickets with the outgoing champions lost on the fifth and final morning as he bettered his previous innings analysis of 7-52 by finishing with 8-61 in 17 overs, appropriately enough on a day the nation celebrated the 141st birth anniversary of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.

Khushdil Shah departed without adding to his overnight of score of eight after Wapda resumed at 108-7 while the inevitable result was delayed by a 38-run partnership between Khalid Usman, who was left high and dry on 34, and Wahab Riaz (24) — via catches from Iftikhar Ahmed in the slips — before Samiullah, fittingly, had last man Waqas Maqsood (1) caught by SNGPL skipper Mohammad Hafeez.

The left-arm seamer from Mianwali returned match haul of 11-129 in a telling contribution which was enough for the 35-year-old to claim the man-of-the-match award just ahead of his SNGPL team-mate Iftikhar Ahmed, who was the top-scorer from either side in both innings with priceless knocks of 73 and 106.

Hafeez, who along with Azhar Ali are due to leave with the Pakistan ODI squad for New Zealand on Wednesday, paid glowing tribute to his jubilant squad shortly after receiving the coveted trophy from Haroon Rashid, director cricket operations of the Pakistan Cricket Board, along with the hefty Rs2.5 million winners’ prize money.

“I think the entire team deserved to be complimented for this great victory. It’s just not the players but the SNGPL management which behind the scene contributed to our winning the title. Our head of sports, Nadeem Ashraf, has been an inspiring force throughout the season and always was on hand to encourage the players,” Hafeez told Dawn.

“The secret of our tremendous success has been the camaraderie in the squad and all of us backed each other, which played a big part in the end. The support staff did a splendid job and guys like team manager Khalid Naseer, head coach Saleem Mughal and bowling coach [ex-Pakistan all-rounder] Abdul Razzaq were the driving force.

“Due to Pakistan’s international commitments, some of us like myself, Azhar, Asad Shafiq and Yasir Shah had to miss [domestic] matches but the performance level of our team never went down. And that is because the backup individuals were equally proficient.

“I thought [Mohammad] Rizwan did a fabulous job as the stand-in captain whenever we’re unavailable and it was really his leadership that enabled us to get this far and end the first-class season unbeaten,” the Hafeez added.

“And finally, I must single out Samiullah, Iftikhar and Rizwan for special praise since they were the ones who contributed massively in the final here.”

Samiullah, who played two ODIs against Zimbabwe in 2008, said the National Stadium pitch was ideal for a five-day final and it was skill more than anything that led to his success.

“The reason why I got so many wickets was because I played on the mental approach of the [Wapda] batsmen. Having played the game for so many years helped a lot. I kept bowling in areas that constantly troubled their batsmen,” Samiullah told Dawn moments after claiming his Rs100,000 award from national selector Tauseef Ahmed.

“I brought my experience into play to get the wickets, especially in the fourth innings. But I must admit the track prepared for the final was just perfect and that’s how it should be so that the match lasts its duration.”

Naturally dejected by the outcome, Wapda skipper Salman Butt still showered praise on his team-mates while lauding the opposition after bagging the runners-up prize of Rs1.5 million from ex-Pakistan chief selector and current advisor to PCB chairman Salahuddin Ahmed.

“They [SNGPL] outplayed us and that’s why they won the title. I can’t blame my team despite the fact we committed a lot of mistakes in the final. There were dropped catches and lost wickets at critical junctures [of the game] which allowed SNGPL to bounce back,” Salman observed at the post-match presentation.

“Technical flaws apart, we could have won the match had those mistakes not been made. Nevertheless, our team had a good season and to get the opportunity to defend the title is something we all can be proud of.”

Other winners of Rs100,000 individual prizes at the conclusion of the prestigious championship were talented UBL left-handed batsmen Saad Ali, who amassed 957 runs, and the Lahore Blues’ seamer Aizaz Cheema (60 wickets) and Lahore Whites’ all-rounder Umaid Asif (378 runs and 44 wickets).

SNGPL have again proved themselves to be the real powerhouse in national first-class competitions with their latest success being the seventh title in the last 10 seasons, and the fourth time — third in last four seasons — them becoming the Quaid Trophy champions.

Scoreboard

SNGPL (1st Innings) 259 (Iftikhar Ahmed 73, Mohammad Rizwan 42, Khurram Shehzad 29, Asad Shafiq 23; Wahab Riaz 4-61, Waqas Maqsood 3-51, Mohammad Asif 2-42).

WAPDA (1st Innings) 271 (Kamran Akmal 67, Adnan Raees 65, Aamir Sajjad 35, Khalid Usman 26, Salman Butt 24; Mohammad Abbas 4-57, Samiullah Khan Niazi 3-67, Azizullah 3-67).

SNGPL (2nd Innings) 268 (Iftikhar Ahmed 106, Mohammad Rizwan 91, Yasir Shah 21; Waqas Maqsood 3-54, Mohammad Asif 3-63, Khalid Usman 2-47).

WAPDA (2nd Innings, overnight 108-7):

Salman Butt lbw b Samiullah 4

Zahid Mansoor c Hafeez b Yasir 38

Adnan Raees c Asad b Samiullah 5

Mohammad Saad c Rizwan b Samiullah 0

Aamir Sajjad c Iftikhar b Samiullah 38

Kamran Akmal b Yasir 0

Mohammad Asif b Samiullah 0

Khushdil Shah c Iftikhar b Samiullah 8

Khalid Usman not out 34

Wahab Riaz c Iftikhar b Samiullah 24