FAISALABAD: State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) dethroned defending champions Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) in the President’s Cup One-Day tournament final, winning by seven wickets here at the Iqbal Stadium on Wednesday.

SBP restricted SNGPL to 165 all out in 37.3 overs, with Kashif Bhatti (3-28) and Mohammad Abbas (3-41) leading the charge. SNGPL’s Mirza Tahir Baig top-scored with 48.

In response, SBP’s Imran Butt stole the show with an unbeaten 68 (133b, 2x4s), guiding his team to victory in 43.4 overs. Umar Amin (40) and Fawad Alam (28) also contributed significantly.

Tahir Baig’s 51-ball 48 was the highlight of SNGPL’s innings, but their batting collapse proved costly.

After Tahir was dismissed by veteran Fawad, Hassan Nawaz (40) and Abid Ali (21) stitched up a 40-run partnership for the third wicket.

But a remarkable collapse was witnessed after the partnership was broken as the whole team could only add 40 runs to the total before returning to the pavilion.

Scores in brief:

SNGPL 165 all out in 37.3 overs (Mirza Tahir Baig 48, Hasan Nawaz 40; Kashif Bhatti 3-28, Mohammad Abbas 3-41); SBP 169-3 in 43.4 overs (Imran Butt 68 not out, Umar Amin 40; Bilawal Bhatti 1-21).

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2024