LAHORE: Aamir Jamal followed up his seven-wicket haul with an unbeaten 45 as Markhor IT Solutions (MIT) strengthened their position against State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), taking a 203-run lead with three wickets in hand on the second day of the President’s Trophy Grade-I final at Bagh-e-Jinnah Cricket Ground on Wednesday.

MIT reached 263-7 in their second innings at stumps, with Aamir batting on 45 off 65 balls, including six fours, alongside Salman Aslam.

Coming in at 175-5 with a lead of 115, Aamir held the innings together as MIT looked to set SBP a challenging target. His contribution followed his career-best performance with the ball, having returned figures of seven for 32 in SBP’s first innings.

Earlier, SBP resumed their first innings at 136-8 and were dismissed for 172, giving MIT a 60-run lead. Sirajuddin remained unbeaten on 32.

MIT made a cautious start to their second innings as SBP’s pacers claimed three wickets for 61 runs. With the deficit erased, Abuzar Tariq took charge, scoring 85.

Abuzar found support from Atiq-ur-Rehman, who made 23 before departing as MIT continued to build their advantage.

The hosts suffered a setback when Atizaz Habib Khan retired hurt on 32 after being struck on the head by Sirajuddin. Ali Asfand came in as his concussion substitute but managed only 10 before falling to Sirajuddin.

Aamir then provided the late resistance, helping MIT push their lead beyond 200 despite losing two more wickets. Mohammad Abbas claimed three wickets for SBP, while Sirajuddin took two for 71 to raise his match tally to eight.

Shahid Aziz dismissed MIT captain Khalid Usman for four, and Kashif Bhatti ended Abuzar’s innings.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2026