KARACHI: Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) stormed to the top of the President’s Trophy Grade-I National Cricket Championship standings on Monday after a sublime knock from Shoaib Malik helped PIA bring to an end Habib Bank’s four-match winning streak.

SNGPL, who now have 36 points with four victories in five matches, comfortably decimated Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) by a clinical margin of 186 runs on the final day of the four-day clash at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi.

ZTBL, who had began the day at 120-6 in a hopeless pursuit of a 408-run target, lasted another 24.1 overs before their second innings was terminated for 221. Despite the best effort of the 23-year-old talented Haris Sohail, who brought up his second century in consecutive matches, ZTBL were always doomed for the worst.

The left-handed Haris, who scored 115 and 58 without being dismissed against Wapda at Sargodha almost two weeks ago, struck a fighting 117 from 161 deliveries to register his ninth three-figure knock in exactly 50 first-class matches. His brilliant effort at the crease included 19 boundaries.

Once again ZTBL’s main tormentor was the Mianwali-born left-arm seamer Samiullah Khan Niazi who claimed four wickets for 56 runs to finish with a grand haul of 10-87 in the match — the 30-year-old’s first such achievement in 71 first-class appearances.

PIA, as widely tipped, duly completed a thoroughly deserved six-wicket success against the previously high-flying Habib Bank in their clash at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot. Having already made 87-3 while chasing a modest 176, PIA lost one more wicket — that of opener Shahzar Mohammad (19) to paceman Fahad Masood (3-23) — before Sohaib Malik seized the moment to make his presence felt in no uncertain terms with a commanding innings of 94.

Former Pakistan captain Malik, eager to make impression after a lacklustre display at the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, scored 48 on Monday after making 46 the day before in his first game of the championship. Anwar Ali, surprisingly promoted to No 6 ahead of Fahad Iqbal, Shoaib Khan and Sarfraz Ahmed, justified his elevation by making an equally crucial 31 in the unbroken partnership of 79 with Malik.

Malik, who was also the top-scorer in the first innings with 56, slammed 15 boundaries and a solitary six during his 195-ball vigil as Habib Bank captain Younis Khan tried seven bowlers, including himself for an over, to unsettle his Pakistan team-mate.

PIA, who dropped first-innings points here, are third in the standings six points behind Habib Bank with a tally of 27.

Meanwhile, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) swapped places with State Bank to move into fourth spot with 21 points after gaining three first-innings after their drawn fixture at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.

After declaring their second innings at the overnight total of 183-5, KRL offered State Bank, who remain stationed on 18 points, a challenging 307-run chase for victory. However, State Bank opted to play safe to reach 207-4 in 73 overs of their second innings with opener Farrukh Shahzad (73 off 205 balls, 12 boundaries) and Usman Saeed (54 off 96, four fours and three sixes) involved in an unfinished stand of 80.

Farrukh was earlier part of the 103-run opening partnership with Mohtashim Ali (47 off 105 balls, six fours and one six).

In the two matches that ended on Sunday, Wapda whipped United Bank by an innings and 109 runs inside three days at the Sports Stadium in Sargodha, while National Bank recorded a tense two-wicket win over Port Qasim Authority, also in three days, at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

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

At Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad: Match drawn.

KRL 311 in 107.2 overs (Yasir Arafat 80, Ali Khan 60, Nauman Ali 37, Saeed Anwar Jr 32; Ansar Javed 4-56, Hasan Mahmood 2-50, Adnan Rasool 2-88) and 183-5 declared in 58 overs (Zain Abbas 76, Saeed Anwar Jr 57; Rizwan Haider 3-66, Adnan Rasool 2-44); STATE BANK 188 in 79.3 overs (Mohtashim Ali 70 not out, Usman Arshad 36, Hasan Mahmood 32; Nauman Ali 4-62, Zain Abbas 2-11, Rahat Ali 2-31) and 207-4 in 73 overs (Farrukh Shahzad 73 not out, Usman Saeed 54 not out, Mohtashim Ali 47; Mohammad Irfan 2-47, Nauman Ali 2-52).

At Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot: PIA beat Habib Bank by six wickets.

HABIB BANK 200 in 76 overs (Shan Masood 42; Aizaz Cheema 4-33, Anwar Ali 3-57, Kamran Sajid 2-27) and 147 in 51.4 overs (Aftab Khan 58; Najaf Shah 5-38, Aizaz Cheema 3-53); PIA 172 in 58.5 overs (Shoaib Malik 56, Sarfraz Ahmed 53; Fahad Masood 6-33, Ehsan Adil 2-67) and 176-4 in 56 overs (Shoaib Malik 94 not out, Anwar Ali 31 not out; Fahad Masood 3-83).

At Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi: SNGPL beat ZTBL by 186 runs.

SNGPL 250 in 87.3 overs (Misbah-ul-Haq 110, Ali Waqas 40; Abdul Razzaq 6-74, Mohammad Khalil 3-90) and 256-2 declared in 79 overs (Azhar Ali 129 not out, Taufiq Umar 80, Ali Waqas 31); ZTBL 99 in 32.3 overs (Samiullah Khan Niazi 6-31, Bilawal Bhatti 2-22, Asad Ali 2-42) and 221 in 60.1 overs (Haris Sohail 117 not out; Imran Ali 2-21, Samiullah Khan Niazi 4-56, Imran Ali 2-44, Asad Ali 2-46, Bilawal Bhatti 2-62).