KARACHI: Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) strengthened their position in the President’s Trophy Grade-I National Cricket Championship final after reducing Habib Bank Limited (HBL) to 90-7 on a dramatic second day of action at the National Stadium here on Tuesday.

After totalling a respectable 283 in their first innings with Ali Waqas making an invaluable 83, SNGPL totally dismantled the HBL star-studded batting line-up with a mixture of disciplined bowling and sharp fielding which resulted in two run outs.

The death knell for HBL came when their skipper Younis Khan tragically found himself short of the crease after a futile attempt to dive towards safety following a terrible mix-up with his batting partner Ahmed Shehzad.

The dismissal of Younis came in a frenetic 15-ball period just before tea during the bankers lost four wickets for mere 12 runs. Shan Masood (11) was the first to depart when unwisely opted to an incoming delivery from left-arm seamer Samiullah Khan Niazi which hit the off stump.

Imran Farhat, the other opener in the left-handed partnership, was caught at slip for 14 while trying to cut a Mohammad Hafeez delivery. The fourth man to bit the dust was Asad Shafiq who was held at short leg by Ali Waqas off Hafeez.

HBL’s woes continued after the interval paceman Asad Ali managed to find a gap between Usman Salahuddin’s bat and pad to bowl him for 15. Without addition to the total of 61, Humayun Farhat inexplicably ran himself out when SNGPL captain Misbah-ul-Haq hit the stumps at the non-striker end with the bulky wicket-keeper/batsman almost a yard out.

Hafeez, the Pakistan Twenty20 skipper, bagged his third wicket by trapping Abdur Rehman for an 18-ball duck while Ahmed Shehzad looked on helplessly from the other hand to finish the day on an 88-ball 37 that includes seven boundaries with Umar Gul (5) partnering him.

Hafeez has so far snared three for nine in 12 overs with eight maidens.

Earlier, the left-handed Ali Waqas, who resumed on 32 in his team’s overnight tally of 189-4, was the ninth man to be dismissed after striking 13 boundaries in a diligent 196-ball innings that lasted 13 minutes short of five hours.

Misbah, who began the day on 81, fell after adding just four more runs when Umar Gul got a ball to curve in sharply to find the Pakistan Test/ODI skipper in front of the stumps. Overall, Misbah batted for 273 minutes and adorned his 193-ball knock with 12 fours and one six.

Fahad Masood, the hardworking medium-pacer, was the pick of the HBL bowlers with an excellent return of five for 67 in 28 overs; giving the 31-year-old right-armer from Gaggu Mandi his 19th five-for in 117 first-class matches.

Scoreboard

SUI NORTHERN GAS PIPELINES LIMITED (1st Innings, overnight 189-4): Mohammad Hafeez c Usman b Umar Gul    4 Taufiq Umar c Humayun b Fahad    16 Azhar Ali c Shan b Ehsan    32 Umar Akmal b Rehman    16 Misbah-ul-Haq lbw b Umar Gul    85 Ali Waqas c Humayun b Fahad    83 Adnan Akmal b Fahad    1 Imran Khalid lbw b Fahad    0 Imran Ali c Humayun b Fahad    9 Samiullah Khan Niazi c and b Rehman    21 Asad Ali not out    0 EXTRAS (B-2, LB-1, NB-13)    16 TOTAL (all out, 119 overs)    283 FALL OF WKTS: 1-24, 2-24, 3-49, 4-121, 5-200, 6-215, 7-215, 8-253, 9-276. BOWLING: Umar Gul 30-14-49-2; Fahad Masood 28-8-67-5 (8nb); Ehsan Adil 21-8-47-1 (5nb); Abdur Rehman 36-8-98-2; Ahmed Shehzad 1-0-11-0; Asad Shafiq 1-0-4-0; Younis Khan 2-0-4-0. HABIB BANK LIMITED (1st Innings): Imran Farhat c Umar Akmal b Hafeez    14 Shan Masood b Samiullah    11 Ahmed Shehzad not out    37 Younis Khan run out    0 Asad Shafiq c Ali Waqas b Hafeez    7 Usman Salahuddin b Asad    15 Humayun Farhat run out    0 Abdur Rehman lbw b Hafeez    0 Umar Gul not out    5 EXTRAS (NB-1)    1 TOTAL (for seven wkts, 41 overs)    90 FALL OF WKTS: 1-22, 2-26, 3-26, 4-34, 5-61, 6-61, 7-71. TO BAT: Ehsan Adil, Fahad Masood. BOWLING (to-date): Asad Ali 9-0-33-1 (1nb); Samiullah Khan Niazi 10-3-22-1; Mohammad Hafeez 12-8-9-3; Imran Khalid 4-1-3-0; Imran Ali 6-1-23-0.