THE Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) will try to go one better this time after qualifying for a second consecutive Patron’s Trophy Grade-II cricket tournament final on Friday after their semi-final against Omar Associates ended in a draw following overnight rain in Rawalpindi.
The wet conditions didn’t permit play on the last day of the three-day match until 2:45pm. In the 35 overs of action possible, the KESC added 111 to their Thursday’s second-innings tally of 111-3 while losing a further three wickets to finish on 222-6 in 71 overs with Mohammad Waqas scoring his second century in the game.
Thus, the KESC, earned the right to meet Pakistan Television (PTV) — the nine-wicket winners over Sayid Paper Mills in the other semi-final which ended inside two days in Mirpur — on the basis of their big 208-run lead against Omar Associates on the first innings.
The four-day final is set to start from Monday at the Mirpur Cricket Stadium in Mirpur (Azad Jammu Kashmir) with the eventual winners of the competition to receive Rs200,000 and the runners-up Rs100,000 of the Rs400,000 allocated for the non-first class event.
Obviously, the solitary landmark on Friday was the feat of the left-handed Mohammad Waqas who followed up his 119 in the first innings by contributing 110 in the second essay after resuming the final day at 72. He laced his 101-ball knock with 15 boundaries and one six.
Saad Ali, who added just two runs to his Thursday’s tally of 24, played second-fiddle to Waqas during their fourth-wicket partnership of 90. Saad’s 26 from 91 balls contained three fours. All-rounder Rizwan Khan, who didn’t get a chance to display his batting in KESC’s massive first-innings total of 467-7, made an entertaining 37 off 51 deliveries with the aid of five boundaries.
Fellow all-rounder Arun Lal hit a circumspect 24 when the match was eventually called off with his 69-ball undefeated innings containing a brace of boundaries and one six.
Rizwan Akbar, the 26-year-old right-arm fast bowler from Rawalpindi, didn’t add to his three wickets which he captured on day two but still ended up respectable analysis of three for 44.
Rizwan’s 43 wickets from six matches are easily the most by any bowler in the ongoing tournament.
The KESC were the runners-up in last season’s drawn final against the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad with the champions bagging first-class status. But thus far the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has yet to decide whether the winners this time would be promoted to play in the first-class competition next season.
Omar Associates, on the other hand, also made it to the semi-final in their maiden appearance last season and failed to qualify for the final after conceding first-innings lead to the PQA in the drawn fixture in Faisalabad.
Scores and result on Friday (final day of three): Semi-final: At Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi: Match drawn.
KARACHI ELECTRIC SUPPLY COMPANY 467-5 in 83 overs (Bismillah Khan 128, Mohammad Waqas 119, Akbar-ur-Rehman 111, Saad Ali 58; Naved Khan 3-31) and 222-6 in 71 overs (Mohammad Waqas 110, Saad Ali 26, Rizwan Khan 37, Arun Lal 24 not out; Rizwan Akbar 3-44); OMAR ASSOCIATES 259 in 58.4 overs (Mohammad Waqas 71, Fahad-ul-Haq 71, Mansoor Amjad 26, Haris Ayaz 20; Rizwan Khan 4-66, Mir Hamza 3-69).