KARACHI: It took Wapda only two days to wrap up proceedings against Pakistan Television (PTV) in the ongoing seventh round of the President’s Trophy as they won by three wickets on Monday.

The other two matches of the round — being held across three venues here — go on with State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) in the driving seat against Ghani Glass and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) and Higher Education Commission (HEC) fighting hard for domination.

At the National Bank Stadium, the match bet­ween Wapda and PTV was already in its third inni­ngs on the second day, with the latter starting it at 51-2.

Thanks to Wapda’s Asif Afridi’s four wickets and spin fellow Khalid Usman’s three victims, PTV were bowled out for 202 with Mohammad Shahzad’s half-century going in vain.

What followed was Mohammad Akhlaq’s blistering 100 off 97 balls, which included 15 fours and two sixes. The knock was more than enough to ensure Wapda chased down the 225-run target, despite losing seven wickets in the process.

Akhlaq’s effort was complimented well by Ahmed Shehzad’s 64 off 62 balls. Mohammad Jun­aid and Faisal Akram took three wickets apiece for PTV.

At the UBL Sports Complex, Ghani Glass posted 282-9 in response to SBP’s first-innings total of 278 after starting the day at 62-0. Saad Nasim stood out for Ghani Glass with a 67-ball 53 while opener Azeem Ghumman made 47 off 96. Kashif Bhatti took five wickets for SBP.

SBP then raced to 139-2 on the back of opener Umar Amin’s unbeaten 88-ball 82, which featured 11 fours and a six.

At the State Bank Stadium, Mohammad Huraira’s 85 off 144 and captain Saad Khan’s 91 off 115 helped HEC to 257 as Test player Mir Hamza took four wickets for SNGPL, who were 54-0 at the close of the day’s play.

Scores in brief:

Wapda beat PTV by three wickets at National Bank Stadium

PTV 146 in 39.4 overs (Uzair Mumtaz 46, Hasan Mohsin 43, Mohammad Ibtisam 19 not out; Asif Afridi 5-67, Khalid Usman 3-43, Ali Shafiq 2-11) and 202 in 57 overs (Muhammad Shahzad 53, Taimur Khan 38, Mohammad Junaid 34 not out; Asif Afridi 4-87, Khalid Usman 3-74, Tahir Hussain 2-20); WAPDA 124 in 34.1 overs (Ahmed Shehzad 30, Asif Afridi 24, Mohammad Akhlaq 22; Faisal Akram 7-47) and 227-7 in 41 overs (Mohammad Akhlaq 100, Ahmed Shehzad 64, Ayaz Tasawar 25; Mohammad Junaid 3-82, Faisal Akram 3-92)

Ghani Glass vs SBP at UBL Sports Complex

SBP 278 in 70.4 overs (Umar Amin 69, Mohammad Mohsin 61, Usman Salahuddin 50; Mohammad Rameez Jnr 4-122, Shoaib Akhtar 3-39, Saeed Ali 1-41, Ghulam Haider 1-44) and 139-2 in 27 overs (Umar Amin 82 not out, Rameez Aziz 34; Ghulam Haider 1-36, Shoaib Akhtar 1-37); GHANI GLASS 282-9 in 80 overs (Saad Nasim 53, Muhammad Azeem Ghumman 47, Shan Masood 32, Shahbaz Javed 32; Kashif Bhatti 5-99)

SNGPL vs HEC at State Bank Stadium

SNGPL 279 in 77.4 overs (Saud Shakeel 102, Mubasir Khan 55, Mir Hamza 40, Azhar Ali 36; Waseem Akram 4-50, Abdul Rehman 2-65) and 54-0 in 16 overs (Azhar Ali 34 not out, Omair Bin Yousuf 19 not out); HEC 257 in 72 overs (Saad Khan 91, Mohammad Huraira 85, Mohammad Mohsin Khan 27; Mir Hamza 4-53, Mohammad Ali 3-37).

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2024