KARACHI, Oct 24: National Bank scored an astonishing 69-run victory over KRL Wednesday to maintain their position at the top of the third day of the Patron’s Trophy Grade-I National Cricket Championship.
According to details available here, KRL, who needed 156 on the fourth and final day, were shot out for 115 in their second innings at Saga Ground, Sialkot.
Test reject Mohammad Wasim was unable to bat in both KRL innings due to illness.
Resuming at 29 for no wicket, KRL’s collapse was dramatic in the sense that all nine wickets tumbled within a space of 78 runs.
Test leg-spinner and National Bank skipper Mushtaq Ahmed claimed three for 16 in nine overs. He received good support from left-arm pacer Zahid Saeed, who took two for 14.
Two of KRl batsmen — Intikhab Alam and Jaffar Nazir — were run out.
With this fourth victory in six games, National Bank have now become outright leaders with 45 points, six ahead of defending champions Pakistan Customs with three rounds left.
NATIONAL BANK (1st Innings) 204 (Naumanullah 59).
KRL (1st Innings) 293 Misbah-ul-Haq 58, Intikhab Alam 53 not out; Zahid Saeed 4-49).
NATIONAL BANK (2nd Innings) 273 (Kamran Akmal 109; Jaffar Nazir 7-43).
KRL (2nd Innings, overnight 29-0):
Ali Naqvi lbw b Sami 15
Mohammad Ramzan lbw b Mushtaq 29
Saeed bin Nasir c Kamran b Shabbir 3
Misbah-ul-Haq c Kamran b Zahid 22
Intikhab Alam run out 16
Jaffar Nazir run out 0
Yasir Arafat c Imran b Zahid 3
Hafiz Khalid b Mushtaq 2
Stephen John c Sajid b Mushtaq 3
Mohammad Asif not out 1
Mohammad Wasim absent hurt
EXTRAS (B-8, LB-6, W-2, NB-5) 21
TOTAL (all out, 48 overs) 115
FALL OF WKTS: 1-37, 2-42, 3-85, 4-88, 5-92, 6-98, 7-105, 8-110, 9-115.
BOWLING: Mohammad Sami 16-5-41-1; Shabbir Ahmed 13-2-24-1; Mohammad Javed 2-1-6-0; Mushtaq Ahmed 9-3-16-3; Zahid Saeed 8-2-14-2.
RESULT: National Bank won by 69 runs.
UMPIRES: Iftikhar Malik and Z.I. Pasha.
MATCH REFEREE: Ishtiaq Ahmed.
REGIONAL FINAL, SEMIS: The regional final of Balochistan and inter regional semifinals of Punjab of Quaid-e-Azam trophy grade-II will be played on Oct 25-26 at different centres
The regional final of Balochistan will be played between Quetta and Sibi at PCB Academy Ground Karachi.
Multan will meet Rahim Yar Khan at Mahmood Stadium, Rahim Yar Khan, in the first regional semifinal of Punjab and the second regional semifinal will be held between Mianwali and Gujrat at KRL Stadium Rawalpindi. The final will be played from Oct 29-30.