KARACHI: Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) completed National Bank of Pakistan (NBP)’s miserable run in the President’s Trophy Grade-I National Cricket Championship by inflicting a 10-wicket defeat on the bankers inside three days on Wednesday at the KRL Stadium in Rawalpindi.
Despite being blessed with a host of current Pakistan players, NBP had a disastrous time in the championship with Wednesday’s debacle being their fifth in nine matches. They finished in the bottom half of the standings with 27 points after chalking up only three wins.
KRL required just 3.5 overs (23 balls) to get the 37 runs needed for their fifth triumph of the season. NBP skipper Fawad Alam took upon himself the responsibility of ensuring a quick finish as he conceded 27 runs in 1.5 overs of slow left-armers. In the end KRL reached 39-0 to ensure a third-place finish in the final standings with 48 points.
NBP were earlier bowled out for 151 after resuming their second innings at 86-4. Pakistan wicket-keeper/batsman Kamran Akmal scored an 88-ball 48 to emerge as the highest scorer.
Part-time bowler Tayyab Riaz claimed 4-23 with his medium-pacers, while Ali Khan, another batsman, finished with incredible haul of eight for 50 —including 3-39 in the second innings — with mixed bag of military medium deliveries.
Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) were closing in on a certain victory after Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plummeted to 101-4 in their second innings while chasing a formidable 356 at the Mirpur Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.
PIA’s slim hopes of even salvaging a draw hinges on the experienced shoulders of Faisal Iqbal who is batting on 41.
Wapda, who had made 88-5 at stumps on Tuesday, were earlier all out for 209 in their second innings with Ali Azmat making 46.
Also on verge of winning are Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) after the hapless United Bank Limited (UBL) were reduced to 157-6 in their second innings at the Marghazar Cricket Ground in Islamabad. All-rounder Zohaib Khan has so far captured three for 51 with his slow left-armers.
Zohaib earlier had also claimed three wickets — for 29 runs in 12,4 overs — as UBL’s overnight first innings of 147-8 ended at 179 to give ZTBL a colossal lead of 464 and skipper Imran Nazir the luxury of enforcing the follow on.
Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) opted against applying the follow on upon State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) despite enjoying a lead of 193 after the bankers were bundled out for 117 in their first innings at the National Cricket Ground in the federal capital.
Left-arm paceman Samiullah Khan Niazi polished off the SBP innings by taking the last two wickets to end up with 4-39.
Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal, who is desperate to impress the national selectors, then struck a watchful 57 from 113 balls to guide SNGPL’s second innings to 149-2 at stumps.
The in-form Ali Waqas continued his good run in the competition with a 58-ball 44 in the unfinished partnership of 69 with Umar.
The remaining fixture between Habib Bank Limited (HBL) and Port Qasim Authority (PQA) is almost confirmed to finish in a laborious draw after PQA, in an unsporting gesture, chose to bat for the third day running before finally declaring at 675-6 at Islamabad’s Diamond Club Ground.
The discarded Test left-handed batsman Umar Amin, who had amassed a career-best 236 in a total of 539-3 by close of play on day two, finally perished for 281 after occupying the crease just four minutes under 10 hours (596 minutes). The 23-year-old’s marathon 397-ball vigil in the middle included 234 boundaries and two sixes.
PQA captain Khalid Latif, unsurprisingly, also completed a long-awaited century in first-class cricket after starting the third day at 76. Khalid struck 10 fours and one six in his painstaking 293-ball 128 in 446 minutes. The fourth-wicket stand between Umar and Khalid realized a mammoth 337 before HBL skipper Imran Farhat dismissed both of them.
Imran, who bowls occasional leg-spin, was by far the ‘best’ of the bowlers with 2-6 in 13 overs. But regular bowlers such as Pakistan spearhead Umar Gul (0-135 in 39 overs), Abdul Ameer (1-125 in 25), Ehsan Adil (0-84 in 18) and spinner Aslam Qureshi (1-138 in 41 overs) all would want to forget this game as quickly as possible before they prepare to meet SNGPL in the final.
HBL’s reply lasted just four deliveries before play ended with Imran and Shan Masood taking six runs off the bowling of first-class debutant Ali Dawood.
At Diamond Club Ground, Islamabad: PORT QASIM AUTHORITY 675-6 declared in 171.4 overs (Umar Amin 281, Khalid Latif 128, Khurram Manzoor 74, Usman Tariq 64, Daniyal Ahsan 50; Imran Farhat 2-56); HABIB BANK LIMITED 6-0 in 0.4 over.
At Marghazar Cricket Ground, Islamabad: ZARAI TARAQIATI BANK LIMITED 643-6 declared in 114.1 overs (Imran Nazir 185, Haris Sohail 152, Sharjeel Khan 143, Zohaib Khan 55 not out, Afaq Raheem 43, Babar Azam 35; Shabbir Ahmed 2-79, Atif Jabbar 2-160); UNITED BANK LIMITED 179 in 52.4 overs (Imran Ali 61, Ali Asad 33 not out; Zohaib Khan 3-29, Mohammad Khalil 3-35, Junaid Zia 2-41, Junaid Nadir 2-51) and 157-6 in 47.2 overs (Kashif Bhatti 31 not out, Ali Asad 31; Zohaib Khan 3-51).
At National Cricket Ground, Islamabad: SUI NORTHERN GAS PIPELINES LIMITED 310 in 98.5 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 136; Rizwan Haider 4-87, Mohammad Ali 4-99) and 149-2 in 36.5 overs (Umar Akmal 57 not out, Ali Waqas 44 not out, Azeem Ghumman 38); STATE BANK OF PAKISTAN 117 in 39.3 overs (Kashif Siddique 39; Bilawal Bhatti 4-32, Samiullah Khan Niazi 4-39, Imran Khalid 2-16). At KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi: Khan Research Laboratories beat National Bank of Pakistan by 10 wickets.
NATIONAL BANK OF PAKISTAN 124 in 44.4 overs (Anwar Hafeez 45 not out; Ali Khan 5-11, Mohammad Irfan 4-43) and 151 in 52.5 overs (Kamran Akmal 48, Sami Aslam 30; Tayyab Riaz 4-23, Rahat Ali 3-30, Ali Khan 3-39); KHAN RESEARCH LABORATORIES 239 in 78.1 overs (Saeed Anwar Jr 96; Qaiser Abbas 4-40, Mohammad Imran Khan 4-77) and 39-0 in 3.5 overs.
At Mirpur Cricket Stadium, Mirpur: WATER AND POWER DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY 240 in 65.5 overs (Saad Nasim 101 not out, Sohaib Maqsood 53; Anwar Ali 5-83, Janisar Khan 2-18, Aizaz Cheema 2-50) and 209 in 50.3 overs (Ali Azmat 46; Kamran Sajid 3-30, Maroof Aziz 2-37, Aizaz Cheema 2-53); PAKISTAN INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES 94 in 37.3 overs (Faisal Iqbal 30; Zulfiqar Babar 5-17, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan 3-20, Junaid Khan 2-25) and 101-4 in 31 overs (Faisal Iqbal 41 not out; Junaid Khan 4-21).