Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) beat Ghani Glass by 294 runs to register their fifth win in the tournament on day three of the President’s Trophy 2023-24 Grade-I.
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) got the better of Higher Education Commission (HEC) early on day three, racing to a 10-wicket win.
Pakistan Television (PTV) had a strong day as Waqar Hussain and Mohammad Suleman scored splendid tons to keep Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) in check on day three. KRL have a massive task at hand to either win or save the game on day four.
WAPDA vs Ghani Glass
WAPDA won their fifth game of the tournament by a mammoth 294 runs as they rolled Ghani Glass for a total of 224 in 57.1 overs at State Bank Stadium, Karachi.
Earlier in the day, Ghani Glass continued their innings from the overnight score of 7-1 and started losing wickets at regular intervals. Night-watchman, Mohammad Rameez Jnr (15, 36b, 2x4s) was removed by Ali Shafique.
Senior batter, Sharjeel Khan (7, 12b, 1x4) too was dismissed by Naqeebullah Masood. Tayyab Tahir (53, 93b, 9x4s) chipped in with his 19th first-class half-century but in vain. Mohsin Riaz copped a golden duck.
Skipper Saad Nasim (33, 32b, 5x4s) stayed on the crease for some time but his resistance soon came to an end as Naqeebullah struck. Saeed Ali (60, 58b, 6x4s, 5x6s), batting at number eight, hit a fine half-century before falling to Asif Afridi.
Asif bagged his 10th first-class five-wicket haul as he ran through the Ghani Glass batting while conceding only 55 runs in 20 overs. Naqeeb chipped in with three wickets while Ali and Hassan Abid Kiyani dismissed one batter each.
WAPDA will face Pakistan Television (PTV) in the last round of the tournament while Ghani Glass will face State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
Scores in brief:
WAPDA 212 all out, 60.1 overs (Ayaz Tasawar 81, Umar Akmal 32; Shoaib Akhtar 5-71, Mohammad Rameez Jnr 3-45) and 366-4 (dec), 70.1 overs (Muhammad Akhlaq 202 not out, Hassan Abid Kiyani 63, Ayaz Tasawar 43; Tayyab Tahir 1-39, Mohammad Rameez Jnr 1-44, Saeed Ali 1-51, Niaz Khan 1-74).
Ghani Glass 60 all out, 25.5 overs (Mohsin Riaz 18, Saad Nasim 10, Mohammad Rameez Jnr 10; Ali Shafique 7-14, Ahmed Khan 2-19, Naqeebullah Masood 1-25) and 224 all out, 57.1 overs (Saeed Ali 60, Tayyab Tahir 53, Saad Nasim 33; Asif Afridi 5-55, Naqeebullah Masood 3-63, Hassan Abid Kiyani 1-13, Ali Shafique 1-62).
President’s Trophy: Muhammad Akhlaq, Ali Shafique shine on second day of round 6
SBP vs HEC
SBP dominated over HEC as they chased the meagre total of 24 runs in 5.3 overs with all 10 wickets in the bag at National Bank Stadium, Karachi.
Earlier, HEC failed to add any substantial runs to their overnight score of 224-7 as they lost the remaining three wickets in 8.4 overs at the start of day three.
Kashif Bhatti dismissed the three HEC batters; Abdul Rehman and Syed Tayyab Hussain departed for ducks while Mohammad Azab was left stranded unbeaten on six.
Mohammad Junaid only managed nine runs. Salman Ali Agha, Afaq Afridi and Zahid Mehmood bagged two wickets each while Rameez Aziz dismissed one batter.
SBP took 33 balls to chase down the 24-run target as Umar Amin (10 not out, 15b, 1x4) and Mohammad Mohsin (14 not out, 18b, 1x4, 1x6) ensured their team won by 10 wickets. SBP, after having won four games in the tournament, will face Ghani Glass in the last round of the President’s Trophy.
HEC will face Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) in the next round of the tournament.
Scores in brief:
HEC 95 all out, 38.4 overs (Mohammad Junaid 27, Mohammad Huraira 21; Salman Ali Agha 5-39, Zahid Mehmood 3-5) and 235 all out, 73.4 overs (Saad Khan 88, Mohammad Huraira 58; Kashif Bhatti 3-28, Afaq Afridi 2-43, Zahid Mehmood 2-56, Salman Ali Agha 2-66, Rameez Aziz 1-17).
SBP 307-5, 80 overs (Umar Amin 158, Rameez Aziz 75, Muhammad Irfan Khan 35 not out; Mohammad Junaid 3-127, Syed Tayyab Hussain 2-58) and 24-0, 5.3 overs (Mohammad Mohsin 14 not out, Umar Amin 10 not out).
KRL vs PTV
KRL require 331 runs to win with seven wickets in hand against PTV, as they finished day three with 95-3 on the board in 25 overs at UBL Sports Complex.
PTV continued from their overnight score of 73-1 and declared with the scorecard reading 336-7 in 76.1 overs, setting a massive target of 426 for KRL.
Waqar Hussain (109, 131b, 15x4s, 1x6) and Mohammad Suleman (133 not out, 182b, 10x4s, 1x6) stitched a second-wicket partnership of 156 runs to push KRL on the backfoot. Suleman stayed unbeaten while Waqar was dismissed by Maaz Sadaqat.
Muhammad Shahzad bagged a golden duck while Nasir Nawaz returned for seven runs. Skipper Hasan Mohsin (44, 68b, 5x4s) also chipped in with valuable runs to help their lead push past the 400-run mark.
Left-arm spinner Maaz picked up his maiden five-wicket haul in his 21-over spell giving away 80 runs while Ahmed Bashir and Rohan Qadri dismissed one batter each. KRL lost their opening batter Imran Dogar early on as he copped a three-ball duck courtesy of Jahandad Khan.
Ali Zaryab (33, 43b, 4x4s, 2x6s) and Imran Rafiq (11, 9b, 1x4) were the other two KRL batters dismissed as spinners, Aaliyan Mamood and Faisal Akram struck respectively. Skipper Rohail Nazir (2 not out, 18b) will join Abdul Faseeh (47 not out, 78b, 8x4s) on the crease at the start of day four.
Scores in brief:
PTV 360-8, 80 overs (Mohammad Suleman 101, Waqar Hussain 75, Jahandad Khan 67, Muhammad Shahzad 48; Ahmed Bashir 3-103, Shayan Sheikh 2-57, Kashif Ali 2-84) and 336-7 (dec), 76.1 overs (Mohammad Suleman 133 not out, Waqar Hussain 109, Hasan Mohsin 44; Maaz Sadaqat 5-80, Ahmed Bashir 1-19, Rohan Qadri 1-79)
KRL 271 all out, 71.1 overs (Imran Rafiq 79, Abdul Faseeh 53, Shayan Sheikh 46 not out; Faisal Akram 5-95, Mohammad Ibtisam 4-68, Jahandad Khan 1-41) and 95-3, 25 overs (Abdul Faseeh 47 not out, Ali Zaryab 33, Imran Rafiq 11; Jahandad Khan 1-11, Faisal Akram 1-11, Aaliyan Mahmood 1-56).