LAHORE: State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Eshaal Associates beat Khan Research Labor­atories (KRL), Pakistan Television (PTV) and Ghani Glass, respectively, in the fourth-round matches of the President’s Cup on Wednesday.

KRL’s Maaz Sadaqat scored his maiden List-A century in a losing cause while SNGPL’s Qasim Akram showcased all-round heroics.

Kashif Bhatti stood out for SBP in a close game as he backed up his three wickets by a brilliant 49 not out off 24 balls to help his team win a crucial game.

In the Group ‘A’ fixture, SBP eked out a hard fought two-wicket victory against KRL in the rain-reduced 42-overs-a-side, chasing down the 276-run target in 41.5 overs.

After KRL were invited to bat first, Maaz hit 114 off 96 (12 fours and six sixes) to lead the team to 275-9 in the allotted overs.

Kashif picked up three wickets while Sirajuddin and Saqib Khan dismissed two batters each.

In turn, SBP opening batter Mohammad Faizan struck a fluent half-century (63 off 68, 10 fours and a six) before Kashif’s knock, which featured four fours and three sixes, helped them cross the finish line.

After the completion of the first round matches in the Group ‘A’, Wapda and SBP, having topped the points table with three and two victories, respectively, have qualified for the semi-finals.

In Group ‘B’, SNGPL managed their first win of the tournament against PTV as they romped to a 93-run victory over PTV at Bagh-e-Jinnah in Lahore.

SNGPL scored 249-9 in the allotted 45 overs as Haseebullah struck a vital half-century (54 off 66, seven fours). For PTV, Mohammad Hasnain returned figures of 3-37 in nine overs.

In pursuit of the 250-run target, PTV were rest­ricted to 156-9 in 35.5 overs. Qasim picked up three wickets in three overs giving away only nine runs.

In the second Group ‘B’ fixture at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, Eshaal Associates beat Ghani Glass by five wickets as they chased the 179-run target in 33.1 overs courtesy of a run-a-ball half-century from Sajjad Ibraheem (61 not out off 61, four fours and four sixes).

Earlier, Ghani Glass endured a middle-order collapse, losing six wickets for 24 runs before a 21-run last-wicket partnership got them to 178 all out in 38.4 overs.

For Eshaal Associates, Usman Tariq bagged three wickets while Zaman Khan and Mohammad Waheed picked up two each.

The last round of the President’s Cup will commence on 11 October with SNGPL taking on Oil and Gas Development Corporation Limited (OGDCL) and PTV taking on Eshaal Associates in Group B.

Scores in brief:

SBP beat KRL by two wickets at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium

KRL 275-9 in 42 overs (Maaz Sadaqat 114, Mohammad Amir Barki 82; Kashif Bhatti 3-39, Sirajuddin 2-47, Saqib Khan 2-53); SBP 276-8 in 41.5 overs (Mohammad Faizan 63, Kashif Bhatti 49 not out, Muhammad Irfan Khan 32; Arshadullah 2-32, Mohammad Irfan 2-70)

SNGPL beat PTV by 93 runs at Bagh-e-Jinnah, Lahore

SNGPL 249-9 in 45 overs (Haseebullah 54, Qasim Akram 47, Kamran Ghulam 36, Abdul Samad 32; Mohammad Hasnain 3-37, Jahandad Khan 2-29, Faisal Akram 2-42); PTV 156-9 in 35.5 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 58, Faheem Ashraf 25; Qasim Akram 3-9, Arafat Minhas 2-26, Mohammad Abbas Afridi 2-31)

Eshaal Associates beat Ghani Glass by five wickets at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad

GHANI GLASS 178 in 38.4 overs (Mohsin Riaz 50, Junaid Ali 47; Usman Tariq 3-48, Zaman Khan 2-30, Mohammad Waheed 2-38); ESHAAL ASSOCIATES 182-5 in 33.1 overs (Sajjad Ibraheem 61 not out, Sajjad Ali Hashmi 36, Mohammad Waheed 36; Mohammad Rameez Jnr 3-44).

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2024