Chasing an imposing target of 356 to win, Faisalabad were bundled out for just 120 in their second-innings, with all the Karachi bowlers chipping in with crucial wickets. Captain Mohammad Sami again led from the front, picking up three for 32 to go with his three-wicket haul in the first-innings.
Off-spinner Atif Maqbool also contributed with three wickets while Test discard Tanvir Ahmed and Azam Hussain finished with two scalps apiece. Resuming on 18 for one, Rawalpindi failed to pose any threat to the challenging target with only wicket-keeper Mohammad Salman (38) contributing meaningfully.
Haider’s spell fires SBP to victory
Fast-bowler Rizwan Haider’s brilliant display which resulted in fine figures of seven for 42, ensured that SBP recorded an unlikely victory against HBL. HBL had resumed on 147 for three and required a further 99 runs to win the match, but Haider was in his element, helping SBP bowl out the opposition for 233, just 12 runs adrift of the victory target in an exciting finish.
Sabir, Khan help PIA beat NBP
In another interesting battle, PIA defeated NBP by three wickets. Chasing 259 for victory, opener Agha Sabir (74) and Shoaib Khan (51) batted well to help PIA chase down the target. For NBP, Mohammad Talha did well to take a three-wicket haul but his efforts were not enough to ensure a win for his team.
Wapda, ZTBL settle for draw
Meanwhile, the match between Wapda and ZTBL petered out into a draw, with ZTBL finishing the final day on 139 for two chasing a target of 303 for victory.
Imran Nazir (65) and Yasir Hameed (63 not out) batted well for ZTBL. Earlier, Wapda declared their innings closed on 425 for seven with Rafatullah Mohammad scoring 117.
Islamabad make Abbottabad bowlers toil
Elsewhere, the match between Abbottabad and Islamabad resulted in a tame draw, with Islamabad finishing the final day on 526 for eight. Resuming on 198 for two, with an overall lead of 247, Islamabad’s batsmen made the Abbottabad bowlers toil as they put
up a mammoth second-innings total.
After half-centuries from openers Afaq Raheem (66) and Umair Khan (85), Zeeshan Mushtaq (81), Ali Sarfaraz (52), Zohaib Ahmed (85) and Faizan Riaz (88) made solid contributions. Fast-bowler Nabeeullah finished with three for 97, while Fawad Khan snared two scalps.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 28th, 2011.
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