Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final: Misbah saves grace in otherwise sluggish display

SNGPL skipper makes 85 as team falls for 238 to UBL on second day

KARACHI: Skipper Misbahul Haq’s 85-run stand, studded with 14 boundaries and a six, was the only positive of the day for SNGPL as UBL’s Ehsan Adil and Yasim Murtaza ran riot to take a combined six wickets on the second day of the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy to restrict SNGPL on 238 at the National Stadium of Karachi on Monday.

Adil, who became the second-leading wicket-taker of the tournament with his display, had bowled Mohammad Hafeez for nought on the first day and added to his wicket tally by taking important wickets of Pakistan ODI skipper Azhar Ali, Misbah and Bilawal Bhatti to finish with first innings figures of 4-39 at stumps.

Murtaza, meanwhile, broke the blossoming partnership of Misbah and Umar Akmal by dismissing the latter in the 73rd over to finish with figures of 3-28. He had also claimed scalps of Azizullah (21) and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan (two).



“The experiment of the pink-coloured Kookaburra ball paid dividends for me as I was able to distract the batmen and take the ball into the stumps by pitching it outside the off stump,” Adil told The Express Tribune. “Our batsmen also faced difficulty in facing the pink ball but the bowlers are the ones taking advantage of it.”

SNGPL had started the day 35-2 with Taufeeq Umar and Azizullah on the crease before Rumman Raees dismissed the former on 38 to claim the first wicket of the day on the last ball of the 18th over. Azhar then followed by being caught leg before by Adil three overs later to leave SNGPL reeling on 57-4.

Misbah then came in to bat and anchored the innings by forming 57 and 72-run partnerships with Azizullah and Akmal before Murtaza dismissed the latter two. The skipper then saw Rizwan fall for two runs before being caught leg before off an Adil delivery on 85 in the 83rd over to leave the team 227-8.



Imran Khalid (26), Bhatti (nought) and Asad Ali (three) then made 11 more runs for SNGPL to finish the second innings on 238, leading UBL by 30 runs.

UBL, who were in their second innings on 17-1 with Shan Masood (eight) on the crease at stumps, trailed SNGPL by 13 runs after losing Sharjeel Khan (six) on the last delivery before umpires called off play.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 5^th, 2016.

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