President's trophy: SNGPL take pole position

Replac­e HBL as leader­s in domest­ic tourna­ment; Shah, Malik shine for PIA.

KARACHI:

Left-hand paceman Samiullah Niazi finished with a 10-wicket haul as SNGPL took pole position at the President’s Trophy after beating ZTBL by 186 runs on the final day of their round-five match in Rawalpindi.

Niazi, who had bagged a six-for in the first-innings, once again proved to be ZTBL’s nemesis, picking up four wickets as the side was bowled out for 221.

ZTBL batsman Haris Sohail continued his prolific form in domestic cricket, remaining unbeaten on 117 with the help of 11 boundaries but failed to save his side. The 23-year-old Sohail has only been dismissed once in four innings and has registered scores of 115, 58, 3 and 117 with an astonishing average of 293. Despite the performances, he is yet to make his international debut.

Sohail then showcased his talent at the Champions League T20 played in South Africa, where he scored an unbeaten 63 to help Sialkot Stallions beat Hampshire in the qualifying round.

“I want to score as many runs as I can to keep myself up in the running for a spot in Pakistan team,” Sohail told The Express Tribune. “The aim is to do better than last season and continue to learn with experience.”

SNGPL now have 36 points from five matches, while HBL, who dropped points after succumbing against PIA, are on their trail with 33 points.

Shah, Malik star as PIA down HBL

In another match, Najaf Shah took his third five-wicket haul of the tournament, while Shoaib Malik scored an unbeaten 94 to give PIA an important six-wicket victory against HBL in Sialkot.

Chasing a target of 176, PIA were home in 52 overs for the loss of four wickets as Malik made a 145-ball 94 with a six and 15 strikes to the fence while Anwar Ali chipped in with 31.

HBL were all out for 147 in their second-innings on Sunday as Shah and Cheema bowled well in tandem.

Shah, who now has 24 wickets from five matches, said that he is determined to make a comeback after not being given a fair chance to prove his credentials at the international level.

“I was not given a proper chance,” said Shah. “I got to play just one One-Day International but I’m doing my best here so that I can earn a recall.

“I decided against going to England this season to keep myself fit and that has paid dividends as my body is fit enough to bowl longer spells.”

The match between KRL and SBP ended in a draw with the former taking three points for their first-innings lead.

‘Afridi not eligible for President’s Trophy’

Despite his desire to feature in the domestic tournament, all-rounder Shahid Afridi is not eligible to feature in the ongoing President’s Trophy, according to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

The development follows reports that Afridi wanted to play in the tournament in a bid to regain his form. However, the PCB has declared Afridi ineligible to represent his domestic side HBL.

It has been learnt by The Express Tribune that HBL have already used their replacement option by calling fast-bowler Irfan Fazil as a temporary cover after left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman was banned for three months over a doping issue.

“Afridi isn’t eligible to represent HBL as his name was not given in the initial 20-man squad,” said a PCB official. “He can only feature for HBL if a player goes on national duty which will not be the case till the tournament’s completion.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2012.