Quaid-e-Azam Trophy: HBL and SBP vie for promotion to Gold league in five-day final

Teams face off with Rs1 million in store for the winner

KARACHI: With promotion to the Gold league at stake, HBL and SBP face off in the five-day final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Silver League today in Faisalabad.

HBL will be hopeful of making it through as they have lost just a single match so far and defeated SBP the last time the sides clashed in the group rounds. However, it will not be easy.

SBP entered the competition as the bottom side but have emerged as a formidable force with their young players punching above their weight. SBP captain Usman Salahuddin, who is the second highest scorer in the tournament with 597 runs, is optimistic going into the final.

“We have reached this stage and will now try our best to win the final,” he said. “We have a young and talented team that not only saved us from relegation but also went on defeat top teams like PIA; they will perform in the final too.”

But despite his confidence, Salahuddin is wary of the talent at the disposal of his opponents. “HBL are missing Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul, but they still have Abdur Rehman and Imran Farhat,” he said.

Meanwhile, HBL manger Liaquat Ali Khan says that the team is taking nothing for granted and are training hard ahead of the final. “Although SBP have young players, we cannot take them lightly,” he said. “We will keep the same strategy against them as we have in the previous matches.”

The winner of the match will join the Rawalpindi Rams in the Gold league. Along with the promotion, the winning side will take home Rs1 million, while the runners-up will receive Rs500,000.

Gold league

Abdur Rauf and Sohail Khan took five wickets each to guide PQA to an eight-wicket victory over UBL in the ninth round of the Gold edition.

UBL resumed their innings on 204-6 but were dismissed for 254 to give PQA a simple target of 63, which they achieved in just 10.4 overs with Umer Amin scoring 24.

In the other match, some brilliant bowling by Mustafa Iqbal, who took six wickets, helped Lahore Lions defeat Multan Tigers by nine wickets.

Tigers resumed their second innings at 88-2 but only added 93 runs to their overnight score as they were dismissed for 181. Iqbal claimed six wickets with Aftab Azwar taking the other four. Lions needed just 44 to win, which they made in 9.1 overs for the loss of one wicket.

At the Abbottabad Stadium, Samiullah and Hussain Talat took three wickets each to restrict NBP to 191 in their first innings, as they were asked to follow on by SNGPL.

At stumps, NBP were 165-3 in their second innings, with Muhammad Nawaz on 74 and Kamran Akmal on 27, still 150 runs behind.

In another match, Karachi Dolphins were dismissed for 185 and were asked to follow on by Islamabad Leopards, with Hamza Nadeem taking four wickets.

Dolphins were 159-3 in their second innings with Muhammad Waqas on 80 and Saad Ali on 37, still behind by 40 runs.

Peshawar Panthers scored 350 in their first innings to take a 10-run lead against the Rawalpindi Rams, who were 40-1 in their second innings.

Wapda were 268-7 in their second innings against ZTBL and are 276 runs ahead.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 3^rd,  2014.

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