Musa Khan’s six-wicket haul guides PTV to win over SBP in President’s Trophy
KARACHI: Defending champions Pakistan Television (PTV) secured a commanding 78-run victory over State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) in the final match of Round One of the ongoing President’s Trophy Grade-I at the State Bank Stadium.
Chasing a target of 240, SBP resumed the day at 148-8 but were bowled out for 161 in 35.4 overs, thanks to an exceptional spell from Musa Khan, who claimed six wickets for 51 runs in 9.4 overs. Amad Butt chipped in with two wickets, while Israr Hussain picked up one.
SBP’s chase never took off as PTV’s bowlers dominated the innings. Earlier, PTV posted 293 all out in their second innings after resuming at 191/5. Mohammad Suleman anchored the innings with a brilliant century, scoring 100 off 175 balls, including 10 fours and four sixes. He was well supported by emerging all-rounder Arafat Minhas, who contributed a sensible 81-run knock. SBP’s Mohammad Abbas led the bowling attack with three wickets, while Kashif Ali, Niaz Khan and Qasim Akram took two wickets apiece. Ismail claimed one wicket.
On the opening day, SBP’s Mohammad Ismail had starred with a five-wicket haul to restrict PTV to a modest 99 in 30.4 overs in the first innings. Mohammad Taha was the lone resistance for PTV, scoring 47 off 65 balls, including six fours and a six. Kashif Ali took four wickets, while Qasim Akram claimed one.
Earlier, former champions Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), Ghani Glass, and Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) also claimed victories in their respective first-round matches of the President’s Trophy Grade-I on Tuesday. At the National Bank Stadium here, Bismillah Khan’s anchoring knock helped WAPDA chase down the modest 163-run target in 46 overs for the loss of four wickets to register a comfortable victory over Khan Research Laboratories (KRL). Bismillah top-scored for WAPDA in the second innings with an 84-ball 46, while middle-order batter Sharoon Siraj and opening batter Imran Dogar made handy contributions with 33 and 24, respectively.
For KRL, Ahmed Bashir could take two wickets, while Mohammad Hamza and Ahmad Hassan bagged one apiece in the second innings. At the commencement of the penultimate day, KRL resumed their second innings from 189/7 and could add eight more to their overnight score for the remaining three wickets and were thus bowled out for a meagre 197 in 52.2 overs. Waqar Ahmed remained the top-scorer with his brisk 52-run knock, followed by opening batter Shahzaib Khan’s 51, which came on the second day, while skipper Sarmad Bhatti made a gutsy 36 on the decisive day.
Mohammad Adil was the pick of the bowlers for WAPDA in the second innings as he took four wickets for 42 runs in his 12 overs, while Aqib Khan (3/59) and Naqeebulahh (3/43) shared six between them. At the NBP Sports Complex, Athar Mehmood’s five-wicket haul in the second innings led SNGPL to an innings and 151-run victory over Sahir Associates in the first-round fixture of the President’s Trophy Grade-I. Earlier in the day, Sahir Associates resumed their second innings from 68/3 after being enforced to follow on and could accumulate 288 before getting bowled out in 82.2 overs despite top-order batter Mohammad Basit’s century.
Basit remained the top-scorer with 107 off 195 deliveries, followed by Mohammad Faiq (54) and skipper Asim Ali Nasir (71), who made anchoring half-centuries. Athar led SNGPL’s bowling charge with a five-wicket haul, while Shahnawaz Dahani bagged two wickets. Mohammad Salman and Sajid Khan, on the other hand, chipped in with one apiece. In the third match of the eight-team tournament, Ghani Glass chased down the modest 78-run target for the loss of three wickets to hand Oil and Gas Development Authority (OGDCL) a thumping defeat. At the commencement of the third day, OGDCL resumed their second innings from 75/2, leading by a slender 25 runs, but could add 52 more to their overnight score and were thus bundled out for a meagre 127 in 45 overs.
Afaq Afridi led Ghani Glass’s bowling charge in the second innings with a five-wicket haul, followed by Mir Hamza with three, while Ubaid Shah made two scalps. In turn, Ghani Glass made light work of the 78-run target as they amassed the total in 24.1 overs. Experienced opener Sharjeel Khan remained their top-scorer with a 23-ball 21. Staff Report
