Subhan ton helps Whites clinch thriller

An all-round performance by Sialkot earned them a four-wicket win against Lahore Ravi in the opening Group 1 game of One-Day Cup in Lahore. Choosing to field, Sialkot bowled out Lahore Ravi in 40 overs, before their batsmen scripted key stands to overhaul the target with eight balls to spare.

Sialkot's chase of 194 was dominated by two stands - the first between openers Adnan Zaheer and Salman Ali for the first wicket, then, a 70-run stand for the sixth wicket between Naved Sarwar and wicketkeeper Ahmed Butt. The opening stand gave the team a strong platform before the batsmen conspired to throw it away, with five wickets falling for 40 runs. But Sarwar and Salman thwarted the Lahore attack to take the team on the doorstep of the win.

Lahore had only one partnership of note - 65-run sixth-wicket stand between Zeeshan Ali and Adnan Danish - but Bilal Asif and Salman picked up three wickets each on either side of that stand to bowl Lahore out for less than 200.

Karachi Whites' No 10 Shahzaib Ahmed held his nerve to hit 15 runs off 12 balls to help the team clinch a nail-biter against Lahore Shalimar by one wicket at the Gaddafi Stadium. Chasing 220, Karachi were reduced to 206 for 9, but Shahzaid added an unbeaten 15 runs for the last wicket to thwart the home team. The chase, though, was set up by opener Fazal Subhan, who hit his first List A century. Fazal held up one end while regular wickets fell at the other. He shared a critical sixth-wicket stand of 82 with Ahmed Iqbal to bring Karachi back into the game after they had been reduced to 98 for 5 from 98 for 2. Lahore Shalimar's innings had similarly been held up by opener Arsalan Ahmed, who scored 81, as the team scored 219 for 8 in their 45 overs.

Wicketkeeper Javed Mansoor smashed a career-best 72* to help Karachi Blues script an easy five-wicket win against Abbottabad in Karachi. Chasing 210, Karachi were in trouble at 125 for 5, as Abbottabad's Aziz-ur-Rehman picked up three top-order wickets, but Mansoor counterattacked and added an unbeaten 85 for the sixth wicket with Faraz Ahmed to push Karachi over the line. Mansoor's innings was laced with 12 fours and took only 55 deliveries. Abbottabad's innings had no such problems at the top, but their batsmen failed to take advantage of starts, four of them falling in their 30s. From 157 for 3, the team was bowled out for 209 as the lower order succumbed against Karachi bowlers. Usama Basharat and Faraz picked three wickets each in the innings.

Quetta opened their campaign with a thumping eight-wicket win against Hyderabad in the Group II match played at the Niaz Stadium in Hyderabad. The home side was asked to bat but suffered early blows as three wickets went down before 50 were put on the board. Two more batsmen were dismissed before the team could score 100, before they eventually were bowled out for 164 in the 43rd over. Faizullah did the most damage with three wickets for 30 runs.

Quetta's response was solid as their batsmen put up strong stands. Shahzad Tareen was the top-scorer with an unbeaten 62 off 108 deliveries as Quetta overhauled the target in the 40th over with ease.

Half-centuries by the openers Shoaib Nasir and Naved Malik helped Rawalpindi beat Bahawalpur by six wickets in Bahawalpur. Rawalpindi's chase of 242 was built on the opening stand of 128 by the pair. Both scored at more than a run a ball - Nasir's 65 coming off 62 balls and Malik's 70 off 68. Rawalpindi lost only four wickets and chased down the target with nearly five overs to spare. Bahawalpur's lone half-centurion was Mohammad Yasir, who scored 87 off 100 balls at No.3. Imranullah Aslam scored a quick 43 off 33 balls to help the side to 241, but it wasn't enough.

A century by Mohammad Shahid and a four-wicket haul by Fahim Ashraf helped Faisalabad to a five-wicket win over Multan at Iqbal Stadium. In a match reduced to 45 overs, Multan chose to field and made early inroads, leaving Faisalabad struggling at 48 for 4. Shahid was the mainstay, scoring 109 off 106 balls with 11 fours and two sixes. The next highest score was 28 by Mohammad Miqdad. The lower order pushed Faisalabad to 259 for 9. The Multan openers added 43 but lost quick wickets. They lost half their side for 92 and were eventually bowled out for 171 in 37.2 overs.