Sohail, Ayub get tons; Punjab don't push for win

Punjab had already more-or-less wrapped up the Pentangular Trophy title on the third day, when they took a huge first-innings lead, and did not show any inclination to go for an outright win on the fourth. They had declined the opportunity to enforce the follow-on on Monday, and then batted out the whole of Tuesday, ending 628 runs ahead with one day to go in the game.

Sind might have harboured some hope when their new-ball pair of Tabish Khan and Tanvir Ahmed reduced Punjab to 52 for 4. Mohammad Ayub and Haris Sohail firmly shut the door on any thoughts of a fightback with a 221-run partnership that came off just 37.5 overs. Sohail counterattacked, striking 24 fours and three sixes on his way to 150 off 140 balls. Ayub was aggressive too, scoring 123 off 153 balls, including 15 fours. Sind captain Danish Kaneria, who answered questions related to a spot-fixing case during the tea break, conceded 108 runs off the 19 overs he bowled in the day.

Sind managed to dismiss Sohail and Ayub by the end of the day, but by then the game was over as a contest. All that is left to be decided now is whether Punjab make a last-day push to earn the extra bragging rights that an outright win in the final will entitle them to.