Lahore Eagles prevail in high-scorer

Habib Bank Limited (HBL) registered a five-wicket win over Lahore Lions at the Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) Stadium . Needing a win after having lost one of their four previous matches, Habib Bank overhauled Lahore Lions' score of 256 for 8 with 14 balls to spare.

The opener Asif Khan made an exact 100 after the Lions opted to bat first. His knock, which came off 122 balls with 11 fours and two sixes, got his team off to a start. Ahmed Butt later contributed 54 runs off just 45 balls with five fours and a six. Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul, who appears to be recovering fast from his injury problems, took 3 for 29 runs in nine overs. Slow left-armers Aslam Qureshi and Abdul Rehman picked up two wickets each.

Habib Bank were well served by their makeshift opener Sajid Shah who hit 58 off 44 balls with as many as 11 fours and a six. Rafatullah Mohmand, with 70 off 102 balls that included four fours, and Aftab Khan then added 110 for the third-wicket stand.

Aftab took 99 deliveries to score 83 runs with the help of four fours and a six. Habib Bank thus joined KRL in the Super Eights Stage, that starts from Monday.

Islamabad Leopards, also in the running for a Super Eights spot, beat Quetta Bears by eight wickets, in another match yesterday at the Diamond Cricket Club Ground in Islamabad. But Habib Bank's win left them at 12 points from five matches. Habib Bank ended with 16.

After having dismissed Quetta for 204, the Leopards were powered by their opener Umair Khan who finished with an unbeaten 105 that came off only 97 deliveries with 15 fours and a six. Raheel Majeed hit 55 off 41 balls with five fours and three sixes, helping Umair add 103 for the second-wicket in 13 overs.

Already through to the Super Eights round, Khan Research Laboratories attained their fifth win in as many matches to head the table with the full 20 points, as they thrashed Peshawar Panthers by a big 142-run margin at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar.

Azhar Ali (119) and Bazid Khan (100) hit centuries in KRL's imposing score of 319 for 7 as their third-wicket stand produced 185 runs. The Panthers were bowled out for 177 in reply, with Pakistan seamer Yasir Arafat picking up four wickets for 45 runs in eight overs. Jamaluddin meanwhile stood firm with an unbeaten 81 that came off 90 balls with 14 fours.

Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) qualified for the Super Eights as they defeated Sialkot Stallions by 117 runs at the Jinnah Stadium. SNGPL, in fact, finished on top of the five-team Group B table with 12 points from five matches.

Pakistan batsman Misbah-ul-Haq scored his second century in successive matches, his eighth overall in limited overs cricket, as he hammered 107 off 106 balls with 10 fours and a six in SNGPL's total of 296 for 9. His fourth-wicket partnership with Pakistan Under-19 batsman Umar Akmal, who made 66 off 83 balls with four boundaries, was worth 115 runs.

Sialkot Stallions were dismissed for 179 in 42.5 overs. SNGPL captain Mohammad Hafeez followed his score of 40 with bowling figures of 3 for 45 runs in seven overs with his off-spinners.

Previous leaders Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) were beaten by Multan Tigers by 27 runs at the Sheikhupura Stadium in their last round match yesterday, after they had already made it to the Super Eights. WAPDA too claimed 12 points, but they were eventually pushed to the number two spot after SNGPL surged ahead on the basis of a better net run-rate.

WAPDA were surprised by Multan Tigers, who won their first match of the tournament. WAPDA were all out for 271 after the Multan team had compiled 298 for 7 in their 50 overs.

There was only one half-century in Multan's big total, with Imranullah Aslam scoring 60 off a mere 32 balls with four fours and four sixes. For WAPDA, Aamer Sajjad's unbeaten 111 off 122 balls with 10 fours at No.4 wasn't enough to guide his team to victory.

Lahore Eagles made the Super Eights in style as they defeated National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) by four wickets in a high-scoring match at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Desperately needing a win, Lahore Eagles overhauled NBP's big total of 334 for 6 with just three balls to spare. Pakistan's 16-year-old Under-19 star Ahmed Shahzad blasted 92 for the Eagles off a mere 49 deliveries with 15 fours and three sixes. His opening stand with Ashfaq Ahmed (33) was worth 118 in 13 overs.

Shahzad has now scored 60, 88 not out and 92 in his last three innings for Lahore Eagles. The left-handed Kashif Siddiq continued the good work, scoring a 34-ball 31 that included three sixes while Ashraf Ali later made an unbeaten 75 that came off 93 balls with two fours.

Earlier, wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal hit 90 off 96 balls with eight fours as he and captain Naumanullah (50) rattled up 111 runs for the third wicket. Shahid Yousuf, contributed a brisk 61 off 65 balls with four fours and a six. Mansoor Amjad came in to hammer an unbeaten 52 off 36 balls towards the end.

At the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, Pakistan Customs beat Faisalabad Wolves by three wickets. Farhan Adil scored an exact 100, off 100 balls with five fours and a six, as Customs made 250 for 7 in reply to Faisalabad's 246 to win with just one ball remaining. Customs, however, ended their Group C league round with only eight points from four matches.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) thrashed Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) by the emphatic margin of nine wickets at the Cricinfo's Newsletter National Stadium in Karachi on Friday.

Having bowled SSGC out, after having asked them to bat first, for a modest 166, the PIA batsmen reached the target with more than five overs to spare. Kamran Sajid top scored with an unbeaten 80 that came off 132 balls while Khurram Manzoor scored an unbeaten 73 and the two added 163 for the second wicket and took their team through to victory.

Khurram's knock came off 134 deliveries and included three fours and a six. Sajid had earlier captured two wickets for 23 runs in eight overs, while slow left-armer Nauman Alvi was the most successful with figures of 3 for 31.

Experienced SSGC captain Saeed Bin Nasir top-scored with 46, that came off 66 balls with two fours and two sixes. His fifth-wicket stand with Mansoor Ali (35) was worth 67. But the last six SSGC wickets could only add a mere 17 runs. PIA will be joined by Rawalpindi Rams in the Super Eights Stage, starting from Monday, from the six teams that played in Group D.

In an inconsequential match, Karachi Dolphins earned some consolation as they defeated Abbottabad Rhinos by 69 runs to gain their only win in five matches at the United Bank Limited (UBL) Sports Complex Ground No.1.

Thanks to an unbeaten 141 by the Dolphins captain and opener Shadab Kabir, they notched up a total of 279 for the loss of only three wickets in their fifty overs. In reply, the Rhinos were bowled out for 210 in 48.5 overs. Slow left-armer Mohammad Ali and the Pakistan U-19s legspinner Shahzaib Khan had identical figures of three wickets for 38 runs in 10 overs for the Dolphins.

The 30-year-old Kabir, who has represented Pakistan in five Tests and three one-dayers, posted his fourth hundred in major limited overs cricket. His knock came off just 142 balls with 11 fours and two sixes.

With the in-form Akbar Rehman (40 off 64 balls with two fours and a six), Shadab's second-wicket stand yielded 95 in a matter of 10 overs. Faraz Patel (36) joined Kabir to add another 91 for the third wicket.

Sharjeel Ashraf, 20 not out, helped Shadab put on 52 for the fourth-wicket by the time the overs ran out. Abbottabad's opener and wicketkeeper Ghulam Mohammad (31 off 26 balls with five fours) and Wajid Ali (35) added 51 for the second wicket. Later on, Usman Khan hit 53 off 61 deliveries with five fours to boost his team's score. Due to some tight bowling, the Rhinos fell well before the target could be achieved.

Rawalpindi Rams performed a sort of giant-killing act as they beat Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) by a big 111-run margin at the Niaz Stadium to go through to the Super Eights.

After being asked to bat, the Rams rattled up a score of 255 for 8 in their allotted 50 overs. ZTBL, seven of whose batsmen failed to get into double figures, were bowled out for a poor 144 in 44 overs. At one stage, ZTBL lost five wickets for only 23 runs on the board before the tenth over. The sixth wicket fell at 52. Zohaib Khan and wicketkeeper Shakeel Ansar then recovered with a 72-run stand for the seventh wicket.

Zohaib's 59 came off 90 balls with four fours while Shakeel took 61 balls for his 33 that included three boundaries. The end was, however, quite near and the last four wickets fell for the addition of 20 runs.

Rawalpindi's successful new-ball bowler Yasir Ali continued his wicket-taking spree with figures of 3 for 16 in seven overs. His left-arm medium-fast partner Mohammad Aamer, slow left-armer Yasim Murtaza and captain Naved Ashraf, with his off-breaks, picked up two wickets each.

Earlier, the Rams were in trouble at 97 for 5. Yasim Murtaza and Yasir Ali were the batting heroes too as they added 80 for the eighth wicket and took their team well beyond the 200-run mark.

The left-handed Yasim hammered an unbeaten 53 off a mere 42 balls with three fours and as many sixes. Yasir's 37 came off 31 deliveries with three fours and a six. With this win, the Rams took their points tally in the six-team Group D to 16.