Umar Akmal puts SNGPL in command

Contrasting centuries from Umar Akmal and Ali Waqas put Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited in command of their match against Multan at the Multan Cricket Stadium. The pair built on a quick start from the openers, with Azeem Ghumman going on to make a brisk 77. Ghumman and Waqas put on 104 for the second wicket to take SNGPL to 156 for 2, but the worst was yet to come for Multan. Umar Akmal clobbered 21 fours and three sixes in an unbeaten 153 that came at better than a run-a-ball and took less than three hours. His pyrotechnics were in contrast to the sedate 104 from Waqas which required nearly five hours.

Lahore Shalimar continued their poor start to the season, by collapsing to 84 all out against Khan Research Laboratories at the Gaddafi Stadium. Such a paltry total didn't seem likely when they reached 66 for 3, but left-arm spinner Nayyer Abbas ripped through the middle order to spark a dramatic implosion. Lahore lost their final four wickets with no runs added as part-time left-arm spinner Saeed Anwar ended with figures of 2.1-2-0-3. KRL then solidified their advantage through half-centuries from Zain Abbas and Bazid Khan which took them to 140 for 1 by stumps.

Peshawar's specialist batsmen flopped against Lahore Ravi at the Arbab Niaz Stadium, which meant that despite lower-order resistance they folded for 190. Fast bowler Emmad Ali made the early breakthroughs, and Peshawar were soon at 75 for 5. A seventh-wicket stand of 65 between Riaz Afridi and wicketkeeper Gauhar Ali pushed them towards 200, before the final three wickets went down for four runs. Lahore Ravi had a collapse of their own early on, stuttering at 21 for 3 before Mohammad Saad and captain Usman Salahuddin, who has just recovered from dengue and was playing his first match since May, put on 84 for the fourth. Lahore ended the day at 113 for 5.

Karachi Whites made painfully slow progress against Quetta at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex to finish the first day on 228 for 4. Four of the six Karachi batsmen made it to the forties, with the captain Akbar-ur-Rehman and Abdul Jabbar remaining unbeaten. The most patient innings of the day came from opener Murtaza Majeed, who laboured for more than four hours before being dismissed for a 46 that had only two boundaries. No. 4 batsman Saeed bin Nasir also contributed, making a more sprightly 45 as Quetta struggled to make breakthroughs.

A series of half-centuries from their top order helped United Bank Limited reach 288 for 6 against Hyderabad at the Niaz Stadium. UBL opener Naved Khan and No. 3 Saad Sukhail made ducks but the other opener Ali Asad and No. 4 Tahir Mughal put on 101 for the third wicket to launch a recovery. With the next batsman, Mohammad Sami, also making a fifty, and adding 118 for the fourth wicket with Asad, UBL reached a strong 222 for 3, before Hyderabad hit back with three late wickets to even up the day a bit.