Tanvir takes ZTBL to easy win

Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited 365 (Nazir 74, Babar 71, Shakeel 50, Azam 7-99) and 41 for 1 beat Port Qasim Authority 148 (Manzoor 54, Zohaib 3-15, Nadir 3-22, Tanvir 3-45) and 257 (Umar 60, Kamal 52, Tanvir 5-94, Khalil 3-105) by nine wickets
Scorecard

Eight wickets from Pakistan left-arm seamer Sohail Tanvir led Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) to a comfortable nine-wicket victory against Port Qasim Authority (PQA) in Islamabad. After a combined bowling performance to dismiss PQA for 148, ZTBL, courtesy of half-centuries from Babar Azam, captain Imran Nazir and lower-order batsman Shakeel Ansar, took a 217-run lead. PQA avoided an innings defeat, but the target of 41 was achieved by their opponents without much trouble. This was Tanvir's second five-wicket haul this season, after a spell of 7 for 61 against State Bank of Pakistan last week.

PQA, after being put in to bat, started positively with their openers, and were going strong at 109 for 2 when wickets started to fall. Tanvir, fast bowler Junaid Nadir and left-arm spinner Zohaib Khan finished the innings with three wickets each as eight wickets fell for 39 runs. Opener Khurram Manzoor was the top-scorer with 54, and seven other batsmen scored in single digits. ZTBL's reply featured a seven-wicket haul by spinner Azam Hussain. But ZTBL built their innings strongly with the help of a partnership of 141, between Babar and Nazir, and two other stands worth over 60 runs each.

PQA's second innings was a lot more productive. Tanvir, who had picked up three wickets in the first innings, this time, took five wickets, as despite responsible knocks by Umar Amin and Asim Kamal, their team could only score 257, and the contest was virtually over with that.

National Bank of Pakistan 317 for 9 dec (Jamshed 123, Munif 59, Bhatti 4-39) beat United Bank Limited 101 (Imran 5-38, Riaz 4-14) and 167 (Bhatti 41, Riaz 5-62, Imran 3-73) by an innings and 49 runs
Scorecard

In Rawalpindi, 17 wickets from fast bowlers Wahab Riaz and Imran Khan, and a century from opener Nasir Jamshed helped National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) thrash United Bank Limited (UBL) by an innings and 49 runs. NBP had gained an early advantage into the match after they had dismissed their opponents for 101 in the first innings. Jamshed's 123 led their reply, and after a 216-run lead, they declared at 317 for 9. UBL were again run over by Riaz and Imran, as they folded for 167 to concede the game.

After a poor start to their first innings, at 50 for 4, UBL recovered to 93 for 4. They could just add eight more runs to the total to be bowled out for 101, as Wahab and Imran ripped through the line-up.

NBP's Jamshed, with a century, and a 175-run second wicket partnership with No. 3 Bilal Munir, quashed UBL's hopes of a revival. Besides these batsmen, only captain Fawad Alam played a productive knock of 47, as spinner Kashif Bhatti's four wickets pegged them back.

UBL lost wickets regularly in the second innings too, and at 105 for 6, the contest was virtually over. A seventh-wicket partnership of 61, their best across both innings, between Saad Sukhail and Bhatti briefly threatened to erase the deficit. But three wickets fell for a single run, and their team fell 49 runs short of making NBP bat again.