WAPDA stay top with big win

Water and Power Development Authority needed just 30 overs on the fourth day to complete a nine-wicket victory over Islamabad at the Diamond Club Ground in Islamabad. The hosts started the day still 24 runs behind with five wickets in hand. Rana Naved-ul-Hasan made sure the lower order did not get too many runs, completing a six-wicket haul that helped WAPDA bowl Islamabad out for 210 in their second innings. WAPDA were left with 55 to chase and, though they lost an early wicket, got there in 8.5 overs. The win keeps WAPDA at the top of the table with five wins from six games.

State Bank of Pakistan made it four wins from six games by beating Rawalpindi by 93 runs at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Rawalpindi had started the day in trouble, on 37 for 2 chasing 333. That soon became 75 for 4, but the middle order offered some resistance. Usman Saeed scored 48 and Adnan Mufti got 65 but State Bank were always favourites. Seamer Rizwan Haider took 3 for 58 and all the other bowlers chipped in as State Bank bowled Rawalpindi out for 239.

National Bank of Pakistan beat Karachi Blues by nine wickets at the National Stadium in Karachi, with Nasir Jamshed smashing 50 off 32 balls to help them chase 97 in just 9.4 overs. Karachi needed to bat out the day to salvage a draw from the game but despite a century from Khalid Latif they could only bat out 67.1 overs and reach 318, leaving National Bank 97 to win. National Bank went for the runs and Jamshed got them off to a flier in the company of Khurram Manzoor. Once Manzoor fell, with the score 41, Kamran Akmal came in and smashed three fours and a six in his 29 off 18 balls, and took National Bank home along with Jamshed.

Karachi had set a solid base for a big second-innings score, reaching 90 for 1 by stumps on the third day. They continued to look solid on the fourth day, with Shahzaib Hasan going from 52 not out to 83 and Latif settling down for a big knock. The middle order did not contribute much though, leaving Latif to bat with the tail. He managed to get 114 off 127 balls but it was not enough to take Karachi to safety. National Bank's bowlers shared the wickets around with left-arm spinner Qaiser Abbas taking 3 for 39.

A late collapse meant Sialkot conceded a 98-run first-innings lead and Pakistan International Airlines took three points out of the match at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot. Sialkot started the day on 299 for 4, trying to overhaul PIA's 505. Naved Sarwar and Mansoor Amjad added another 97 to take Sialkot to 396 for 4. Sarwar scored slowly, taking a total of 358 balls for his 82 while Amjad got 72 off 129. Once their stand was broken, though, a collapse began. Sialkot lost six wickets for 11 runs and were bowled out for 407. Seamer Anwar Ali ran through the tail and finished with 7 for 109. PIA then had a bit of batting practice and reached 153 for 3 with Agha Sabir and Fahad Iqbal scoring half-centuries.

Naseer Akram's second five-wicket haul in as many games helped Faisalabad register their first win of the season as they beat Habib Bank Limited by 139 runs at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. HBL started the fourth day on 33 for 0 chasing 326, and suffered a middle-order collapse that saw six wickets fall for 62 runs. Nos. 3 to 7 could only manage single digit scores to leave them 128 for 7, Naseer having done most of the damage. Danish Kaneria offered some lower-order resistance with his 30 but HBL were bowled out for 186.