National Bank finish season on a high

Karachi Whites completed the formalities of a seven-wicket victory over Sui Southern Gas Corporation at the Southend Cricket Club. They started the day needing 48 runs to wrap up the win, a task they finished in 15 overs. The one disappointment for them was that opener Mohtashim Ali didn't go on to complete his century, falling five short.

National Bank of Pakistan also needed very little time to seal a nine-wicket win over Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited at the Iqbal Stadium. The overnight pair of Rashid Riaz and Umar Amin polished off the 108 they required in 25.3 overs. Riaz was extremely cautious, needing more than four hours for his 67, while Amin was a touch more cavalier, hitting ten fours and a six in a 137-ball 74.

In the group's only match that didn't end with a decisive outcome, Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited played out a dull draw against Pakistan International Airlines at the Diamond Club Ground. PIA opener Kamran Sajid, starting the day on 79, stretched his score to 133 and half-centuries from Shehzar Mohammad and Tahir Khan took their side to 379, an overall lead of 279. PIA then declared, giving ZTBL eight inconsequential overs to bat; ZTBL had a bit of fun during that spell, smashing the first over for 21 runs on their way to a whirlwind 76 for 1.

Lahore Ravi duly completed a comfortable 10-wicket win against Islamabad at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Kamran Hussain continued his lower-order heroics to go past a fifty before Junaid Zia brought a swift end to the innings, picking two wickets in two balls. Requiring a paltry 24 runs to pick up their third win, Lahore Ravi got home easily without losing a wicket.

Faisalabad secured a draw against Abbottabad at the Sports Stadium in Sargodha. Zeeshan Asif who had crossed 200 yesterday was the last wicket to fall in Faisalabad's first dig, with the score on 510. With victory out of the question, Abbottabad adopted a safety-first approach to ensure that they conceded only first-innings honours to the opponents. In the process, openers Waqar Orakzai and Ehteshamuddin helped themselves to half-centuries and Mohammad Kashif was unbeaten on 48.

A lower-order collapse from Hyderabad, followed by a pulsating chase from Quetta meant that a thrilling draw was played out in Mirpur Khas. Starting the final day with six wickets in hand, Hyderabad could manage only 44 runs before being bowled out. Chasing a gettable 268 with sufficient time left in the game, Hyderabad's top order didn't put up much resistance. No. 3 batsman Lal Kumar, though, boosted his team from 78 for 4 being dismissed three short of a hundred. A rush of wickets in the dying moments of the game raised Quetta's hopes of a victory, but they couldn't prise out the final two.

A string of 70s from Karachi Blues' batsmen took them to 378 for 4, but that was well short of the massive 546 they needed to win against Sialkot at the National Stadium. Opener Ali Asad, No. 3 Asad Shafiq and No. 4 Wajihuddin all made measured 70s, while Khalid Latif made a more aggressive unbeaten 75 but Karachi were never in the hunt for a win.

Group A

Teams	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	Draw	Aban	Pts
Habib Bank Limited	10	8	1	0	1	0	66
National Bank of Pakistan	10	5	3	0	2	0	48
Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited	10	6	2	0	2	0	48
Pakistan International Airlines	10	4	2	0	4	0	45
Water and Power Development Authority	10	4	1	0	5	0	42
Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited	10	4	2	0	4	0	42
Karachi Whites	10	4	5	0	1	0	36
Khan Research Laboratories	10	2	3	0	5	0	21
Sui Southern Gas Corporation	10	1	4	0	5	0	12
Pakistan Customs	10	1	9	0	0	0	9
Lahore Shalimar	10	0	7	0	3	0	0

Group B

Teams	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	Draw	Aban	Pts
Karachi Blues	10	6	1	0	3	0	60
Sialkot	10	5	1	0	4	0	51
Rawalpindi	10	5	2	0	3	0	48
Islamabad	10	4	3	0	3	0	39
Multan	10	4	3	0	3	0	36
Faisalabad	10	2	2	0	6	0	30
Lahore Ravi	10	3	3	0	4	0	30
Hyderabad (Pakistan)	10	1	5	0	4	0	18
Peshawar	10	2	5	0	3	0	18
Abbottabad	10	1	5	0	4	0	15
Quetta	10	2	5	0	3	0	15