Asad Ali's six-for sinks Rams

Fast bowler Asad Ali's six-wicket haul in the second innings helped Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited crush Rawalpindi Rams by nine wickets at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

Rams, after being inserted, were bundled out for 158 inside 40 overs in their first innings. Naved Malik was the team's top-scorer with 42, but lacked support at the other end, as Bilawal Bhatti (4 for 48) and Imran Ali (4 for 29) shared eight wickets between them to wreck Rams' line-up. SNGPL, however, were pegged back by a six-for from the seamer Rizwan Akbar. His 6 for 60 bowled SNGPL out for 189, keeping the lead to a slender 31.

But Rams were unable to build on their impressive bowling performance, and were shot out for a paltry 97 in 33 overs. Asad collected 6 for 39, as Rams lost their last eight wickets for just 31 runs. Bhatti and Imran Ali chipped in with two scalps each.

It meant that SNGPL needed just 67 for victory, which the team chased down in 12.1 overs thanks to an unbeaten 47 from the captain Adnan Akmal.

Ataullah, the National Bank of Pakistan seamer, claimed nine wickets in the match to help his side past Karachi Dolphins by six wickets. His best first-class figures of 6 for 45 had run through the opposition and a face-saving century from Mohammad Waqas and Yasir Mushtaq's 58 became vital to drag the total to 207.

However, Dolphins' bowlers were up for the challenge and were led by 22-year old left-arm seamer Mir Hamza. He blew past the openers, weathered resistance from the middle order as Umar Waheed, Fawad Alam and captain Kamran Akmal struck fifties, and claimed 7 for 73 and limit National Bank to 271.

Still with a lead of 64, the National Bank bowlers were able to dismiss Dolphins for 197. It took Hamza Ghanchi's 73 and a string of 20s from the tail to get to that mark as Ataullah and Zia-ul-Haq claimed thee wickets apiece, while Ahmed Jamal and Raza Hasan took two each.

With a modest target of 134 to achieve, Umar Waheed made 65 off 120 balls, with 12 fours while Fawad Alam struck 44 off 63 balls to clinch victory.

A dismal first-innings showing left Peshawar Panthers on the mat and though they fought hard since, defeat could not be avoided. Musadiq Ahmed was responsible for 89 off the 160 they made. Eight of this team-mates left nursing single-figures and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited batsmen rode the advantage that had been created. Rameez Alam collected 148 runs off 292 balls, including 20 fours and was supported with fifties from No. 8 Zohaib Khan (57 off 133 balls) and wicketkeeper Shakeel Ansar (75 off 105 balls) as they amassed 467 runs.

Musadiq was Panthers' rock again as he struck the highest score of the match - 170 off 284 balls, with 23 fours and one six. He had enough support as well, with Gauhar Ali's 74 and No.9 Azizullah's 48 as they made 445 in the second innings and imposed a target of 139. Left-arm spinner Zohaib was the pick of the bowlers with 5 for 104

The ZTBL batsmen were very brisk in the chase, and in the process offered a clump of wickets. Two fell with the score on 62, the next four fell in the space of 28 runs, but by that time they were on the cusp of victory. Azam Khan and Afaq Ahmed claimed three victims apiece and might have hoped for a better target to have bowled at.

Islamabad Leopards and Water and Power Development Authority played out a draw at the Diamond Club Ground in Islamabad, after only 20 overs of play was possible on the second day, though Leopards secured three crucial points on account of a first-innings lead. Batting first, Leopards were restricted to 229 despite a half-century from the captain Zohaib Ahmed, as Mohammad Ali and Waqas Maqsood both collected four-fors to dismiss the team in 82.4 overs.

WAPDA, however, did not fare any better in their first essay, being shot out for 196 with none of the players able to produce a fifty. Shehzad Azam was the pick of the bowlers, taking 4 for 74. It meant Leopards had a slender, but crucial lead of 33, but once again, they failed to really produce a threatening score in their innings.

Sarmad Bhatti, coming in at No.8, made 83, but Khalid Usman ran through the lower order on his way to collecting 4 for 23, eventually dismissing Leopards for 219. With 253 left to get in less than 40 overs, a WAPDA win was all but ruled out, and Iftikhar Ahmed's patient 46 ensured a stalemate.

Umar Siddiq, the Lahore Lions batsman, hammered 166 to fuel a mammoth total of 457 against Port Qasim Authority, who needed a century of their own from opener Shahzaib Hasan while following on to draw the game at Gaddafi stadium.

Though there was no play on the second day, Lions had seemed well in control of the match. They had rode of Siddiq's innings, nearly six hours long and studded with 25 fours to put him on top of the run-scorers list, and brisk cameos all down the order. Allrounder Mohammad Saeed cracked 50 off 44 balls to set up the declaration on the third day and built on that with four wickets. The Port Qasim Authority captain Khalid Latif made 54 off the 155 runs his side could manage, and that tally required a 40-ball 35 from No. 11 Abdur Rauf.

Port Qasim had finished 302 runs behind the Lions and were asked to bat again, but this time Shahzaib hammered a 94-ball 107 and was ably supported by Khurram Manzoor who built his case for a recall into the Pakistan side with a half-century, in addition to two centuries. They led the score to 195 in 31 overs when time was called.

A run-fest in Multan ended in a draw, with four batsmen scoring centuries, including a double from United Bank Limited opener Ahsan Ali. His 224 came off only 270 balls, including 33 fours and a six, and dulled the impact a dominant batting performance from Multan Tigers who were propped up by tons from Abdul Rehman Muzammil (111 off 222 balls) and Mohammad Ali (104 off 227 balls) and racked up 403 runs.

Adil Raza claimed his third five-wicket haul but his 5 for 103 and he would have been pleased with how the United Bank batsmen followed through. Besides Ahsan's double-century, Ammar Hasan made 107 off 195 and Ali Asad also struck 86 off 132 to claim a 167-run lead. The psychological advantage almost made a tangible impact with Tigers' middle order showing a bit of brittleness. But Usman Liaqat's unbeaten half-century took Tigers to safety.