Farhat 300 helps HBL maul PTV

An unbeaten 300 by Imran Farhat - his second triple-hundred in first-class cricket - helped Habib Bank Limited thrash Pakistan Television by an innings and 338 runs at the Gaddafi Stadium. HBL posted 599 for 7 and PTV, in response, were bundled out for 108. Following on, they only very marginally improved on their first-innings showing and could only manage 153.

It was a remarkable recovery by HBL after they were tottering at 22 for 4, with the wickets being shared by Rizwan Akbar and Mohammad Ali. PTV had to wait 95 overs for their next breakthrough, and in that period, Farhat and Rameez Aziz had added a mammoth 363. Aziz scored 152 off 296 balls with 18 fours and a six before he was dismissed by Mohammad Sami. Humayun Farhat joined his brother and the pair then added 112 for the sixth wicket. Farhat declared the innings after he reached his triple-century, which came off only 417 balls and included 39 fours and three sixes.

After chasing leather for the better part of two days, PTV had slumped to a sorry 65 for 6 at the end of the second day. They were dismissed for 108, with only two batsmen getting past 20. The seamer Ehsan Adil finished with 4 for 39. There was no stoic resistance from PTV in the second innings as they ended the third day at 76 for 7, staring at a massive defeat. Naeem Anjum's unbeaten 58 was the only innings of note for PTV in an otherwise sorry performance. Adil took three more to finish with match figures of 7 for 83.

Saeed Bin Nasir's first-innings 80, followed by a five-wicket haul from the offspinner Atif Maqbool in the second innings, paved the way for United Bank Limited's eight-wicket win against Pakistan International Airlines in Karachi.

PIA, put in to bat, were propelled by fifties from Sheharyar Ghani and Tahir Khan, but Kashif Bhatti and Tariq Haroon picked up three wickets apiece to restrict the total to 242.

UBL, in reply, managed to secure a first-innings lead of 80, thanks to Bin Nasir's 140-ball knock which included nine fours. Tahir chipped in with four wickets for PIA, but Tariq contributed 58 and the captain Maqbool scored an unbeaten 45 all the way down at No.11, to take the team to 322.

Maqbool then immediately pressed home the advantage by running through PIA's top and middle order in their second essay, to finish with 5 for 56 - his 18th five-for in first-class cricket- and bundle them out for 175 in 74 overs, meaning that UBL needed just 96 for victory.

UBL lost two quick wickets during the chase, but Abid Ali and Bin Nasir put up an unbroken 94 for the third wicket to complete the victory in 23.1 overs.

Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited and National Bank of Pakistan played out a draw in a rain-affected match in Islamabad.

ZTBL, put in to bat, lost wickets in regular intervals right from the off, and barring a 95 from the captain Imran Nazir and 43 from Yasir Hameed, no other batsman made more than 16. Wahab Riaz was the pick of the National Bank bowlers and took three wickets to dismiss ZTBL for 208.

National Bank, in reply, were buoyed by fifties from Fawad Alam- who top-scored with 91- and Raza Hasan which took them to 325 and helped secure a lead of 117.

ZTBL were precariously placed at 50 for 2 in the second innings, but due to rain, only six overs were possible in the third day, and play was called off on the fourth due to a wet outfield.

Saeed Anwar's second century this season helped Khan Research Laboratories to a draw against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited in Faisalabad. Anwar, with two tons and two fifties, is now the leading run-scorer in this year's President's Trophy by virtue of his 116 in the first innings.

Put in to bat, SNGPL's top order all made starts, but none of the batsmen could push their scores into a fifty. Nayyer Abbas and Nauman Ali shared six wickets between them to dismiss SNGPL for 278.

Legspinner Yasir Shah finished with 5 for 78, and left-arm spinner Imran Khalid took a four-for to try and restrict KRL, but Anwar's 188-ball knock which included 18 fours, took the team to 286 and in the process, snatch a lead of eight runs.

However, with no play possible in the third day, a stalemate was inevitable. SNGPL made their way to 174 for 3 in the second innings, with Ali Waqas top-scoring with an unbeaten 60 before the umpires called for stumps.