Nasir Jamshed and Umar Amin make SSGC toil

A collective bowling effort, led by Fahad Masood's four-wicket haul, helped Habib Bank gain a 90-run first innings lead against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) at the Marghzar Cricket Ground. Resuming on 232 for 6, Habib Bank lost their last four wickets for 25 runs, as Kashif Daud finished with a haul of 6 for 94. ZTBL stumbled to 58 for 4 in their reply and failed to put together big partnerships to match Habib Bank's total, the highest being 51 for the sixth wicket. Shahid Yousuf top scored with 49 before he was dismissed by Masood, who finished with 4 for 32. Habib Bank extended their lead to 122 at stumps but lost their openers.

Opener Naeemuddin missed his century by seven runs but helped set up a first-innings lead of 87 for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) in Rawalpindi. Azhar Shafiq supported Naeemuddin with 45 but Misbah-ul-Haq, trying to work his way back into the Pakistan team, failed to make an impact scoring 12. He was dismissed by Jaffer Nazir, the right-arm seamer, who took 4 for 41. SNGPL had their last-wicket pair at the crease at stumps and will look to push the lead past the psychological barrier of 100.

It was always going to be tough for Lahore Shalimar to come back after being bundled out for 114, but Mohammad Naved toiled manfully for 40 overs for a five-wicket haul against Pakistan Customs at Muridke. Naved, the right-arm seamer, took 5 for 87 but it didn't stop Customs from gaining a lead of 181, with one wicket in hand at stumps. Customs added 101 for the fourth wicket - led by Asad Baig's 56 - lost their way a bit before Tahir Mughal and Mohammad Iftikhar scored forties to frustrate Lahore and stretch the lead.

It was a day of domination for National Bank of Pakistan as Nasir Jamshed and Umar Amin scored centuries to make Sui Southern Gas Corporation (SSGC) toil in Faisalabad . Amin and Jamshed added a massive 236 for the opening wicket and set the platform to mount an imposing first-innings lead with eight wickets still in hand. Jamshed made 108 with 13 fours before he was dismissed by Rizwan Ahmed. Amir was unbeaten on 139, with 16 fours and a six, to extend the lead to 92 at stumps.

Five-wicket hauls by Sarfraz Ahmed, the left-arm seamer, and Azharullah helped Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) fight back on the second day at the Gaddafi Stadium but it couldn't prevent Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) from gaining a first-innings lead of 55. Azharullah rocked the top order, including the wicket of in-form opener Khurram Manzoor, while Sarfraz chipped away at the middle order. Sarfraz even claimed the wicket of his namesake for 46, the top scorer of the innings. PIA were bowled out for 193 before the WAPDA openers made a refreshing start to their second innings, adding 65 till stumps with an overall lead of 10 going into the third day.

Ashar Zaidi and Naeem Anjum put in strong batting performances to prop Islamabad to 485 against Faisalabad at the Diamond Club Ground. The pair were involved in a stand of 83 for the sixth wicket before Zaidi fell to Tauqeer Hussain for 129. Anjum continued to resist with a patient 88 off 223 balls and was supported by the lower order before he was bowled by Zulqarnain, who took four wickets. Faisalabad lost their opener Zeeshan Asif for 9 but they ended the day on a safe 63 for 1.

Naved Yasin made an unbeaten 107 for Multan but Karachi Blues held the upper hand on the second day at the National Stadium. The lower order resisted to push Karachi to 377 and Multan in reply were still way short of that score, ending on 220 for 8. Multan failed to close out Karachi when they resumed their overnight score of 291 for 8. Forties by Atif Maqbool and Azam Hussain pushed the score past 350. Zulfiqar Babar, the left-arm spinner, finished with 4 for 73. Multan were struggling at 20 for 3 when Tanvir Ahmed ran through the top order and that's when Yasin stepped in to repair the damage. Kashif Naved added 71 with him for the fifth wicket but Mqabool and Hussain combined to strike and pull things back for Karachi. Multan ended the day faced with an imposing deficit of 157.

Fifties by Shahid Qambrani and Mir Ali propped Hyderabad to 377 against Lahore Ravi at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. The overnight pair added 80 for the fifth wicket, the highest stand of the innings. Waqas Ahmed was the top wicket-taker with 4 for 117 off 32 overs. Kashif Siddiq led Lahore's reply with an unbeaten 70.

Riaz Afridi's six-for sent Rawalpindi crashing to 81 at the National Ground leading to a follow on against Peshawar. Afridi took 6 for 31 while Imran Khan and Nauman Habib chipped in with two wickets each to sink Peshawar, who lost their last five wickets for 18 runs. Faced with a deficit of 182, Rawalpindi out in a much better effort in their second innings, ending on 198 for 3. Usman Saeed led the way with 79 while Zahid Mansoor remained unbeaten on 57. They ended the day with a slender lead of 16 with seven wickets in hand.

Kamran Younis' unbeaten 147 gave Sialkot the upper hand against Quetta at the Jinnah Stadium. Arun Lal's three wickets helped Quetta gain the early advantage when they had Sialkot struggling at 104 for 5. But Ahmed Butt joined Younis and the pair added 175, remaining unbeaten till stumps. Butt scored seven boundaries in his 76 while Younis hit 20 fours. Sialkot ended the day with a lead of 66.