PIA dethrone ABL to enter one-day cup final

Karachi, Oct 7: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) dethroned reigning champions Allied Bank Limited (ABL) when they recorded a cake-walk five-wicket victory to move into the final of the National One-day Championship at the National Stadium here on Thursday.

PIA, the six-time former champions never felt the absence of Wasim Akram and dismissed an Aamir Sohail-led Allied Bank for 161 in 47.4 overs. The national carriers, in their turn, overcame a mini-collapse to achieve the target in 38.3 overs with five wickets intact.

They now meet the winners of NBP-Redco match to be played under the Qadhafi Stadium floodlights on Oct 10.

Thursday's match failed to live upto its expectations of clash of the titans as Allied Bank turned out to be a shadow of a team which had won three successive titles. The squad looked disjoined and lacked in motivation.

To rub salt into the wound, horrendous selection of strokes and ill-planning by the bank captain compounded their problems.

The match had lost most of its charm before the toss when Wasim Akram pulled out because of high temperature and Rashid Latif had to rush to Islamabad after being summoned by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mujeeb-ur-Rehman.

The match was virtually over in the first 90 minutes when half of the bank side was back in the dressing room with the scoreboard reading 77. Only a defiant 82-ball 49 by Manzoor Akhtar delayed the inevitable. His innings included two boundaries before he was run-out with five overs to spare.

Together with off-spinner Arshad Khan, Manzoor put on 42 runs for the eighth wicket when the banker were left reeling at 113 for seven after Moin Khan had won the toss and elected to field on a placid track and under a scorching sun.

From the top order, only opener Wajahatullah Wasti played with any sort of authority and confidence to score 29 before being smartly caught by Moin off Azhar Mahmood. His innings included five graceful boundaries.

Aamir Sohail, who was out for five while attempting a reckless shot, paid the price of unnecessarily tampering with the batting order. Despite having himself and Wasti as specialist openers, he promoted Humayun Farhat as pinch-hitter. The decision backfired in the first over when Farhat was caught at mid-off.

Sohail became victim to some intelligent captaincy by Moin Khan. Moin placed a second slip for Sohail as soon as he entered and the former captain obliged the current vice-captain of the Pakistan cricket team by an irresponsible shot off a wide ball to be smartly caught by Azhar Mahmood in the second slip.

Mohammad Nawaz failed to sustain the pressure and was caught in the slips by Azhar Mahmood off a drifter by Shoaib Malik. Wasti was the fourth out and when Taimoor Khan was caught behind while playing causally, the writing was on the walls.

Asif Mujtaba capitalized from the earlier inroads to polish off the tail and finish with three for 29. Paceman Mohammad Zahid Junior and Azhar Mahmood chipped in with two wickets each while Shoaib Malik and Nadeem Khan got a wicket each.

PIA, who were set a modest 162-run victory target, were given a more comfortable cushion by openers Rizwan-uz-Zaman and Ghulam Ali who put on 61 runs for the first wicket off 102 balls.

With the bankers shoulders and chins down, Manzoor Akhtar brought his team back in contention by snapping up three wickets in seven balls to reduce PIA from 61 for no wicket to 67 for three.

He had Rizwanuz Zaman caught behind while cutting, picked by Zahid Fazal caught bat and pad, and claimed the prized scalp of Yousuf Youhana for a second-ball duck. Youhana was caught in tragic fashion when a ferocious cut hit Mohammad Nawaz's left tight and scooped into the hands of Wasti in the first slip.

But those moments turned brief as Ghulam Ali and Asif Mujtaba shared in a 62-run fourth wicket partnership from 73 balls to put the match beyond the bankers reach.

Ghulam Ali contributed a flawless 68, his fourth half century of the event, while Mujtaba was cool and calculated in his unbeaten 36. Ghulam Ali, who was dropped when nine by Wasti, struck seven punishing boundaries and a six while Mujtaba's innings was laced with five boundaries.