PIA stay unbeaten after Tahir six-for

Offspinner Tahir Khan's 6 for 40, which triggered a dramatic collapse in the Lahore Eagles innings, was one of the standout performances in Pakistan International Airlines' five-wicket win, their third successive one in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Silver League game, in Lahore.

The PIA bowlers restricted Eagles to middling scores in both innings but it was their collapse in the second - they crumbled from 104 for 2 to 166 all out - that left PIA with 109 to chase, a target the side achieved on the third day with the help of a steady fifty from their captain Kamran Sajid.

Eagles put up a shaky display in the first innings too as their 206 was built around a sole fifty from Asif Raza. In reply, PIA brushed off a poor start to put up 264 with half-centuries from Sheharyar Ghani and Shoaib Khan. The only noteworthy contribution for Eagles in the second innings came from Jahangir Mirza, who scored 92.

Zeeshan Jamil's 112, that helped revive Karachi Zebras in their second innings, was in vain as the side crashed to a seven-wicket loss against Khan Research Laboratories. The KRL pace attack of Mohammad Irfan, Sadaf Hussain, Yasir Arafat and Yasir Ali skittled Zebras for 83 in the first innings, before their batsmen were restricted to 268.

Jamil's ton, and a fifty from Jahid Ali, helped Zebras fight back and score 324 in the second innings but their first-innings deficit was too large for their efforts to make an impact. Saeed Anwar's 77 guided KRL home in a 140-run chase with seven wickets to spare.

Sui Southern Gas Corporation won big against Sialkot Stallions, on the back of a six-wicket haul from fast bowler Tabish Khan. Tabish's 6 for 33 - which came in under 15 overs - helped rout Stallions for 81 in their first innings, in response to Southern Gas' 210.

Southern Gas furthered their advantage in their second innings, courtesy hundreds from Haris Ali and Awais Zia. That helped carry them to 413 for 8, before they declared. Tasked with chasing down a mammoth 543, Stallions put in quite a fight the second time around. Captain Faisal Khan led the fight, with an unbeaten 149, but the target was still too much beyond the team. They were eventually bowled out for 367, with left-arm spinner Mohammad Irfan taking five.

A rapid century in a relatively small chase from Mukhtar Ahmed helped State Bank of Pakistan consign Abbottabad Falcons to their second loss in as many games in the tournament. State Bank were chasing 186, and opener Mukhtar, in just his third first-class game, cracked 101 not out off 91 in a knock that included 15 fours and three sixes. That helped them ease home with eight wickets to spare, scoring at almost five to the over.

State Bank had inserted Falcons, and kept them to 219 in the first innings with pacer Saad Altaf and left-arm spinner Kashif Bhatti sharing nine wickets between them. State Bank then went on to take the lead of 65 via a string of cameos, with all their top nine getting into double digits. Altaf and Bhatti were among the wickets again in Falcons' second innings, helping bowl them out for 250 and setting up the smallish chase.