President's Cup Grade-I: OGDCL crush WAPDA to stretch unbeaten run

KARACHI: Centuries from Maaz Sadaqat and Imam-ul-Haq, coupled with skipper Adil Amin's four-wicket haul, led Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) to crush Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) by 67 runs in the 16th match of the President's Cup Grade-I here at the Oval Academy Ground on Sunday.

Put into bat first, the leaders registered a massive total of 380/8 in their allotted 50 overs, courtesy of a monumental opening partnership between Maaz and Imam, who both scored centuries.

Maaz remained the top-scorer for OGDCL with a 65-ball 110, studded with 10 sixes and seven fours, while Imam made 108 off 111 deliveries with the help of seven fours and two sixes. The duo put together 159 runs for the first wicket.

Besides them, all-rounder Danish Aziz and middle-order batter Haroon Arshad made notable contributions to OGDCL's total, scoring 42 not out and 37, respectively.

Ahmed Safi Abdullah was the standout bowler for WAPDA, taking three wickets, while Mohammad Wasim Jr chipped in with two.

Chasing a daunting total, WAPDA could manage 313/8 in 50 overs despite half-centuries from Mohammad Naeem, Bismillah Khan and Ahmed Safi.

Wicketkeeper batter Bismillah remained the top-scorer with 77 off 68 deliveries, followed by Ahmed Safi and Naeem, who made 60 and 50, respectively.

Captain Adil led OGDCL's bowling charge with four wickets for just 42 runs in his 10 overs, followed by Haroon with two.

At the UBL Sports Complex here, Ghani Glass handed Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) their first defeat in the President's Cup Grade-I as they prevailed by one wicket in a low-scoring thriller.

Opting to bat first, SNGPL's batting unit could yield 221 before getting bowled in 46.2 overs despite opener Azan Awais's half-century.

Azan remained the top-scorer with 52 off 64 deliveries, featuring five fours and a six, while Saad Khan was the other notable run-getter with his 44.

For Ghani Glass, Ubaid Shah and Shoaib Akhtar Jnr picked up three wickets each, while Mohammad Rameez Jnr bagged two.

In response, Ghani Glass had to make hard yards to chase down the 222-run target as they lost nine wickets in the process.

Leading the way for them was Tayyab Tahir, who made an anchoring 49, followed by Hussain Talat, Shahbaz Javed and Zafar Gohar, scoring 36, 32 and 30, respectively.

Athar Mehmood was the pick of the bowlers for SNGPL as he took three wickets for 47 runs in 8.3 overs, while Sajid Khan and Aamir Jamal bagged two each.

In another fourth-round match, youngster Faham-ul-Haq's unbeaten century led Sahir Associates to a five-wicket victory over Pakistan Television (PTV).

Put into bat first, the PTV could accumulate 207 all out in 49.5 overs despite Taimur Khan's anchoring half-century.

The wicketkeeper batter waged a lone battle for PTV with an anchoring 73 off 85 deliveries, laced with five fours and three sixes.

For Sahir Associates, Razaullah led the way with three wickets, followed by Hafiz Mohammad Suleman and Mohammad Afzal with two each, while Mohammad Faiq, Mohammad Saleem and Faham claimed one apiece.

Set to chase a modest 203-run target, Sahir Associates comfortably knocked the winning runs for the loss of five wickets and 19 balls to spare.

Leading the way for them was emerging opener Faham, who top-scored with an unbeaten 100 off 122 deliveries, studded with seven fours and a six. He also received significant support from wicketkeeper batter Asim Ali, who made a 49-ball 45.

For PTV, Ali Usman and Faisal Akram took two wickets each, while Obaid Shahid could pick up one.

In the remaining fourth-round match of the President's Cup Grade-I, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) humbled State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) by nine wickets and 98 balls to spare.

Put into bat first, the SBP's batting unit folded for a meagre 162 in 40.1 overs as none of their batters could play a big knock.

Wicketkeeper batter Ghazi Ghori remained the top-scorer with a cautious 36 off 58 deliveries, followed by Rameez Aziz with 29.

Arshad Iqbal led KRL's bowling charge with a four-wicket haul, while Saqib Khan bagged two wickets.

In response, KRL romped to a nine-wicket victory as they chased down the modest target in 33.4 overs, courtesy of half-centuries from Shahzaib Khan and skipper Iftikhar Ahmed.

Shahzaib remained the top-scorer with an unbeaten 69 off 91 deliveries, while Iftikhar made 50 not out from 47 deliveries as the duo shared a match-winning 79-run partnership for the second wicket after emerging opener Saad Baig made an anchoring 43 before falling victim to Qasim Akram.

For the unversed, the fifth-round matches of the President's Cup Grade-I will be played on Tuesday across four venues here.