President's Trophy Grade-I: Ton-up Taha, bowlers strengthen PTV's command against KRL

KARACHI: Mohammad Taha's anchoring century strengthened Pakistan Television's (PTV) grip on their fifth-round President's Trophy Grade-I match against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) on the second day here at the UBL Sports Complex on Thursday.

At the stumps on day two, KRL were reeling at 88/4 in response to PTV's 414 all out, with middle-order batter Imran Rafiq battling in the middle.

Imran batted sensibly on his way to an unbeaten knock and recovered KRL after they had been reduced to 52/4 following twin strikes from Amad Butt and Ali Usman.

He will resume KRL's response on the penultimate day, alongside captain Sarmad Bhatti (12 not out), as they trail the defending champions by a further 326 runs.

At the commencement of the second day, the holders resumed their first innings from 348/6 and added handy 66 more to their overnight score to ultimately finish at 414 all out in 102.1 overs.

Taha, who resumed their innings from 82 not out, went on to top-score with an anchoring 119 off 209 deliveries with the help of 13 fours and two sixes.

Arshad Iqbal was the standout bowler for KRL as he registered a five-wicket haul. He was supported by Mohammad Hamza, who picked up three, while Aqib Liaqat bagged two.

At the KCCA Stadium here, top-order batter Mohammad Ammar's gutsy half-century gave Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) a slender 44-run lead over Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) despite a spirited performance from the latter's bowling attack.

WAPDA finished the second day at 203/7, leading by 44 runs, with both lower-order batters Mohammad Asghar and Mohammad Zeeshan unbeaten on zero.

At the commencement of the pulsating second day, WAPDA resumed their first innings from 56/2 in response to OGDCL's 159 and batted cautiously to add 147 runs to their overnight score.

Leading the way for them was Ammar, who top-scored with a 142-ball 74, comprising 10 fours, while middle-order batter Sharoon Siraj chipped in with 31.

For OGDCL, Asif Afridi and Jawad Ali have thus far picked up three wickets in the first innings, while Mohammad Amir Khan bagged one.

At the National Bank Stadium here, Shehzad Gul's twin strike put Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) in complete control against Ghani Glass on the second day of their President's Trophy Grade-I match.

Earlier in the day, SNGPL resumed their first innings from 308/4 and went on to add 144 more to their overnight score to ultimately finish at 452 all out in 122.3 overs, courtesy of Muhammad Awais Zafar's anchoring knock.

After Mubasir Khan's century on the opening day, Awais spearheaded SNGPL's batting charge with an anchoring knock but failed to convert it into a century as he fell agonisingly short by just two runs.

He made 98 off 177 deliveries with the help of 11 fours and two sixes, while wicketkeeper batter Saifullah Bangash and captain Sajid Khan made handy contributions with 47 and 30, respectively.

Mir Hamza was the pick of the bowlers for Ghani Glass, taking a five-wicket haul for just 67 runs in 27.3 overs, while Khurram Shahzad, Noman Ali, Ali Shabbir and Ali Razzaq made one scalp apiece.

In response, Ghani Glass were rocked by Gul's successive strikes and ended the day at 37/2 with Kashif Ali and Tayyab Tahir, unbeaten on 18 and one, respectively.

The duo will resume Ghani Glass's first innings on the penultimate day as they trail SNGPL by a further 415 runs.

The remaining fifth-round match of the President's Trophy Grade-I between Sahir Associates and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) hung in the balance after the conclusion of the second day's play at the SBP Sports Complex.

At the commencement of the enthralling second day, Sahir Associates resumed their first innings from 229/7 and could add 11 more to their overnight score to finish at 240 all out in 89 overs.

Middle-order batter Mohammad Saleem top-scored with an anchoring 68 off 184 deliveries, followed by Muhammad Mohsin Khan, who made a 99-ball 62 on the opening day.

For SBP, Mohammad Abbas and Niaz Khan took three wickets each, while Saqlain Nawaz and Kashif Bhatti shared two between them.

In response to Sahir Associates' 240 all out, Abdullah Fazal's anchoring knock gave SBP a desired start as the home side finished the second day at 73/1, trailing by 167 runs with nine wickets in hand.

Abdullah, unbeaten on 36, will resume SBP's response on the penultimate day, alongside Muhammad Huraira, who has made 14 not out.

Mohammad Bilawal picked up the solitary SBP wicket to fall on the second day, dismissing captain Hasan Raza, who made a cautious 16 off 41 deliveries.