ABN-AMRO Cup 2007-08, Super Eights

Pool A

The business end of the tournament began with a tie between Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) and National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) at the Sheikhupura Stadium. Chasing 268, KRL were on course to win after a middle-order slide with Ali Khan slamming a 30-ball 54, but the ninth-wicket pair of Zulfiqar Jan and Saeed Ajmal failed to see their side through.

NBP, after being asked to bat first, were powered by Kamran Akmal's 118 and Naumanullah's 66. The pair added 190 for the third wicket before Yasir Arafat took 5 for 42 to bowl them out just before the 50 overs. Akmal's knock included 11 fours and three sixes while Naumanullah hit seven fours in his 87-ball knock. Saeed Anwar Jnr and Ali Naqvi led the chase with half-centuries and KRL progressed well thanks to their stand of 131 for the second wicket. However, the middle order succumbed to Qaier Abbas' left-arm spin and Akmal made a strong impact behind the stumps as well by claiming five victims, which included four stumpings. Khan revived the chase from 178 for 5 and smashed five sixes in his knock but his efforts weren't enough to seal the victory.

An undefeated ninth-wicket stand of 57 between Yasir Ali and Mohammad Rameez guided Rawalpindi Rams to a tense two-wicket win against Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) in Lahore. Chasing a modest 202, the Rams had all but lost it at 148 for 8 before the pair combined to see their side home in the 45th over. Rameez compiled a run-a-ball 27 with four fours and a six while Ali's 26 off 36 balls included three fours. Earlier, WAPDA failed to bat out their fifty overs, with Aamer Sajjad op scoring with 49. Babbar Naeem, the left-arm spinner, finished with 3 for 50.

Pool B

Habib Bank Limited (HBL) began their Super Eights campaign with a three-wicket win over Lahore Eagles at the National Stadium in Karachi. Shahid Afridi wrecked the Eagles with figures of 5 for 49 and rounded off a solid all-round performance with a quickfire 45 off 29 balls as his side chased down 220 with more than seven overs to spare. Aftab Alam and Younis Khan too compiled 40s to back Afridi's effort.

For the Eagles, Ahmed Shehzad and Ashraf Ali compiled half-centuries after they were sent in to bat. The innings wobbled at 157 for 7 before an eighth-wicket stand of 52 lifted the score past 200. Junaid Zia, the right-arm seamer, inflicted early blows in HBL's chase to reduce them to 49 for 3 before the middle order stepped up. Younis missed his half-century by a run, Alam compiled 40 off 62 balls, while Afridi slammed two sixes and a four in his knock before Zia returned to dismiss him and finish with figures of 4 for 45.

A half-century by the opener Khurram Manzoor helped Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) ease to a six-wicket win against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex. Manzoor scored 68 off 90 balls with nine fours to lay the platform for PIA to chase down a modest 206. Fahad Iqbal chipped in with 40 while Faisal Iqbal finished with an unbeaten 39 to seal the victory in 46.4 overs. Earlier, SNGPL were rescued by Tauqeer Hussain's battling 51 at No.8 after the innings wobbled at 96 for 6. The PIA seam attack of Anwar Ali, Najaf Shah and Ali Imran claimed three wickets each.

Afridi spin HBL to win in One-Day Cup

Shahid Afridi produced an excellent all-round show to spin Habib Bank Ltd (HBL) to a narrow three wickets victory over Lahore Eagles in National One-Day Cup Cricket Tournament at National Stadium here on Monday.

Afridi claimed five wickets for 49 runs in ten overs and left arm spinner Aslam Qureshi picked up two for 18 as Lahore Eagles put to bat first were restricted to 219-9 in 50 overs.

Pakistan under-19 team opener Ahmed Shehzad banged 11 boundaries in his 66-ball knock of 56 while Ashraf Ali made a subdued 58 in 96 balls with three 4s.

Bankers formidable batting line-up in reply with little hiccups reached the target in 43rd over for the loss of seven wickets. Skipper Younis Khan made lacklustre 49 in 70 balls with one hit to the boundary.

Shahid Afridi batted in typical manner striking a brace of 6s and one four in 45 balls after facing mere 29 deliveries to set up victory. Aftab Khan made steady 40 in 62 balls with three hits to the boundary. Kamran Hussain also contributed a crucial 27 in 25 balls with a pair of boundaries.

Captain and international paceman Junaid Zia was pick of Lahore Eagles bowling attack snapping-up four wickets for 45 runs in ten overs.

Summarised scores:

Lahore Eagles 219-9 in 50 overs (Ashraf Ali 58, Ahmed Shehzad 56, Sohail Ahmed 25, Arsalan Mir 23, Shahid Afridi 5-49, Aslam Qureshi 2-18).
HBL 222-7 in 42.1 overs (Younis Khan 49, Shahid Afridi 45, Aftab Khan 40, Riffatullah 31, Kamran Hussain 27, Junaid Zia 4-45).

Rawalpindi Rams among 4 leaders after 2 rounds of ABN-AMRO CUP

Rawalpindi Rams moved to the top of their respective preliminary group after two rounds of matches in the ABN-AMRO Cup One-Day National Cricket Tournament.

Rawalpindi Rams and PIA both earned eight points each after the second round on Satuday. Rams, the only regional outfit to top their group, were ahead of PIA on the basis of net run-rate n Group D.

The other group leaders were all departmental teams—KRL in Group A, Wapda in B and National Bank in C.

In Group A, KRL and Islamabad were tied with eight points each but the former was on top because of average run rate. The other teams in this groups with respective points were Habib Bank and Peshawar (4 each) and Lahore Lions and Quetta Bears (Nil each).

Wapda emerged as hands-down leader in Group B with
eight points, followed by Sialkot Stallion and Hyderabad Hawks (4 each) and SNGPL

and Multan Tigers (Nil each).

The Group C also followed the same pattern with National Bank leading with eight points, followed by Lahore Eagles and Customs (4 each) and Faislabad Wolves and Karachi Zebras (Nil).

Pursuing leaders Rawalpindi Rams and PIA in Group D were ZTBL and SSGC (4 each) and Karachi Dolphins and Abbottabad Rhinos (0 each).

Akbar’s unbeaten ton fails to save Dolphins against SSGC

Akbar Rehman smashed a sparkling unbeaten century but that failed to save Karachi Dolphins from 28 runs defeat at the hands of Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) in one- Day National Cricket Tournament at NBP Sports Complex Ground here on Saturday.

Defiant Akbar failed to get support from the other batsman and finished 106 off 87 deliveries. It was studded with ten boundaries and one six as Dolphins were bowled out for 293 in their 50 overs.

Earlier inserted to bat first SSGC recovered after losing opener Mohtashim Ali in the first over to post a mammoth 321 all out in 49.2 overs.

Asif Zakir hit 15 boundaries and one six in his 87 off 76 balls and Ashraf Ali belted eight 4s and four 6s in his 81 off 80 balls. They shared 162 runs for the second wickets in 23 overs.

Slow left arm spinner Afzal Hussain bowled out in a difficult situation to finish on excellent figures of four wickets for 36 runs.

Shahid Afridi blitz gives HBL smashing start

Habib Bank Limited (HBL), Islamabad Leopards and Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) won their opening round Group A matches, in the 2007-08 National ABN AMRO Cup One-day Cricket Championship, at various centres on Thursday.

Habib Bank easily defeated Quetta Bears at Arbab Niaz Stadium Peshawar by five wickets. They bowled the Quetta team out for a modest 213 runs in 48.5 overs and then, thanks to a marvellous 84 by skipper Shahid Afridi, off a mere 27 balls with eight fours and seven sixes, scored 214-5 in a matter of 28.2 overs.

At the Diamond Club Ground here, Islamabad Leopards had the better of Peshawar Panthers by a four-wicket margin. Opener Umair Khan provided Islamabad just the right incentive, as he hit a brilliant 109 off 134 balls with 13 fours to set the ball rolling.

After Peshawar had scored 255 all out in 49.5 overs, Islamabad overhauled their total making 258 runs in reply for the loss of six wickets and won with 10 balls to spare. Aided by an unbeaten 106 off 89 balls with six fours and four sixes by Azhar Ali, KRL rattled up a score of 288-3 in their fifty overs at the KRL Stadium in Rawalpindi. Lahore Lions were then dismissed for 181 for a 107-run win.

Scores:
Quetta Bears 213 in 48.5 overs (Shoaib Khan 50, Nasim Khan 62, Faisal Irfan 46*; Abdul Rehman 4-37).
Habib Bank 214-5 in 28.2 overs (Khaqan Arsal 38, Shahid Afridi 84, Salman Qadir 37*).


Peshawar Panthers 255 in 49.5 overs (Usman Zaib 42, Mohammad Fayyaz 36, Nawaz Ahmed 56; Raheel Majeed 4-47).
Islamabad Leopards 258-6 in 48.2 overs (Umair Khan 109, Naeem Anjum 53*, Rauf Akbar 41*).


KRL 288-3 in 50 overs (Saeed Anwar 71, Mohammad Wasim 32, Azhar Ali 106*, Bazid Khan 45).
Lahore Lions 181 in 37.2 overs (Haroon Rasheed 32, Asif Khan 39; Saeed Anwar 3-28).

Rawalpindi Rams through with one-wicket win

Rawalpindi Rams started the 2007-08 National ABN AMRO One-day Cup Cricket Championship on a successful note, as they defeated Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) by a one-wicket margin in a thriller of a Group D first-round match, here at the Niaz Stadium on Thursday.

SSGC, who batted first after winning the toss, appeared to have compiled a safe total of 244 for eight in their allotted 50 overs. Rawalpindi reached 245 with their last pair in and won with just one over remaining.

Their opening stand was worth 120 runs in 23 overs, as both Umar Amin (51) and Babar Naeem (56) contributed half-centuries. Pace bowler Rajesh Ramesh (2-57) and slow left-armer Adnan Malik (3-49) struck some quick blows as Rawalpindi fell to 172-5 in the 35th over.

In spite of three more wickets by SSGC’s successful fast bowler Sohail Khan (3-46 in 10), the Rams attained their target with nine wickets down. Earlier, the left-handed Mohtashim Ali hammered an unbeaten 90 off 109 balls with five fours and two sixes for SSGC. His fifth-wicket stand with Mohammad Zafar was worth 110 runs. Zafar made 51 off 56 deliveries with five fours.

Scores:

SSGC 244-8 in 50 overs (Saeed Bin Nasir 33, Mohtashim Ali 90*, Mohammad Zafar 51; Mohammad Aamer 3-35).

Rawalpindi Rams 245-9 in 49 overs (Umar Amin 51, Babar Naeem 56, Extras 35; Sohail Khan 3-46, Adnan Malik 3-49).

Hyderabad Hawks, WAPDA gain easy wins

Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) made short work of Sialkot Stallions, as they won their first round Group B match by eight wickets, in the 2007-08 National ABN AMRO Cup One-day Cricket Championship, here at the Jinnah Stadium on Thursday.

Opener Naeemuddin top-scored for Sialkot with 76 runs off 74 balls with 11 boundaries as, after being put in first, the hosts managed a modest 219 and were bowled out in 48.5 overs. WAPDA got through to 220 for two in 45.2 overs as their third-wicket pair added 149 runs for the unbroken partnership. Tariq Aziz hit 78 not out off 104 balls with 10 fours while Aamer Sajjad contributed an identical unbeaten 78, that came off 105 balls with five fours and two sixes.

In the other Group B match played yesterday, at the Sheikhupura Stadium, Hyderabad Hawks surprised Multan Tigers by winning by a seven-wicket margin.

Batting first, the Multan team scored only 217 runs before being dismissed on the last ball of their fifty overs. The Hawks replied with 218 for three and won with just 39.5 of their overs consumed.

Former Pakistan One-day International representative Faisal Athar missed his hundred for Hyderabad by just two runs. His 98 came off just 90 deliveries with 13 fours and three sixes.

Scores:

Sialkot Stallions 219 in 48.5 overs (Naeemuddin 76; Sarfraz Ahmed 4-39). WAPDA 220-2 in 45.2 overs (Ahmed Said 35, Tariq Aziz 78*, Aamer Sajjad 78*).

Multan Tigers 217 in 50 overs (Hammad Tariq 68, Zulfiqar Babar 31*; Nauman Ali 3-26). Hyderabad Hawks 218-3 in 39.5 overs (Aqeel Anjum 44, Faisal Athar 98).

Kamran, Fahad setup easy-win for PIA

Kamran Sajid produced an excellent all-round show and Fahad Iqbal smashed an unbeaten 92 to spearhead PIA’s to one-sided eight-wicket victory over Karachi Dolphins in ABN AMRO One-day Cricket Tournament at National Stadium on Thursday.

Fahad and Kamran shared a enterprising 163 runs unbroken third wicket to lead airlines to commanding victory with 22 balls to spare.

Fahad banged ten boundaries and one six in his 89-ball knock of 92 and Kamran Sajid made 69 not out off 88 deliveries with five hits to the boundary. Yasir Hameed contributed an aggressive 46 with eight 4s and one six.

Former test batsman Shadab Kabir cracked 66 off 77 balls laced eight boundaries as Karachi Dolphins were bowled out for 245 in 49 overs after elected to bat first.

Pace quartet of Fazle Akbar, Anwar Ali, Imran Ali Pasha and Kamran Sajid snapped-up two wickets apiece.

Kamran Sajid was named man of the match from PIA and Shabab picked up honor from Karachi Dolphins.

Summarized scores:

Karachi Dolphins 245 all out in 49 overs (Shadab Kabir 66, Faraz Patel 39, Shaheryar Ghani 34, Akbar Rehman 33, Fazle Akbar 2-40, Anwar ali 2-56, Kamran Sajid 2-35 Imran Ali 2-44) PIA 249-2 in 46.2 overs (Fahad Iqbal 92 not out, Kamran Sajid 69 not out, Yasir Hameed 46, Khurram Mansoor 33.