Ervine refuses winter contract, opts for club cricket in UK

Craig Ervine, Zimbabwe's leading run-scorer across all three formats on their recent tour of West Indies, has refused a winter contract and will not be part of the series against Bangladesh. Ervine has instead opted to play club cricket in the UK. Meanwhile, the threatened player boycott has been averted after eight players signed winter contracts.

He is one of three players who decided not to take up Zimbabwe Cricket's offer. The other two, Sean Williams and uncapped Pakistan-born Sikandar Raza, are still in discussions with the board.

All-rounder Keegan Meth and bowlers Shingi Masakadza and Tendai Chatara, who were a part of the squad that toured Caribbean, are among the players who have signed the winter contracts. The team has resumed training, after only the centrally contracted players took to the field while negotiations were on-going.

Ervine, who has played four Tests since Zimbabwe made their Test comeback in 2011, has not made the reason for his decision public, but a source close to the players told ESPNcricinfo that the money offered by ZC amounted to only US$100 a week. He is likely to earn at least double that overseas. His brother, Sean, walked away from Zimbabwe Cricket, seeking stability in the UK, and there are fears more players could do the same in the future.

Though Zimbabwe's preparations for the Bangladesh series, which begins in nine days, are back on track, the financial situation in ZC is still unresolved. An insider revealed that although the centrally contracted players "don't have many complaints" over what they earn, the situation among franchise players is dire.

Franchise cricketers are contracted for seven months of the year on low salaries, which according to one player only "pays for the rent". They are left to fend for themselves for the other five months and most of them try to play overseas in that time. However, since ZC tries to schedule international fixtures during the winter, they often have to choose between higher income from club cricket and playing for their country, where they only earn match fees.

A player, who did not want to named, said monies are often paid late or not at all. "Every single cricketer in Zimbabwe is owed money of some sort," he said. "We are due to be paid from our franchise contracts on the last day of the month. Sometimes by the 10th of the next month, we still don't have our money. Some people may say we are greedy, but we have bills to pay. It's sad that it pays more to play club cricket abroad than it does for the country, but that's the way it is."

With that in mind, those who have accepted winter contracts will be aware that they have signed up for some uncertainty. Their contracts will cover four tours, including the Bangladesh series, the three ODIs against India and series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Franchise cricketers will be given fresh contracts from September 1, while new central contracts will be announced in August.

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Nasir Hossain plays down expectations

Bangladesh batsman Nasir Hossain has said the team will have to handle the weight of expectations on them in Zimbabwe, their closest rivals in Test cricket, and played down the lack of training at home ahead of the tour. Bangladesh leave for Zimbabwe on Wednesday, about a week after returning from Sri Lanka on April 2.

"When we play a team like Zimbabwe, we always have that pressure of trying not to lose," Nasir said. "If we can overcome that pressure than we will be able to play normal cricket. When we play against a big team there is nothing to lose for us and we can play 100% without any pressure."

"I think Zimbabwe is a very difficult opponent in their own backyard. They are well prepared to give us a hard time, but we are confident we can beat them."

Nasir recently scored his maiden Test hundred and had a fruitful tour of Sri Lanka, which included a match-winning innings in the third ODI and a half-century in the first game of the series. Like many in the team, he has been playing constantly since the start of the domestic season in October. As a result, he doesn't think a few days of practice ahead of the departure for Zimbabwe would have made any difference.

"We just had a tour of one month so we are not [out] of practice. In Zimbabwe we will get a few days before the start of the series and that would help us to recover.

"It is due to the prevailing condition in the country as we opted for safety first. Even if we had done it [trained], it would not have been anything more than two days and I don't feel that we could have made a huge difference in this short span of time."

Nasir was in the Test squad when Bangladesh last played against Zimbabwe, but he didn't get a game. He made his international debut in the one-day series there, and has established his position as a middle-order batsman. He will again be expected to play a key role in the Test series, as he had done in Sri Lanka when the team was without some big names.

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Rafatullah powers WAPDA to victory over UBL

A Rafatullah Mohmand century helped WAPDA pull off a 76-run victory over United Bank Limited at National Stadium in Karachi. Asked to bat first, WAPDA got off to a flying start, with opener Mohmand (107) and Saad Nasim (75) laying a solid 140-run stand. A brisk 31-ball 62 by Aamer Sajjad, along with Mohammad Ayub (33) powered WAPDA to an imposing 352 for 5. Shabbir Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers, taking two wickets.

UBL got off to a decent start, despite losing opener Khaqan Arsal with the score on 19. Saad Sukhail (84) and Imran Ali (70) shared a 147-run stand for the third wicket, but it wasn't enough to lower the asking rate, with UBL losing wickets on a regular basis. Kashif Bhatti scored a quick fire 37, which included two fours and three sixes, before being dismissed by Kashif Naved, who took best figures of 3 for 19 in five overs. UBL ultimately reached 276 for 8, falling short by 76 runs.

Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited wrapped a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Khan Research Laboratories at Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. KRL put on 200 for 9 after being asked to bat first, with the main contributions coming from Saeed Anwar jnr (51 off 101 balls) and Shoaib Ahmed (46). Iftikhar Anjum had best figures of 3 for 39, and he was ably supported by Zohaib Khan with 2 for 34.

While chasing, ZTBL never faced a serious threat as Sharjeel Khan (90) and Babar Azam (72 not out) chased KRL's total with more than 13 overs to spare. KRL were laden with international bowlers like Mohammad Irfan, Yasir Arafat and Rahat Ali, but the target was not defendable. Irfan was the only bowler to have any success, picking up 2 for 38.

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited beat Port Qasim Authority by four wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore. After choosing to bowl, PQA removed Mohammad Hafeez in the first over. Azhar Ali battled hard for his 95, with No.7 batsman Mohamamd Rizwan contributing 83 to help the side put on a respectable 238.

PQA's chase centered around opener Khurram Manzoor, who hit a match-winning century to help lead the side home with 40 balls to spare. There was a mini jolt for PQA, as they lost two quick wickets on 203, but Umar Amin (32) and Kamran Younis (20*) held their nerve to chase down the target for the loss of only six wickets. Manzoor hit three sixes and 13 fours in his innings of 115.

Habib Bank Limited beat State Bank of Pakistan by three wickets and eight balls to spare. SBP chose to bat, with Kashif Siddiq (69) and Usman Saeed (49) top scoring as they posted 231 for 8. Abdur Rehman, Ehsan Adil and Mohamad Aslam all picked up two wickets apiece.

HBL got off to solid start with Ahmed Shahzad (61) and Imran Farhat (49) putting on a 97-run opening stand. They lost a few in the middle overs, leaving the score at 122 for 4. A 54-run partnership between Asad Shafiq and Aftab Alam helped restore balance to the innings. Shafiq (57*) and Fahad Masood (20*) ultimately took the team home despite two slip-ups, as they finished with three wickets and eight balls to spare.

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Yorkshire forced to deny Rashid rift

Yorkshire have been forced to deny a rift with their legspinner Adil Rashid, with the start of the Championship season only a few hours away.

Rashid was quoted in the Independent on Tuesday as saying that if his season did not go well he would insist on going to another county on loan - the same route followed by Ajmal Shahzad, whose disenchantment with Yorkshire led him to play out last season with Lancashire before joining Nottinghamshire on a three-year deal.

A statement from Yorkshire said that the interview had taken place on January 24 and that Rashid had apologised to the captain, Andrew Gale, for the embarrassment caused.

Rashid only took 16 wickets at 41 runs each in 10 Championship matches last season and his batting fared equally badly - 129 runs at 16.12. His reputation as an exciting England legspinner in the making has collapsed, as he has even fallen out of recent Lions squads.

"Now is the time to draw the line, and if it happens again I'll say: 'OK, I'll go out on loan somewhere else to play'," he said in the original interview. "I hope it doesn't come down to that. I've been playing here seven years and I want to stay. But I have a career and I can't waste another year.

"It's hard to come straight on and hit your length and line with every delivery if you're hardly bowling and the coaches and people around you don't give you the backing."

Rashid said that he accepted some of the blame, but it had to be shared with the captains and the coaches. "If a player's not performing, don't just all of a sudden disrespect him, or think: 'Oh, he's nothing now' then as soon as he starts playing well: 'OK, I'll respect him again now'.

"The captain knows what I can do because I've got 200-plus first-class wickets. He should have thought: 'OK, he's done this in the past, I need to back him.' If I don't get that from the captain obviously my confidence is going to go down."

In response, Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire's director of cricket, said: "It is disappointing and frustrating that this article has been used on the eve of the season. Although an interview was conducted in January, the way Adil has worked and behaved throughout the winter would not suggest to me that we have a problem.

"Adil has worked extremely hard and has been a vibrant member of the squad. He is someone who is valued at the club and all the staff here are committed to helping him become a consistent performer and fulfil his obvious potential."

There was also the sound of backtracking from Rashid. "It was an error of judgement to make those comments to the media back in January," he said. "Yorkshire is a great club and there is a very positive atmosphere within the squad. I just want to concentrate on my game and work hard to be part of Yorkshire's aim for success in 2013."

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Kaushal Silva hands SSC Premier League title

Sinhalese Sports Club 324 (Silva 171, Dilhara 4-77) and 262 for 4 (Silva 88) beat Moors Sports Club 262 (Jayasuriya 68, Gunathilaka 4-54) and 323 (de Saram 101, Madushanka 4-87)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Sinhalese Sports Club has triumphed in the Premier League Tournament final, defeating Moors Sports Club by six wickets in the four-day match at SSC. League top-scorer Kaushal Silva starred again, hitting 171 in the first innings to help SSC to a 62-run lead, before making a rapid 88 from 105 in the second innings, as SSC chased down the 262 runs they required, with only 4.3 overs still remaining in the game.

The hosts arrived on the final day still needing three wickets to end Moors' impressive third innings, and already 248 to get on the final day, in order to secure the trophy. Moors' resistance lasted only four overs on the fourth morning however - just long enough for Indika de Saram to complete his 28th first-class hundred, having ended the previous day at 89 not out. He made 12 of Moors' 13 runs to finish with 101, as the SSC fast bowlers made short work of the tailenders around him.

SSC then had 83 overs in which to secure victory, and they began with a positive half-century to Dimuth Karunaratne, who made 73 from 98. His opening partner Tharanga Paranavitana had taken 101 balls to make 32, but Silva's swift progress ensured the hosts did not fall behind the virtual asking rate. Perera hit nine fours and a six in his 88, but perished to the left-arm spin of Malinda Pushpakumara, five overs before the winning runs were hit by captain Thilina Kandamby, who had made 340 not out in the previous match to secure SSC's place in the final.

Moors had opted to bat on the first morning, but despite an opening partnership worth 108, could not bat themselves into a strong position, succumbing instead for 262 in the evening. Shehan Jayasuriya's 68 from 66, during which he hit 10 fours and a six, provided a good foundation, but Moor's middle order fell in a heap, and could not capitalise. From 108 for none, Moors stumbled to 147 for 4, largely thanks to left-arm seam bowler Charith Jayampathi, who dismissed both openers and effected a run out. Moors then launched recoveries through Janaka Gunaratne, then Chaturanga de Silva, who made 51, but both batsmen continued to lose partners at the other end and could not make a substantial-enough score themselves. Gunathilaka's offspin brought him 4 for 54, for SSC.

SSC began their reply poorly, and having reduced them to 59 for 4, Moors might were headed for a substantial first-innings lead despite their own sub-par score. But a stellar hand from Silva in a season full of them, not only rescued his side, but put them into a commanding position. He first featured in a 73-run partnership with Kandamby, before Moors struck four times quickly to have SSC eight down for 168. Silva's 102-run ninth-wicket partnership with Dhammika Prasad, however, took his side beyond their opponents' score, before his 54-run partnership with last-man Kasun Madushanka, took SSC well beyond 300. Madushanka made five of those runs.

Jayasuriya launched a quick start for Moors again, but could only make 35 from 31 this time, and his demise, with Moors still behind, brought two more quick scalps for the opposition. De Saram held firm on one end, but regular wickets fell at the other, and Moors were quickly in a desperate position, at 142 for 6. Captain Dilhara Lokuhettige, batting at No. 8, finally provided de Saram the support that he needed however, and Lokuhettige contributed 78 to the 167-run partnership that hauled Moors out of a mire. But his departure near the close of day three, exposed the tail, and his side would eventually finish runners-up after the drama of the final day.

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'I decided I'd finish the match' - Vihari

The plan Sunrisers Hyderabad team-mates Hanuma Vihari and Ashish Reddy discussed before Vinay Kumar started the final over of their match against Royal Challengers Bangalore was to play every ball and not panic. Sunrisers needed seven to register their second win in as many matches. "If we did not waste a single ball then seven runs were possible in the final over. But Ashish got out on the first ball," Vihari said a day after Sunrisers won a thriller in the Super Over.

When Dale Steyn walked in, the message was clear. "We discussed hitting bat on ball and running hard between the wickets and looking to take the match to the last ball," Vihari said. He watched Steyn take two runs from the second delivery of the over and then play and miss the third. "I decided I'd finish the match if and when I get the strike," Vihari said. He finally took strike with the Sunrisers needing four runs off the final two balls, which was reduced to two off the final delivery after he dug out a "good yorker" to get a double.

For the final ball, Vihari stood deep in the crease. As soon as Vinay delivered the ball, Steyn charged blindly forward. But Vinay second-guessed his opponent with a smart slower delivery. "I expected a yorker, but he bowled a slower ball. I tried to hit it hard for two runs but could not connect." Vihari ran a bye and could not believe it was a tie.

It was a bittersweet moment for Vihari and Sunrisers. Having restricted Royal Challengers to a modest 130, the hosts faltered frequently in the chase. And when the Lankan pair of Kumar Sangakkara and Thisara Perera departed in quick succession, the onus was on Vihari. Despite his age - 19 - Vihari decided to play the guiding hand to his partner Reddy, an aggressive player. Their 23-run partnership for the seventh wicket snatched the momentum in Sunrisers' favour. "A player like Ashish can strike at any given point. So I was telling him to pick the right ball and if it was not in his range to focus on taking singles and keep the dot balls count low," Vihari says.

It's this sensible streak that prompted the team management to promote Vihari to No. 3. Sangakkara, Sunrisers' captain, had decided to drop himself to No. 5 to counter the middle overs from the Muralis - Muttiah Muralitharan and Murali Kartik. "When early wickets fell, Tom [Moody] told me I would bat at No. 4. My plan was to take it as close as possible to the target," Vihari said.

Despite his batting prowess, Vihari's most telling impact had come with the ball - in fact his very first ball of the match. Sangakkara had already told him that he would be bowling with the new ball against Chris Gayle since the Jamaican had got out a few times in the past to off spinners. Being the only off-break bowler in the team on Sunday, Vihari executed the plan nicely: pitching on the off he got a little bounce that surprised Gayle, who went for the cut and was caught behind.  "I have kept the picture of the Gayle wicket," Vihari says of his best souvenir.

A wristy player, Vihari is a good striker of the ball and plays shots on both sides of the wicket. His best innings to date has been against Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy this season when he scored a career-best 191 runs in a drawn match.

John Manoj, Vihari's coach at St. John's Cricket Academy in Hyderabad, noticed that the youngster could hit the ball "very hard" when he picked him as a nine-year-old. Manoj's best student has been VVS Laxman, who is the mentor at Sunrisers now. Manoj had helped Vihari join the St. Andrew School in Bowenpally in Secunderabad and observed a keen student in Vihari. "I observed him playing confidently against the ball on the rise against fast bowlers from a tender age," Manoj said. Last year Laxman was impressed by Vihari's strokeplay on wet practice pitches and enquired more about the youngster.

At the beginning of the IPL, Laxman told Vihari to "express himself and play his natural game" without getting distracted at all about playing such a big tournament. The significance of those words has not been lost on Vihari.

Vihari dedicated his Man-of-the-Match award to his mother, who was at the ground with his sister, and his late father, who'd died in 2005. At the time, the 11-year-old Vihari was playing in a school tournament. His mother asked him to play cricket since his father always wanted him to play cricket. "It was two days after his death but my mother asked me to go ahead and I decided to respect her word," Vihari says.

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Petersen to miss Somerset opener

Somerset are likely to be without Alviro Petersen for the first game of the Championship season.

Petersen, who has signed as club's overseas player for the first part of the season, has been detained in South Africa to complete fitness tests for the national board. He will fly on Tuesday night and arrive in London on Wednesday morning, leaving little time to complete the necessary formalities and travel to Chester-le-Street for the match against Durham.

"He will arrive in London on Wednesday morning," Dave Nosworthy, Somerset's new director of cricket told ESPNcricinfo, "so it's unlikely we can get him through customs and up to Durham in time."

Petersen's absence is a blow to Somerset. They are already without Nick Compton, who is being rested on the order of England following his impressive efforts for England over the winter, and hoped that Petersen could help plug the gap.

They do welcome back the seamer Alfonso Thomas, however, who had an agreement with the club to prioritise the Championship over any potential IPL contract. Somerset were second in the Championship in 2012, equalling their best-ever finish.

Warwickshire, last season's champions, are also set to be missing a key player, with Chris Woakes rested on the orders of the ECB. The allrounder is suffering from fatigue, so will not be available again Derbyshire. Keith Barker and Boyd Rankin are also out, with Dougie Brown, Warwickshire's new coach, confirming that Oliver Hannon-Dalby and 20-year-old Tom Milns will form the bowling attack alongside Chris Wright.

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Saqlain back as Bangladesh spin consultant

Saqlain Mushtaq will rejoin Bangladesh as their spin bowling consultant for the side's tour of Zimbabwe. He will join the squad in Dubai on Wednesday from where the team will travel to Harare.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has a deal with the former Pakistan offspinner for 100 days of work this year, after his previous contract ended last December. This will be Saqlain's first assignment with Bangladesh in 2013. He wasn't with the team on their tour of Sri Lanka.

"We will only call Saqlain when the need arises," BCB's cricket operations chairman Enayet Hossain Siraj said. "We will not ask him to stay with us for a prolonged period. He will work for 100 days in a year, and this will start with the series against Zimbabwe."

Saqlain was appointed in July last year when Richard Pybus was head coach. He was with the team during the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka and the subsequent home series against West Indies.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh have had to cancel their official training session scheduled for Tuesday due to the countrywide general strike. The team will get five days of training in Harare ahead of the first Test that begins on April 17.

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Lions end trophy drought

Highveld Lions 155 for 5 (de Kock 44, Davids 1-12) beat Titans 125 (Gibbs 22, Morris 2-18) by 30 runs
Scorecard

Lions ended a five-season trophy drought with a tense victory over their northern neighbours to cap off an outstanding season under new coach, Geoff Toyana.

They finished second in the first-class competition, were joint winners of the one-day cup and have finally added a second piece silverware to their cabinet since the start of the franchise system nine years ago.

For Titans, it was a less-than-ideal farewell to coach Matthew Maynard, who has chosen not to renew his contract with them. Despite having a full galaxy of international stars available to them, Titans were unable to chase down a moderate target as the Lions' bowlers defended with the tenacity and determination of the animals they are named after.

After their batsmen were repeatedly stalled in compiling a total, Lions appeared to have conceded the advantage early on. When Henry Davids and Heino Kuhn began the Titans' chase with 40 runs in the first four overs, it seemed Lions would once again succumb to their local rivals.

But a moment of inspiration in the field changed that. Davids got a thick edge to third man off Hardus Viljoen where Imran Tahir was stationed. Although not known for his fielding, Tahir took a difficult catch and steadied himself as he almost fell over the boundary to take the first wicket.

The Lions' spinners struck three times in the next four overs to claw their way back. Aaron Phangiso had Kuhn and AB de Villiers out lbw while Tahir dealt Farhaan Behardien the same fate.

But it was only when Herschelle Gibbs and Roelof van der Merwe were dismissed within three balls of each other, that Lions had a real chance. At 87 for 6, Titans needed to score at 9.8 runs an over for the next seven overs.

They still had the one person who could do that, Albie Morkel, up their sleeve. Having left the field after bowling 2.3 overs after turning on his ankle, it was unsure whether Morkel would be able to bat. He appeared uneasy on his ankle and hobbled through his first run but soon found his top gear.

He slog swept Tahir for six to announce his intent and formed a dangerous partnership with another big hitter, David Wiese. The latter showed his muscle with a six over mid-wicket but then offered a chance when he skied one to square leg but Sohail Tanvir dropped the chance.

Wiese and Morkel posted 35 runs, the second highest-stand of the Titans' innings, before Wiese was fell on his sword, caught at long-off. With him gone, most of the Titans' hopes went with him. The last four wickets fell in the space of 11 balls with all of the Lions' bowlers claiming two apiece. Morkel was the last man out, caught at mid-off against his IPL team-mate Chris Morris' bowling.

It spoke volumes of the improvement Lions have made in their strike bowling department, which for seasons lacked bite but outshone their batting today. Although Titans were without death-bowling specialist Alfonso Thomas, they managed to restrict Lions, especially in the latter parts of the innings. After the hosts scored 67 runs in the first eight overs, they managed just 88 from the last 12.

Quinton de Kock's outstanding form in the competition continued. He finished the competition with 524 runs, the highest-ever scored in this tournament. He opened the batting with his usual carefree aggression.

Rassie van der Dussen was happy to play second fiddle while de Kock took on the bowling and eventually got a leading edge back to Roelof van der Merwe to give Titans their first wicket. Lions tinkered with their batting line-up and moved Neil McKenzie up to No. 3.

The combination of youth and experience brought just 21 runs before de Kock hit Henry Davids' first ball of his second over, a full toss, straight down deep midwicket's throat. The Titans' captain stalled the Lions' momentum and it was up to his opposite number, Alviro Petersen, to get it back.

Petersen hit Davids into the stands and drove Marchant de Lange through the covers before he tried to do the same to Albie Morkel. Petersen swung, missed and his leg stump was out of the ground.

Sohail Tanvir was promoted in an effort to lift the run rate but he could not get going quickly enough. With McKenzie and Jean Symes, he added 41 runs in the last five overs with de Lange proving tough to get away at the end but it proved to be enough.

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Younis hits century in HBL win

Habib Bank Limited won a high-scoring match against Pakistan International Airlines by 27 runs in Karachi. HBL were put in to bat and started inauspiciously as Imran Farhat was dismissed first ball of the innings. Ahmed Shehzad and Younis Khan then put on a 142-run partnership for the second wicket before Shehzad fell to Shoaib Malik leg before. Younish and Asad Shafiq then combined for 118 runs for the third wicket. Younis, recently omitted from the 30-man pool for the Champions Trophy, finally fell for 101, with Shafiq scoring a quick fire 92 off 74 balls. Shahid Afridi played a cameo, scoring 39 off 15 balls, striking three sixes and three fours. Habib finished on 331 for 3 at the end of their allotted overs.

PIA lost Agha Sabir for 4, before Kamran Sajid and Shoaib Khan snr put on 92 for the second wicket to help steady the innings. Sajid was dismissed on 48, with Shoaib bringing up 52 before being bowled by Abdur Rehman. Malik scored an aggressive 108 off 76 balls to keep PIA in the chase, but was restricted by the fall of wickets tumbling at the other end. In the end, PIA fell by 27 runs as they were dismissed for 304 in the 49th over.

Sui Gas Northern Pipelines Limited pulled off a close two-run win over Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited in their second match of the tournament. Batting first, SGNPL put on a strong batting display as their top three batsmen chipped in with key contributions. Azhar Ali struck his second consecutive half-century for SGNPL, top-scoring with 89 off 102. His innings built on an 83-run opening partnership between Mohammad Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar and a late flourish from Khurram Shehzad took SGNPL to a strong 314 for 5.

ZTBL began their chase confidently as Sharjeel Khan and Hussain Talat shared an opening stand of 96. The middle-order built on their start, as Babar Azam and Haris Sohail struck half-centuries. Sohail missed out on his first List-A century, falling to Asad Ali for 99. His innings, which came off 89 balls, included five fours and two sixes. ZTBL struggled once their top four were dismissed and their innings eventually finished at 312 for 6. Mohammad Hafeez was the most economical bowler for SGNPL, conceding 33 runs in his 10 overs of offspin. Bilawal Bhatti took three wickets for an expensive 77 runs.

State Bank of Pakistan won a thriller against Water and Power Development Authority by three runs in Ghari Khuda Baksh. SBP were put in to bat, and had contributions from their top- and middle-order, through Kashif Siddiq (11), Gulraiz Sadaf (29), Rameez Raja (23) and Usman Arshad (26). Adnan Raees and Usman Saeed combined for 107 runs for the fifth wicket, with both being dismissed finally for 54. WAPDA's bowlers took wickets regularly throughout the innings to prevent any substantial partnerships, as SBP finished on 244 all out.

WAPDA's innings started abjectly as they lost both openers with the score on 12. After losing Aamer Sajjad caught behind for 27, Sohaib Maqsood and Mohammad Ayub combined for a fourth wicket partnership of 144. Maqsood finished on 119, as he was dismissed with 37 runs required. Ayub and Naved-ul-Hasan then brought the game very close, falling an agonising three runs short of the target at the end of their innings. Ayub would finish unbeaten on 64.

The biggest win of the day came at Gaddafi Stadium, where National Bank of Pakistan hammered Port Qasim Authority by nine wickets. After being sent in, PQA managed to put up 248, thanks chiefly to Khurram Manzoor's 94. Medium-pacer Imran Khan, who hadn't taken a wicket in his past four games, took four wickets to be the most successful of the NBP bowlers.

If PQA thought they had put up a competitive total, they were made to change their minds by NBP's openers, Kamran Akmal and Sami Aslam, who put together a 201-run stand that effectively ended the contest. Akmal hit 22 fours as he remained unbeaten on 132, while Aslam fell for 82. NBP finished off the game in the 39th over, with nine wickets still in hand.

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