Fawad, Azam set up big win for NBP

A clinical performance in both departments put Habib Bank Limited over Khan Research Laboratories by seven wickets in Rawalpindi.

The slide started early for Habib Bank as they chose to bat. They lost Imran Farhat off the first ball and fumbled to 40 for 5, with captain Younis Khan (69) holding the innings together. He forged a 64-run union with wicketkeeper Jamal Anwar but with only three batsmen reaching double figures, the innings folded for 162, with more than seven overs remaining. Medium-pacer Yasir Arafat was the most successful bowler with 3 for 35 off nine overs, but was ably supported by Rahat Ali and Ali Khan who picked up two wickets apiece.

The opening partnership whittled away well over half the target as Zain Abbas (57) and Mohammad Yasin (78) eased to half-centuries. Though they lost two wickets in between the 35th and 36th overs, the game was already in the bag.

National Bank of Pakistan recovered from a horrid start to roll over State Bank by 77 runs. Fawad Alam's century led a recovery from 0 for 2 and Hammad Azam blasted 91 off 66 helped amass a match-winning total.

Tabish Khan's successes in the first over proved anti-climatic as opener Sami Aslam and Alam compiled a brisk 165-run stand for the third wicket. Reprieve did not come when Aslam fell four runs short of a second List A century, but the incoming Pakistan Under-23 captain Azam blitzed 10 fours and five sixes to power his side to a daunting 313 in the allotted 45 overs. Alam remained unbeaten with 102, with 12 fours.

Rameez Raja and Raheel Majeed made cautious fifties after losing a couple of early wickets, but with the required rate ever rising - it crossed eight before 20 overs - State Bank were always chasing the game. Both batsmen perished attempting to accelerate, as they lost three wickets in three overs to sag on 177 for 7 by the 35th over. Gulraiz Sadaf remained unbeaten on a 28-ball 43, but his efforts came far too late and were not supported by the tail as State Bank was bowled out for 236.

Steady contributions all through the batting order and a disciplined bowling effort, let by the captain Azhar Ali ensured Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited recorded a 71-run win over United Bank Limited in Faisalabad.

Choosing to bat first, they enjoyed a prosperous opening stand which fetched 62 runs, but were hurt by two quick wickets. Though only Hussain Talat, who remained unbeaten, was the only batsman to cross fifty, SNGPL were not lacking in partnerships, one of which was accounted for 100 runs between Talat and Saleem Mughal, who made 43 off 49. For United Bank, Tariq Haroon was the most successful bowler taking 2 for 30 off seven overs .

Though United Bank began promisingly in their chase of the 254-run target, losing five wickets for 27 runs foiled the efforts of opener Abid Ali who stuck it out for 49 off 64 balls. He became one of Azhar's victims as the spinners picked up six wickets between them. Wicketkeeper Bismillah Khan did his best to keep United Bank in the hunt with his aggressive 42, but they fell well short of the target in the 38th over.

Pakistan Television slumped to their third successive loss when they fell short of their target of 257 by 53 runs against Pakistan International Airlines in Islamabad. Their top and middle-order batsmen got starts but could not capitalise on them and an unbeaten fifty from No. 7 Zohaib Ahmed also went in vain.

PIA were put in to bat and after losing Shehzar Mohammad early, their next three batsmen laid the platform for a competitive score. Kamran Sajid and Fahad Iqbal scored 45 and 42 respectively and Faisal Iqbal scored 56. PTV struck back with four wickets within 35 runs, leaving PIA at 213 for 8, but Tahir Khan's 18-ball 35 charged them to 256.

PTV had two strong partnerships - for the second and fourth wickets - but once they were 121 for 4, PIA's bowlers struck regularly to ensure PTV never came back in the game. Three of PTV's batsmen scored 23 and Mohammad Sami scored 43 apart from Ahmed's 52 not out, but all of those weren't enough to take them close to victory.

A four-wicket haul by Sohail Khan bowled out Water and Power Development Authority out for 183, before half-centuries by Kamran Younis and Khalid Latif helped Port Qasim Authority to an easy eight-wicket win. WAPDA were struggling at 55 for 6 before Saad Nasim resisted with 65. A 124-run stand between Younis and Latif had all but sealed the game for PQA.

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Mathews' weather gamble backfires

Angelo Mathews has admitted Sri Lanka did not consider the likelihood of rain when they chose their XI for the second ODI against New Zealand, nor did they vouch on weather hampering the team bowling second, at the toss.

New Zealand have hoped to bowl first in both matches in Hambantota, reasoning that Duckworth-Lewis recalculations favour chasing sides, but despite the potency of Sri Lanka's ongoing monsoon season, Mathews has wished to bat first on both occasions, focusing on the inclination of the venue's surface instead. The first match had been washed out after 54.1 overs, and last November's ODI series against New Zealand had also been severely affected by rain, with the team batting first gaining a discernible advantage in those matches.

Sri Lanka were doubly disadvantaged by the rain in the second match, as they contended with a wet ball that the spinners in particular found harder to grip, and a wet outfield that lubricated the ball's passage over it. The visitors eventually secured a thrilling four-wicket win, off the last ball of the match.

"We played two spinners, because we didn't make a decision based on the weather," Mathews said. "If you looked at our innings, their spinners managed to get some good turn, which showed the pitch was susceptible to spin. We weren't taking rainfall into the equation. There was rain in the past few days, but because we couldn't foresee what would happen with the weather, we took the choice to have a balanced attack - with three fast bowlers and two spinners.

"If you look at the pitch here, it's good to bat on at the start and gets more and more suited to spin, and plays slower as the match goes on. We aimed to put a big total on the board first up, but didn't take the rain into account."

In a frank assessment of his team's failure, however, Mathews suggested changes to that strategy might be afoot, ahead of the last match of the series in Dambulla. Sri Lanka must win that match - provided the rains relent long enough to allow a game of cricket - in order to draw the series.

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All-round Imad Wasim helps Leopards to big win

Group II

A century from Afaq Raheem and a half-century from the captain Imad Wasim helped Islamabad Leopards to a massive 356 and set up a 103-run win against Hyderabad Hawks at Diamond Club Ground. Wasim also took three wickets with his left-arm spin to cap a fine all-round performance. Leopards were put in to bat and they were powered initially by a stand of 137 between Raheem and Asadullah Sumari. Raheem was dismissed for 126 off 100 balls with 16 fours and four sixes. Wasim was responsible for the fireworks towards the end with 82 off 42 balls with nine fours and three sixes. For Hawks, Haris Khan, Faisal Athar and Lal Kumar scored half-centuries but succumbed to the huge target, getting bowled out for 253 within 38 overs.

A four-wicket haul by the left-arm spinner Mohammad Irfan helped Multan Tigers sneak in a nine-run win in a low-scoring match against Lahore Lions in Lahore. Chasing 169, the Tigers fell from 58 for 1 to 82 for 6. Irfan cut through the middle order to finish with miserly figures of 4 for 12 from nine overs and the Tigers were bowled out for 159, with Aamer Yamin resisting with 45 off 40 balls. Earlier, Waqas Saleem was the top scorer for Lions with 34 but the middle and lower order failed to chip in. Ahad Raza, the offspinner, finished with 4 for 31. Lions could only make 168, but it turned out to be a winning score.

In another low-scoring encounter, in Karachi, an eighth-wicket stand of 32 between Saad Ali and Khurram Shahzad helped Karachi Dolphins to a three-wicket win over Quetta Bears. Chasing 170, the Dolphins were comfortably placed at 81 for 1 but a three-wicket burst by Mohibullah reduced them to 105 for 5, and later 137 for 7. Shahzad and Saad, unbeaten on 44, saw them through. It was a similar story for the Bears as well after they were put in to bat. Led by Abid Ali's 45, they progressed to 89 for 1 and then collapsed to 125 for 7. Shahzaib Ahmed took 4 for 31 to bowl out Bears for 169.

Group I

At the National Stadium, Karachi Zebras sneaked home by four runs against Lahore Eagles to claim their third successive win. Put in to bat, Zebras were bowled out for 182, led by the opener Ashraf Ali's 59. Qaiser Ashraf and Tanzeel Altaf took three wickets each. Chasing 183, the Eagles' top order made starts but couldn't carry on. Zeeshan Ali top scored with 37 but his side failed to match the asking rate and ended on 178 for 8.

Half-centuries by Naved Malik, Awais Zia and Muzammil Nizam helped Rawalpindi Rams beat Peshawar Panthers by five wickets in a high-scoring game at Rawalpindi Stadium. Malik and Zia made 59 and 55 respectively to set the Rams on course in their chase of 270. Nizam's unbeaten 68 off 56 balls saw the side through with more than three overs to spare. Their knocks overshadowed fifties by Panthers' opener Iftikhar Ahmed and an unbeaten 90 by Mehran Ibrahim. Ahmed's knock laid the foundation while Ibrahim took the score to 269, hitting 11 fours and a six.

An unbeaten 63 from Kamran Ghulam helped Abbottabad Falcons to a four-wicket win over Sialkot Stallions in Abbottabad. Chasing 220, the Falcons were in a spot of bother at 172 for 6, but Ghulam's unbeaten 63 off 65 balls saw them through. For the Stallions, there were no hefty contributions apart from Naved Sarwar's 72. The others batted around Sarwar, who remained unbeaten. Aziz-ur-Rehman and Shakeel Shah took three wickets apiece.

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Sixteen-year-old Doran to face England

Jake Doran, a 16-year-old, batsman from New South Wales, has been chosen to play against England in their tour match in Alice Springs that follows the first Test in Brisbane. Doran has been named in the 12-man squad for the Cricket Australia Chairman's XI and the former Test spinner Michael Beer will captain the side for the two-day match.

Most members of the side are fringe state players, with Beer the only man in the group who has played at international level. Alister McDermott, Josh Lalor and Kane Richardson will be the main pace options, while Beer, James Muirhead and Ashton Turner are the spinners in the outfit.

The top order will be made up of Tasmania's Steven Cazzulino, Western Australia's Marcus Harris and the Victorian pair of Michael Hill and Alex Keath. However, much interest will surround the teenager Doran, who last month became the youngest player to represent the New South Wales second XI since Doug Walters.

Doran, a left-hand batsman who plays for the Fairfield-Liverpool club in Sydney's grade competition, is the younger brother of sometime New South Wales spinner Luke Doran, and is considered one of the brightest young batting prospects in the country. Greg Chappell, Cricket Australia's national talent manager, said the squad boasted an exciting list of up-and-coming players.

"England has been one of the most successful international teams in recent years and the Chairman's XI team contains some of the most exciting young cricketers in the country," Chappell said. "Kane Richardson and Luke Robins are both products of the very successful youth development program in the Northern Territory, while Josh Lalor is one of two indigenous cricketers on state contract lists, with Daniel Christian being the other.

"This will be a great leadership opportunity for captain Michael Beer, who made his Test debut for Australia at the previous home Ashes series in 2011, and at age 29 still has a lot to offer. This is a great opportunity to bring elite cricket to Alice Springs. Traeger Park is a high-class venue at which we expect top-class cricket will become a regular visitor."

CA Chairman's XI Steve Cazzulino, Michael Hill, Marcus Harris, Alex Keath, Jake Doran, Ashton Turner, Kane Richardson, James Muirhead, Michael Beer (capt), Josh Lalor, Alister McDermott, Luke Robins (NT).

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Dhawal Kulkarni in India ODI squad, Ishant dropped

Mumbai pace bowler Dhawal Kulkarni has earned a maiden national limited-overs call-up, being picked in India's 15-man squad for the one-dayers against West Indies. Ishant Sharma and Vinay Kumar, who had forgettable series against Australia last month, have been dropped.

Allrounder Ravindra Jadeja, who was rested for the preceding Test series to allow him the chance to recover from a shoulder niggle, is back. Yuvraj Singh, who also had a very poor one-day series against Australia, retains his place.

Haryana seamer Mohit Sharma, who featured in the second-string squad that played in Zimbabwe in August, has also been included. Mohit showed good touch in the first two rounds of the Ranji Trophy; he has seven wickets from two games, having extracted swing from the helpful Lahli track and claimed the prize wicket of Sachin Tendulkar in his final domestic game, as well as contributing with the bat when his team was in trouble.

Kulkarni had played in the same Lahli match and picked up three wickets. He was part of the India A squad that played New Zealand in Visakhapatnam in August-September, and claimed five wickets from two List A games there.

Ishant and Vinay were both battered during the high-scoring Australia one-dayers. While that was the case with most of the bowlers in the series, the manner in which they bowled, repeatedly erring in their lengths and lines, brought them much criticism. The duo was the most expensive among specialist bowlers from both sides, both with an economy rate a shade under eight. The lowlight for Ishant was the Mohali match, in which he was taken for 30 runs in an over by James Faulkner, with India losing the game when they looked to be on course for a victory.

In that batsman dominated series, Yuvraj produced his worst series stats in one-dayers, scoring 19 runs in four innings with a high score of 12. On comeback to the Indian team, however, in the one-off Twenty20 that was played before the ODIs, he had hit a match-winning, unbeaten 77 to propel India in a stiff chase.

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Willey looks to build on T20 exploits

David Willey is already Northamptonshire's answer to Ian Botham but he is not done there - he has already set his sights on the international stage.

That might sound like a bold claim for a man who rocketed into the public consciousness for the first time last summer with his exploits on Friends Life t20 finals day.

But after a call-up to the England Performance Programme for the winter tour of Australia, Willey, at 23, is now firmly on Andy Flower's radar. The squad depart for Perth on Thursday.

Until his impressive summer with the ball in 2012, the most famous cricketing Willey incontestably remained his father, Peter, who has followed up 26 Tests for England with more than 20 years as one of the sternest umpires on the circuit.

But David's all-round display on finals day at Edgbaston in August cemented him as a star on the rise: Willey took Surrey for a 19-ball half-century, the fastest of the season, pulled off a direct-hit run-out from the deep and finished off the match with a hat-trick as part of a four-wicket haul. It all assured him of the PCA award as the most valuable player of the season in t20.

While the left-armer is quick to admit that days like that probably only come around once in a career, with a Performance Programme tour to look forward to, Willey is confident the foundations are in place for him to end the long search for England's next allrounder.

"I probably won't have another game like that in my whole career," he admitted. "But hopefully the summer and the EPP call up is a step in the right direction and I can use it as a catalyst to kick on for the rest of my career.

"I think in all formats I would like to see myself as a genuine allrounder. Throw in the fact that I like to think I am a good fielder as well and I hope I can be an all-round player who is important in any format.

"I like to think of myself as a bit of an action man, I like to be involved and contribute in all three aspects of the game and I hope in the selectors' eyes that can only be a good thing. I definitely look at my skill set and think that the England all-rounder is a position I would like to make my own.

"I'm not denying that I am not the finished article yet and I have got areas to work on, but I will keep working on all aspects of my game so that I can put myself in the picture."

Willey is part of a 16-man EPP squad and among the 13 heading to Australia this month, swiftly following on from his appearances for the Lions against Bangladesh A in August.

England's much-vaunted programme has seen two recent graduates, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow, go on to establish themselves in the senior set-up with a third Yorkshire batsman, Gary Ballance, hot on their heels.

Willey is anxious for his career to be kicked ahead in similar fashion. "With the EPP are some of the best coaches so it's the best place to progress and work on things," he said. "Hopefully, there is a lot for us to work on and we can get stuck in and make a good progression.

"On the bowling side I want to work a bit on my action, making it a bit more economical to hopefully prevent some injuries, and I also want to try and work on a genuine awayswinger to the right hander. Then on the batting side it is about drawing up a game plan so I can bat for whole days: that's how you score the big runs.

"You can see from the past record of this programme that it is one of the best, if not the best, in the world for bringing players on, so to be a part of it is fantastic.

Follow the England Performance Programme squad and their progress this winter at www.ecb.co.uk/epp

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Mark Robinson to coach England Lions

Sussex's coaching staff is suddenly all the rage. After Sri Lanka's announcement that Mark Davis was on a shortlist of two for their vacant role of national coach, Sussex's head coach, Mark Robinson, has also won recognition by being asked to take charge of the England Lions tour to Sri Lanka next year.

The Lions will play three four-day Tests against the Sri Lanka Emerging Players team on a tour that looks likely to emphasise the longer form of the game in contrast to the side's previous tour there which focused solely on one-day cricket. England will arrive in Colombo on January 27 and depart on March 2. The final schedule will be announced later this month.

David Parsons, the ECB performance director, said: "We are delighted to give Mark Robinson the opportunity to come into the England Lions set-up. This should not only provide him with an excellent opportunity to learn first-hand what the England cricket programme is really about, but also we will be able to benefit greatly from Mark's experience as one of our leading coaches within the first-class game.

"Training and playing competitive cricket in challenging conditions against tough opposition is always a great way for our players to further their individual games, so this tour will act as an important part of developing and identifying the England players of the future."

Robinson, who has been cricket manager at Sussex for eight years, has previously taken charge of the England Under-19 side.

Selection for the tour will take place in mid-December with the announcement of the squad before the end of 2013 before which the performance programme squad, another part of the ECB's development system, will be based in Australia for a month.

The tour will also benefit Sri Lanka as they consider the fringe places in their Test squad ahead of their tour of England in May and June 2014.

Davis, born in Port Elizabeth, faces competition from Marvan Atapattu, the former Sri Lanka opener, as Sri Lanka Cricket decide who should replace Graham Ford, who ended his tenure to join Surrey next season.

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Make sports cheating a criminal offence - Dravid

A law against sports fraud that offers real consequences of "jail time" could well be the deterrent for athletes in the fight against corruption in sports, former India captain Rahul Dravid has said. Speaking at a conference conducted by India's premier investigation agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation, Dravid said the four issues needing legal intervention were doping, deliberate underperformance, involvement in the betting industry and age fraud.

"Criminal offences must be defined to include all forms of sports cheating, and jail time must be a genuine potential outcome where an offence is proved," Dravid, who formed part of a panel discussion on 'integrity in sport', said. Modern sport was at "a crossroads", he said, as it was "at serious risk of losing its moral compass". "The question is no longer whether the law must intervene but it is how, to what extent and on what issues."

Being banned from a sport, he said, did not end up having the desired effect, but being punished for a crime would. "Unless people see the consequences of your action… People have to see jail at the end of the day."

Former India fast bowler Atul Wassan, who was part of the audience, asked Dravid whether cricket needed to adhere to the anti-doping clauses pertaining to players' revealing their whereabouts to testing authorities, accept polygraph tests, and the possibility of entrapment by law-enforcement authorities. Dravid said, "I'm all for it - you need more regulation - it is what will protect the honest athlete even if it means a certain amount of loss of [personal] freedom."

One of the other speakers on the panel, Chris Eaton, director of the International Centre for Sports Security, said sports fraud needed to be tackled at a global, multi-dimensional level, involving sporting bodies, the police, governments and international co-operation. "Otherwise you are only papering over the problem, the entire gambling [world] needs to be called in to account." A former FIFA head of security, Eaton said just banning players involved was no solution. "Stop punishing only the players - they are the victims in this, you need to tackle the people making their money through this. You punish one lot of players, the people behind the fix move on to the next lot of players. These people have to be brought to account in some way."

The fact that betting was illegal in India did not, he said, mean that the betting industry could not be regulated and called to question. Unlike Eaton, however, Ravi Sawani, the head of the BCCI's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, said he did not believe that legalising gambling would solve the problem, stating that his view was that the laws in the western world were framed more with an eye on protecting the lucrative gambling industry rather than the sport.

The enactment of a special law pertaining to sports fraud would work best if combined with "a central agency" to investigate the problem, Sawani said. He suggested the creation of a special sports integrity intelligence unit under the CBI, which would bring several layers of the illegal betting industry under scrutiny. "Young players always ask us, we have to follow a code and if we break it, we get punished. But what happens to the bookies?"

Sawani had been part of the CBI investigation into match-fixing in 2000. At the time, the CBI, he said, had been advised by a former Supreme Court judge, Manoj Mukherjee, that laws 415 (cheating), 417 (punishment for cheating) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) under the Indian Penal Code did fall short in the case of fixing in cricket.

The IPL 2013 corruption scandal happened to be different from what happened in 2000 in one important aspect, he said: in 2013, the cricketers were under a legal obligation to their franchises by contract. Sawani said the BCCI had always "welcomed" investigation by the police agencies, and had currently passed on information to sections of the police. "It [how the information is used] depends on what the police priorities are on looking this up."

The government representative on the panel, sports secretary Ajit Sharan, said that the draft framework of a new bill pertaining to sports fraud had been prepared and was in the process of being put out on the sports ministry website to invite "stakeholder" feedback.

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Washout forces SL rethink on young players

Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lanka captain, admitted a washed-out first match will likely force the hosts to field their best XI again on Tuesday, altering earlier plans to make player development the focus of the last two games of the series against New Zealand.

Before the tour, Mathews had said Sri Lanka would seek a series victory before entertaining thoughts of blooding new talent, but chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya suggested before the first game that he would like to try new players sooner.

Middle-order batsman Ashan Priyanjan, opener Kusal Perera and fast bowler Suranga Lakmal have all been earmarked as future players, but did not find a place in the top XI, while even two young batsmen who make the team batted well out of position. Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne would likely have moved up the order, displacing the senior batsmen, if Sri Lanka had won the first match convincingly.

"We were thinking of making a change to the team after the first match, depending on what the result was," Mathews said ahead of the second game. "Now we've got to rethink that, because this match was a no-result. As I've said before, winning the series is our priority, and to do that we have to win both games."

Sri Lanka have already invested much in youth this year - Mathews' captaincy is itself a result of the policy - and Mathews has often been adamant that packing the team with young players does not benefit them or the team. Sri Lanka have already fielded a batsman who has played only two previous ODIs in Dimuth Karunaratne, and Mathews said plenty was already being done to secure the team's future.

"If you look at our batting lineup right now, apart from TM Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, the other four in the top seven are all young cricketers, so there has to be a balance. If you look at the bowling, Nuwan Kulasekara and Lasith Malinga have been doing well, so we've taken the decision to play them. The young players have to be brought into the team, but the team has to also be winning and doing well."

Opener Karunaratne was dismissed for a golden duck in the first game, but Mathews suggested the batsman deserved a longer stretch in the side, given his recent form in List A cricket. Karunaratne is also approaching a period of greater responsibility in Tests, as the retirement of Dilshan will likely result in another rookie opener joining Karunaratne.

"If you pick a player, you have to give him appropriate opportunity to show what he's got. Dimuth has been constantly among the runs for the Sri Lanka A team. He was unfortunate to be out first ball, but he's a good player and I'm confident he'll do well in the matches to come."

Mathews said he was largely pleased about Sri Lanka's total of 288 for 9 in the first match, but said they should have batted better in the last ten overs after all three seniors had been dismissed. Mathews remained unbeaten, hitting 74 from 64, but received little support from the lower middle order.

"At 40 overs we had over 210 runs [216], and our plan then was to go past 300. But we lost wickets and that was a setback. Chandimal and Thirimanne's wickets had a big effect on that, but in the end I was happy with the total. I think we had a great chance to win."

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Azhar Ali ton sets up big SNGPL win

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited moved to the top of the table with a 237-run win over United Bank Limited in Faisalabad. SNGPL were in trouble at 132 for 6 on day one after choosing to bat, but a 63 from No 8 Bilawal Bhatti stretched the innings to 279. Bhatti also starred on the final day, taking 5 for 13 as UBL were dismissed for 95 in their pursuit of 333.

After Bhatti's rearguard in the first innings, legspinner Yasir Shah took five wickets to earn SNGPL a lead of 62. Ali Asad made 87 at No 3 but there was little support for him. Batsmen No 4 to 7 departed for 15 each as UBL were bowled out for 217.

SNGPL captain Azhar Ali then took the game away from UBL with an unbeaten century, his 17th first-class hundred. Azhar came in at 46 for 2 and ensured UBL were set a difficult target. Opener Azeem Ghumman (62) and Ali Waqas (47) helped their captain build the innings and SNGPL declared on 270 for 5. Imran Ali again made key incisions with the new ball to have UBL tottering on 13 for 3 in the chase after which Bhatti took over. Barring Asif Raza and Bismillah Khan, no UBL batsman made more than 8.

State Bank of Pakistan fought back from the brink of an innings defeat to draw their match against National Bank of Pakistan in Sialkot.

National Bank of Pakistan piled up 435 for 5, after being put in to bat, and were driven by big centuries from opener Sami Aslam (191) and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal (162).

In reply, State Bank were shot out for 53 in their first innings, with National Bank medium-pacer Ataullah taking 5 for 19 off nine overs. State Bank began their second innings with a deficit of 382 runs and suffered a few setbacks but recovered steadily after a dogged partnership between opener Kashif Siddiqui (80) and Usman Arshad, who added 85 for the third wicket. Arshad scored his 11th first-class hundred and also shared a useful 87-run stand with Rameez Alam.

Once Arshad fell for 102, Alam and wicketkeeper Gulraiz Sadaf took on the task of saving the match for State Bank. The pair added 112 for the sixth wicket and Sadaf carried on after Alam's dismissal to stitch a partnership of 124 with Zahid Mahmood for the seventh wicket. Sadaf's resistance ensured that State Bank took a 144-run lead over National Bank. Offspinner Adnan Rasool finished with figures of 6 for 105.

National Bank had to play just two overs in their chase and managed to close at 4 for no loss.

Port Qasim Authority, by way of acquiring a first-innings lead, got the better of Water and Power Development Authority as their President's Trophy clash petered out to a draw at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Put in to bat, Faraz Ali (91) and Mohammad Waqas (76) overcame a shaky start as their 111-run partnership steered Port Qasim to the relative safety of 188 for 4. However, there was little resistance once the pair fell as pacer Azhar Attari took 6 for 76 and Port Qasim lost their final wicket for 273.

In reply, WAPDA's start was even worse as seamer Mohammad Talha ripped out the first four wickets with only 16 on the board. Mohammad Sami drove the stake further with three more wickets, but Adnan Raees refused to budge. His partnership with No. 9 Asif Ali revived a feeble 61 for 7 to 202 for 8. Asif's 71 was his maiden first-class fifty while Raees' century was his 12th in the format. Sami completed his 27th five-wicket haul to limit WAPDA to 231.

The Port Qasim top order could not build on their starts a second time, with the exception of captain Khalid Latif who made 73. There were only two stands over fifty as WAPDA seamer Sarfraz Ahmed held sway, claiming 5 for 36 in just under 25 overs. Asif's form continued with the ball too as he chipped in with three wickets to bundle Port Qasim out for 221.

WAPDA were chasing a target of 264, but the match was drawn with the score at 158 for 5, leaving Port Qasim winless after three matches.

Shoaib Ahmed's century and slow left-armer Mohammad Aslam's six-for in the second innings were the main highlights of another drawn match between Khan Research Laboratories and Habib Bank Limited in Rawalpindi.

After losing the toss, Khan Research Labs got off to a jittery start. At 19 for 2, opener Saeed Anwar jnr and Shoaib paired well, taking the score to 98. Shoaib starred in two more fifty-run stands - for the fourth and fifth wickets - but there was little support down the order. He was dismissed for 119, with 20 fours and the final four wickets could contribute only 15 more runs as KRL posted 307.

Yasir Arafat led a disciplined bowling performance as Habib Bank's only fifty came from No. 9 Ehsan Adil. Although a few batsmen did manage starts - Imran Farhat (32), Asad Baig (45) and wicketkeeper Jamal Anwar (31) - regular wickets thwarted their efforts to push on. Arafat's four wickets stifled the middle order, while Sadaf Hussain and Rahat Ali, who picked up two each, took early KRL wickets. Coming in at 151 for 7, Adil produced an earnest effort, lasting just under three hours for his maiden first-class fifty and took the score to 236.

KRL's second essay was a woeful story as they lost their last six wickets for 25 runs. Usman Salahuddin, coming in at No. 4 offered the only resistance with his 66 off 125 balls, but a devastating spell from 34-year old Aslam, accounting for the last five of the six wickets, bundled KRL out for 159 to set up a target of 231 runs. However, the excitement was short-lived as there wasn't enough time for Habib Bank to record more than 63 for 3.

Pakistan International Airlines demolished Pakistan Television by ten wickets in Islamabad. Kamran Sajid, the PIA captain, struck 148 to lead his side to 382 in the first innings. Aizaz Cheema then picked up seven wickets as PTV were dismissed for 156 and 230, after being made to follow-on.

PIA piled up a big score after being asked to bat. Sajid was assisted by Faisal Iqbal's 96. Though there were few contributions from the other specialist batsmen, No 9 Anwar Ali made 36 before falling to Mohammad Ali, who ended with 5 for 79.

Cheema replied with 4 for 49 as PTV conceded a first-innings lead of 226. Three middle-order batsmen fell in their thirties while the top order also gave away starts. Asked to follow-on, PTV put up a better show. Imran Ali and Nawaz Ahmed made forties at the top of the order but there was little resistance after that. Cheema took three more wickets while Tahir Khan ran through the tail to finish with 4 for 41.

PIA needed to make just five runs in their second innings, and were gifted five wides by Zohaib Ahmed in the second over.

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