Tag: President’s Cup

KARACHI: Ghani Glass left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar picked up a six-wicket haul to dismantle Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) batting line-up in the sixth round of the President’s Cup Grade-I fixture here at the KCCA Stadium on Thursday.

Zafar Gohar wreaked havoc with the ball, taking outstanding figures of six for 21 in 10 overs, bowling two maidens to restrict KRL to 165 all out in 41.2 overs as they fell 35 runs short.

KRL’s spectacular collapse included losing all ten wickets for a mere 42 runs after Shahzaib Khan 52 off 72b, 5x4s, 2x6s) and Saad Baig (45, 52b, 5x4s, 1×6) had put on a 107-run opening stand.

Apart from Zafar’s career best List A figures, skipper Noman Ali chipped in with two wickets, while Mohammad Rameez Jnr and Ubaid Shah struck once each.

Ghani Glass too suffered a batting collapse of 98-9 from being 102-1 to 200 all out after being put in to bat first by KRL.

Following Yahya Bin Abdul Rehman’s early departure, Sharjeel Khan (58, 48b, 4x4s, 4x6s) and Mohsin Riaz (32, 39b, 2x4s, 2x6s) stitched an 85-run stand.

Tayyab Tahir (33, 42b, 3x4s), Hussain Talat (26, 35b, 3x4s), and Hammad Butt (20, 48b) got starts but were unable to convert them.

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For KRL, left-arm wrist-spinner Sufyan Moqim picked up a four-wicket haul.

Meanwhile, Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) registered their sixth win on the trot as they beat Sahir Associates by three wickets at the UBL Sports Complex.

OGDCL chased the 279-run target set by Sahir Associates with 27 balls to spare, with  Danish Aziz unbeaten on 55 off 59 balls with the help of five fours and one six.

Danish had put on a 65-run stand for the sixth wicket with Umar Siddiq, who changed the tempo of the chase with a 33-ball 40, hitting five fours and a solitary six.

For Sahir Associates, Faham-ul-Haq picked up two wickets for 20 runs in six overs, including two maidens.

For the unversed, the last and seventh round of the tournament will take place on Saturday, 20 December at the same venues, with the National Bank Stadium and Naya Nazimabad Ground games being day-night fixtures.

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LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the President’s Cup One-Day tournament will commence from 3 October across five cities.

President’s Cup will feature nine departmental cricket teams. The two semi-finals will be played on 13 and 14 October, while the final of the tournament will be staged on 16 October.

All the matches will be day with the first ball expected to be bowled at 9.30 AM. The venues and start time for the semi-final and final will be announced in due course.

A prize pot of PKR7.75 million will be up for grabs as the winner of the tournament will bag PKR5 million while the runners-up will collect PKR2.5 million.

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Higher Education Commission (HEC), Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) are placed in Group A, while Eshaal Associates, Ghani Glass, Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), Pakistan Television (PTV) and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) are part of Group B.

SNGPL, the winners of the previous edition of the President’s Cup, will play their opening match of the tournament against Ghani Glass on 3 October at Saeed Sports City Bedian, Lahore.

The Group A matches will take place in Abbottabad, Islamabad and Rawalpindi while the Group B matches are set to be staged in Faisalabad and Lahore.

Group A – HEC, KRL, SBP, WAPDA

Group B – Eshaal Associates, Ghani Glass, OGDCL, PTV, SNGPL

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Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) beat the Higher Education Commission (HEC) by eight wickets to win the final of the President’s Cup Grade-I 2023-24 at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Sunday.

Haseebullah compiled his eighth List A century to drive SNGPL’s flawless chase of the 190-run target. The left-handed opening batter hit an undefeated 101 off 79 deliveries featuring 13 boundaries and three maximums as his side scaled the target inside 26.3 overs.

Abdullah Shafique (36, 46b, 3x4s, 1×6) and Omair Bin Yousuf (26, 19b, 3x4s, 1×6) were the only SNGPL batters to be dismissed while Saud Shakeel (20 not out, 15b, 2x4s, 1×6) accompanied Haseebullah till the end of the game.

Mohammad Junaid and Aqib Liaqat claimed a wicket each, giving away 39 and 44 runs respectively.

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Earlier, HEC stumbled and failed to post an imposing total owing to regular blows. Six batters were sent back to the hut before HEC crossed the 100-run mark, following which they were reduced to 129-7 in 31.5 overs.

The lower-order showed some resistance with Muhammad Ghazi Ghori top-scoring with 30 off 49 balls while Shahid Aziz (25, 20b, 1×4, 2x6s), and Waseem Akram (20, 27b, 2x4s) also chipped in with small contributions.

Bilawal Bhatti was SNGPL’s most prolific bowler in the President’s Cup final with figures of 3-37, and the trio of Mohammad Ali, Shahnawaz Dahani and Yasir Shah took two wickets each to skittle HEC for 189 in 45.4 overs.

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Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) beat State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to seal a berth in the final of President’s Cup Grade-I 2023-24, at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Thursday.

SNGPL cruised to the 279-run target comfortably with eight wickets in hand and 24 balls to spare.

Kamran Ghulam (110 not out, 97b, 9x4s, 2x6s) and Abdullah Shafique (101, 102b, 10x4s, 1×6) starred with brilliant centuries keeping SBP bowlers at bay throughout the chase.

The duo also shared a 116-run second-wicket partnership.

Meanwhile, Omair Bin Yousuf stayed undefeated with 40 off 38 balls comprising four boundaries and also shared a solid 97-run unbeaten stand with Kamran.

Earlier, after opting to bat first under the scorching sun, SBP lost their in-form opening batter Mohammad Faizan (10, 8b, 1×6) early, who fell prey to Shahnawaz Dahani.

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Zain Abbas, who struck a crafty century (108, 101b, 17x4s), joined forces with skipper Usman Salahuddin (44, 75b, 4x4s) to stitch a 144-run second-wicket partnership before the former was dismissed by Mohammad Ali.

Zain’s departure in the 32nd over initiated a collapse as SBP lost the last seven wickets for just 81 runs.

Mohammad Mohsin, batting at five, helped his team post 278 all out, with a brisk half-century laced with six fours and three maximums returning for 62 off 48 balls.

Ali was the pick of the SNGPL bowlers, dismissing three batters while left-arm spinner Mehran Mumtaz and Dahani picked up two wickets apiece.

SNGPL will now face either the Higher Education Commission (HEC) or Ghani Glass in the President’s Cup final, scheduled to take place at Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.

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Abbottabad and Rawalpindi will host 24 matches of the 50-over-a-side President’s Cup, in which seven leading departments of the country will participate from 24 April to 12 May.

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), the winner of the four-day first-class President’s Trophy, will aim to conclude the 2023-24 season with another trophy.

Apart from SNGPL, the other six teams participating in the tournament are Pakistan Television (PTV), State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), Higher Education Commission (HEC), and Ghani Glass.

The seven teams will compete in a single round-robin format, with the top four sides after 21 league matches qualifying for the semi-finals.

While Shoaib Akhtar Stadium, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium and Abbottabad Cricket Stadium will be used for the league matches, venues of the three knock-out matches will be confirmed closer to the matches.

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Ahmed Shehzad will captain WAPDA, Usman Salahuddin will lead SBP, Rohail Nazir will lead KRL, Moeez Ghani will captain Ghani Glass, Mohammad Huraira will lead HEC, while Shamyl Hussain and Saud Shakeel will captain PTV and SNGPL, respectively.

President’s Cup 2024 carries a total prize money of PKR 2.5 million, with the winning side receiving a cheque of PKR 1.5 million along with the trophy.

Abdullah Khurram Niazi, Director of Domestic Cricket Operations: “Following the successful staging of the first-class tournament, the upcoming limited overs tournament marks a positive step in the smooth return and rehabilitation of departmental cricket, which should be welcomed by everyone.

“The return of department cricket aligns with the PCB Chairman’s policy of reinvigorating domestic cricket across the country, which will lead to more opportunities for younger players and a greater likelihood of new talent emerging.”

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