OGDCL beat Kingsmen Academy by nine wickets; three matches end in draws۔
Shakeel Ur Rehman, Peshawar
The second round of the President’s Trophy Grade-I First-Class Cricket Tournament concluded with OGDCL defeating Kingsmen Academy by nine wickets at the Imran Khan Cricket Stadium in Peshawar, while the matches between KRL and Markhors IT Solutions and PTV and State Bank of Pakistan ended in draws.
In Peshawar, OGDCL successfully chased down the target of 121 runs for the loss of just one wicket. Kingsmen Academy had scored 215 in their first innings and 203 in the second, leaving OGDCL with a target of 121 runs.
OGDCL needed a further 36 runs at the start of the fourth day and completed the chase without any difficulty. Opener Waqar Ahmed remained unbeaten on a superb 75, guiding his side to a convincing nine-wicket victory.
Kingsmen Academy captain Muhammad Tayyab Arif scored a brilliant 105 in the first innings, while OGDCL’s Mohammad Amir Khan claimed five wickets for 51 runs. In the second innings, Danish Aziz and Mohammad Salman took four wickets each.
The match was supervised by Imtiaz Iqbal and Imran Javed, with Iqbal Sheikh serving as match referee. Noor Muhammad and Nadeem Akhtar were the scorers, while Mohammad Haris worked as the media scorer.
KRL and Markhors IT Solutions share honours
The match between KRL and Markhors IT Solutions at Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi, also ended in a draw.
Markhors IT Solutions posted a massive 660 in their first innings, with Mohammad Farooq scoring 163, Atiq-ur-Rehman making 142 and Salman Khan Junior contributing 181.
Mohammad Farooq’s 163 came off just 99 balls and included 14 sixes, providing one of the most notable individual performances of the innings.
In reply, KRL reached 423 for five, with Imran Rafiq scoring 122 and Asim Ali Nasir remaining unbeaten on 110. The match could not reach a decisive stage within the allotted time and ended in a draw.
KRL captain Iftikhar Ahmed produced an outstanding spell in the second innings, taking five wickets for just 18 runs in eight overs. It was the third five-wicket haul of his First-Class career.
PTV and State Bank match drawn
The match between PTV and State Bank of Pakistan at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium also ended without a result.
State Bank scored 433 in their first innings, while PTV responded with 469, led by an outstanding double century from Muhammad Taha, who scored 225, with Yasir Khan contributing 73.
State Bank began their second innings on the final morning at 84 for four. Mohammad Ghazi Ghori and Kamran Ghulam were at the crease. Despite efforts to force a result, the match ended in a draw.
Earlier in the second round, Ghani secured a convincing innings-and-14-run victory over SNGPL, their first win of the tournament. Khurram Shahzad was the key performer with nine wickets in the match.
Third round to begin on September 24
The third round of the President’s Trophy Grade-I will begin on September 24 in Islamabad, Abbottabad and Peshawar.
According to the PCB schedule, KRL will face OGDCL in Abbottabad, State Bank will take on Ghani at the National Ground in Islamabad, SNGPL will meet Markhors IT Solutions at the Imran Khan Cricket Stadium in Peshawar, while PTV will face Kingsmen Academy at Diamond Cricket Ground, Islamabad.
The remaining President’s Trophy Grade-I matches originally scheduled for Shoaib Akhtar Stadium, Rawalpindi, will now be played at the National Cricket Ground in Islamabad. Shoaib Akhtar Stadium will host Grade-II Gold matches.
After two rounds, Ghani lead the points table with 36 points, followed by OGDCL with 31 and PTV with 22 points.
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