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New Zealand, after being 159 for 3 at tea, capitulated to lose their last seven wickets for 62 runs in a dramatic last session

The Report by Devashish Fuloria16-Jun-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJerome Taylor picked up 4 for 34•WICBThe sight of the green surface at the Queen’s Park Oval was a welcome change after the slow-and-low pitch in Sabina Park but it appeared there was not much of a change in the script. New Zealand chose to bat, lost an early wicket, then Tom Latham and Kane Williamson laid anchor and put on a century stand as West Indies’ bowlers struggled to make impact.However, just when it seemed it was slipping away, two wickets in the second session sparked a resurgence from West Indies. New Zealand, after being 159 for 3 at tea, capitulated to lose their last seven wickets for 62 runs in a dramatic last session.Sulieman Benn, the lone spinner in the West Indies XI, trapped Brendon McCullum plumb in front with the second delivery after tea. That wicket set the tone as the bowlers applied relentless pressure from both ends and forced batsmen into false shots. Jimmy Neesham slashed a Jerome Taylor delivery to first slip, BJ Watling offered a loose poke soon after to be caught behind and then Ish Sodhi was caught at slip too, all in the space of seven runs.Ross Taylor scratched around for an 80-ball 45, but his stay lacked conviction as a bulk of his runs came through iffy shots. As he stood circumspect in the middle, he witnessed helplessly the disintegration of the innings that had started promisingly with Latham scoring yet another half-century.Jerome Taylor, playing his first Test series since 2009, was the pick of the West Indies bowlers with a probing spell of 4 for 34 and although he lacked the same level of support in the first half of the day, the other three bowlers rallied behind him later.The turnaround happened when Latham, who had looked set to breach the 100-mark for the first time in Tests, edged a Kemar Roach delivery to gully at the stroke of tea, ending a 163-ball innings during which he had showed no signs of flinching in his concentration.The remaining overs in the session produced nervous moments for the batsmen; Ross Taylor was reprieved off the last two balls of the session from Roach, first by Denesh Ramdin, who didn’t go for a thick outside edge, then by Kirk Edwards, who dropped a simple chance to his left at short mid-on.In the third session, there were no let-offs as West Indies tightened their loose ends: Roach upped his pace, Jerome Taylor bowled fuller lengths and got the ball to move away, Benn kept the batsmen on their toes with his arm ball, Gabriel firmly stood at the door preventing an escape and all catches were swallowed by the fielders.The way the innings finished must have left the bowlers wondering what could have been had they not been lax in the first half of the day. Jerome Taylor and Roach used the conditions to their advantage, getting the ball to swing and seam with decent bounce, but all West Indies had to show for the effort was one wicket – that of Hamish Rutherford. Then followed a period of New Zealand dominance, led by Latham, which threatened to take the game away from West Indies.Latham, impressive during his twin half-centuries in the first Test, was unfazed during that testing first period, and even later. He was prepared to leave a number of deliveries outside off, a trait that also rubbed off on Rutherford, who had replaced Peter Fulton. Both batsmen refrained from pushing unnecessarily at deliveries to start with, until Rutherford’s patience ran out.Latham continued playing a compact game. His first boundary – a classical off-drive past the non-striker – came off the 32nd delivery he faced, in Gabriel’s first over. Twice, when he appeared in trouble against rising deliveries, he still managed eight runs with a couple of controlled guides through gully.Ramdin opted for spin in the 16th over and Benn, with his height, posed a threat with the appreciable bounce he extracted. Latham was untroubled, using a solid front-foot defence to smother most of those deliveries. The runs came easily off the seamers at the other end and Latham went on to reach his third successive half-century of the tour, in 83 balls. Seventy-one runs came in the 18 overs just before lunch, a far cry from the slow start to the innings.Both Williamson and Latham stuck to the same template in the second session, playing out five consecutive maidens before opening up. Williamson, on 19, had been dropped by Chris Gayle at slip off Benn in the first session and in the second, Latham survived a tough chance on 58 as a thick edge off Benn didn’t stick in Ramdin’s gloves.Soon after the two batsmen had put up a century stand, though, Williamson blinked, top-edging an attempted pull off Gabriel to fine leg. That wicket buoyed Gabriel, who had been ordinary otherwise as he sent down a few probing overs. Then as Latham fell, two overs before tea, the bowlers found their mojo.New Zealand’s seamers responded with prodigious swing, one such out-swinging full delivery from Trent Boult taking Gayle’s off stump late in the day, raising hopes of a counter from the visitors on day two.

Saqlain Mushtaq, the former Pakistan offspinner, has said Saeed Ajmal has a ‘realistic possibility’ of returning to international cricket

Umar Farooq15-Oct-2014Saqlain approached to help Narine

Saqlain Mushtaq has also been approached, by Sunil Narine’s manager*, to assist in rectifying the bowler’s action, which was reported twice during the Champions League T20. Saqlain has told the manager that he will be available after his contract with the PCB ends
*15.50GMT, October 15: This piece had previously incorrectly said that Saqlain was approached by West Indies’ manager

Saqlain Mushtaq, the former Pakistan offspinner, has said Saeed Ajmal has a ‘realistic possibility’ of returning to international cricket. The PCB signed a one-month contract with Saqlain, ending on October 24, to work with Ajmal in an effort to correct his action, which was deemed illegal by the ICC. The one-month term, according to Saqlain, was ‘ample enough’ time to work on the technical aspects of Ajmal’s action.”There is a realistic chance Ajmal can return with a legitimate action and once I finish I am sure he will be in good shape,” Saqlain told ESPNcricinfo. “He will be ready in the next two weeks to undergo an unofficial assessment in a biomechanical laboratory. I am hopeful and more importantly he [Ajmal] himself is very optimistic and has done everything that is required.”Over the last 22 days, Saqlain has been working on extensively to get Ajmal to reduce the straightening of his arm to within the 15-degree limit allowed by the ICC. The PCB intends to send Ajmal to England to undergo an unofficial independent assessment at its own expense before applying to the ICC for an official retesting.Ajmal has a realistic chance of clearing the test, according to the Saqlain, and he said the ICC should also consider Ajmal’s medical history while assessing his action. Ajmal has had chronic issues with his wrist, shoulder, hand and elbow following a road accident in 2004. He underwent a detailed medical assessment on Monday at the Shaukat Khanum hospital in Lahore and the MRI reports are awaited.”If you look at Ajmal’s history with injuries, he might have recovered but there are certain things he might not able to achieve,” Saqlain said. “He is working so hard to get it fixed and bring it within the 15-degree limit. And I can see with my naked eye that he has done a lot work to reduce his flex so far and this is the important part.”With fresh medial reports we can put our heads together to look at what we can do further. I think ICC should also consider his medical history since no one wants to break the law intentionally. Even Ajmal, when he saw his videos, admitted his action was not fair. So he understands exactly what he needs to do. He is a quick learner and a fighter and is working so hard to achieve his targets.”Saqlain said his work with Ajmal so far had mostly been confined to his offbreak, and that the next step would be to work on his doosra.”We just want to ensure that everything should be perfect before we apply for an official assessment,” he said. “We took a month to work on various elements. So I am satisfied with the improvement in the last two weeks. But undergoing an assessment through a proper biomechanics system can further iron out the kinks. In case there is some problem we can sort it out instantly and the idea is to go into the ICC testing without any flaw.”We have done most of the work so far on conventional offspin, but we are now focusing on his strength as well. So we are working on the overall package, including his doosra.”Saqlain, 37, was perhaps the first offspinner to master the doosra, a delivery that spins away from the batsman even though it is delivered with a similar action to the offbreak. The variation spread around the world even after he retired from international cricket, and a few bowlers have mastered it in the last 15 years even though the delivery remains shrouded in controversy, with critics contending it cannot be bowled without straightening the elbow beyond 15 degrees.”I have always believed you can definitely bowl it with a legitimate action, working on various aspects of your body,” Saqlain said. “You can bowl the doosra with your fingers, wrist, elbow, shoulder and you can even get it right with your foot positioning. Every individual has his own physique. If you don’t have strong shoulders you can execute it through you wrist and fingers and use elbow to bowl a faster one. In either case you have to have strong control over your wrist and ensure it doesn’t collapse. And without the kink you can safely bowl a doosra within the permitted flex.”Saqlain was asked whether it was possible for there to be another new variation or invention added to the art of off spin bowling and he offered a mystical reply, “Why not? A person is made of this earth, which has not been discovered completely yet. So when you start thinking and start experiencing deeply, then you start experimenting. And then what you produce, that is a real invention.”

GOAL assesses the performances of Aliou Cisse's men following their quarter-final victory at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium on Sunday.

Getty ImagesEdouard Mendy – 7/10

Mendy was barely tested in Sunday's encounter, however, he was beaten by Equatorial Guinea's first shot on target in the 57th minute.

AdvertisementBackpagepix.Bouna Sarr – 5/10

With no significant contribution, the Bayern Munich right-back was found wanting when it mattered.

Backpagepix.Saliou Ciss – 8/10

Ciss played a major role in the build-up to the third goal. It started with his fine control then his run into the box before cutting back to set up Sarr to score.

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GettyKalidou Koulibaly 7-10

Another solid performance from the captain and he was lucky to have a penalty call against him ruled out after the restart.

Chennai Super Kings have played in five IPL finals in six years. Even after a reshuffle, the team is well placed to push hard for the title, but only if it can shed the baggage of a nightmare year off the field

The Preview by Nikita Bastian15-Apr-20144:52

Agarkar: CSK have been the team of the IPL so far

Likely first XI1 & 2 Dwayne Smith/Brendon McCullum/Faf du Plessis, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 B Aparajith, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Ben Hilfenhaus/Samuel Badree, 10 Ishwar Pandey, 11 Mohit Sharma
Full squad2013 finishRunners-up, having lost the final to Mumbai Indians. That was their fifth IPL final in six editions. They have won the title twice – in 2010 and 2011.Big PictureChennai Super Kings have been the most consistent of the IPL teams, both in terms of performance and team selection. So, to their fans, it will be strange to see a Super Kings outfit take the field this season minus Michael Hussey (with the team since 2008), Albie Morkel (ditto), S Badrinath (ditto) and M Vijay (with them since 2009). That they would lose some of their regulars was inevitable, given the big reshuffle this year, but that also means the team is without its established opening pair. As usual, though, they have solid options to fill those slots in new-comers Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum, and Faf du Plessis (on whom they used their one right-to-match card at the auction).The five players who were retained – MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo – will continue to form the backbone of the eleven. Among the domestic batsmen, they have the promising talent of B Aparajith and the experience of Mithun Manhas. They have strengthened – and varied – their spin options by bringing in Samuel Badree.Fast bowling has traditionally been their weakness, and will continue to be their most fragile front. They have bought back Ben Hilfenhaus and brought in his countryman John Hastings. They might have a surprise package in young tearaway Matt Henry, who claimed the third-best debut figures for a New Zealand bowler in ODIs, against India in January. Their Indian options include seamers Mohit Sharma (whose performances last season catapulted him to the national team), the experienced Ashish Nehra and Ishwar Pandey, who has been on the fringes of the Indian team ever since topping the Ranji wickets charts in 2012-13.Chennai Super Kings will have to forge a new opening partnership this year•AFPOff the field, things have been less smooth for Super Kings. Conflict of interest was a sword hanging over the franchise from its inception, it being owned by India Cements – the company of which BCCI president N Srinivasan is vice-chairman and managing director. That sword threatened to fatally slice through the franchise when team official and Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan was arrested on charges of cheating, forgery and fraud a couple of days before the 2013 final, amid the spot-fixing crisis. The threat did not abate as the Supreme Court of India mulled suspending the franchise. The court decided against it. Given a lifeline, the team will be eager to replace the nightmare of the past year with some better memories.Big playersSuper Kings are a team never lacking in high-profile performers, but read through the list of them and it hard go past the pair of MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina. Raina is one short of 100 IPL matches – we are beginning season seven and he is yet to miss a single game – and is the tournament’s leading run-getter with 2802 runs. Despite often batting lower down the order, Dhoni is also one of only 11 players past the 2000-run mark, with 2243 from 96 games. Among those with 2000+ runs, Raina and Dhoni’s averages (35 and 38 respectively) are only bettered by Chris Gayle, and their strike rates (141) are behind only Gayle and Virender Sehwag. Longevity, reliability and explosiveness, all rolled into one.Bargain buyIf the IPL auction was held after the World T20, West Indies legspinner Samuel Badree would have been one of the most sought after players. Instead, Super Kings picked him up for a mere Rs 30 lakh (US$50,000). Their think-tank must have been patting themselves on the back then, as Badree repeatedly opened the bowling and had the better of oppositions’ top orders in his team’s run to the World T20 semi-final. With 11 wickets at 10.27, he finished the joint-third highest wicket-taker (with Ashwin) and, having conceded 5.65 to the over, had the third-best economy rate (Ashwin being one of the two more miserly than him, with a 20-over cutoff).AvailabilitySuper Kings have no availability issues.Quote”We are professionals and will not allow any pressure to affect our performance. The first five games can be extremely important in the IPL, to build up a winning momentum, and that’s what we will focus on.”
Odds4/1 – joint favourites with Royal Challengers Bangalore
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Squad rotation is a reality that modern football has become well acquainted with. To most counties, their meagre playing resources make that notion an unimaginable luxury. Surrey are different

Tim Wigmore at The Oval13-May-2014Surrey 132 and 47 for 0 (Smith 39*) need another 220 runs to beat Gloucestershire 168 and 230
ScorecardKevin O’Brien will be returning to play in Surrey’s colours for the NatWest T20 Blast•Getty ImagesSquad rotation is a reality that modern football has become well acquainted with. To most counties, their meagre playing resources make that notion an unimaginable luxury.Surrey are different. On a day limited to 17 deliveries – Surrey’s quest for a second Championship win since September 2012 will resume on Wednesday – they provided another reminder of their financial strength by signing Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien. It adds lustre to their Twenty20 batting line-up ahead of their tournament opener at Hove on Friday night.But it is in pace bowling that Surrey’s resources are most plentiful and where resting players is a luxury they can afford.While Tom Curran, Matt Dunn, Tim Linley and Chris Tremlett illustrated their contrasting qualities to take 20 Gloucestershire wickets for only 398 in this game, Jade Dernbach and Stuart Meaker were rested with the NatWest Blast in mind. Add in George Edwards and Surrey, for all their plight near the foot of Division Two in the Championship, have seven pace bowlers with strong claims.The club’s approach to managing these talents evokes Claudio “The Tinkerman” Ranieri’s selection policy at Chelsea a decade ago. “You generally try and get your quick bowlers to play between ten and twelve games each, so that when they play they’re fresh and when they’re just lagging a bit you can leave them out and someone else can come in fresh,” Surrey’s director of cricket – and Chelsea fan – Alec Stewart explained after the first day. “That’s how we try and do it with the bowling resources.”Tremlett is among those who should benefit. “That’s the joy of having a big squad,” he said. “I don’t want to put my body under too much stress.”In other positions, the need for rotation is less pressing. Behind the stumps, Gary Wilson, who has deposed Niall O’Brien as Ireland wicketkeeper, will be in no mood to relinquish the responsibilities that he has gained while Steven Davies works on his batting.Stewart warned Davies that, “No one has a divine right to say ‘I’m a keeper therefore I keep’. It’s how the selectors feel.” Wilson strengthened his case with impressive keeping in both innings against Gloucestershire, which was not reflected in a match total of 25 byes.With rain dominating the day, Wilson had the chance to welcome his compatriot Kevin O’Brien. In the spirit of the age, he tweeted a selfie, though one imagines that it resonated rather less far than David Cameron’s attempt at Nelson Mandela’s funeral last year. O’Brien is expected to be available for nine games before he heads to the Caribbean: such is the life of the nomadic cricketer.The lack of regular team-mates is “probably one of the hardest things to get used to” but O’Brien said that it was “easier when you come back and you know the guys in the changing room”. He made a big impression in very little time last season, relishing the short boundaries to the Mound and Tavern stands in scything a 24-ball 54 at Lord’s.That innings was from No. 4, though it is opening – as when smiting a century for Gloucestershire in 2011 – that O’Brien prefers. “It’s the best time to bat in Twenty20,” he said. “You’ve got an opportunity to face the most balls.” It is expected that O’Brien will be used in the middle order, with Graeme Smith, Jason Roy, Steven Davies and – once his IPL commitments are done – Kevin Pietersen at the top.It all promises no shortage of razzmatazz. Surrey’s challenge to win this game is more mundane but, against a Gloucestershire attack who bowled them out for 132 in their first innings, no less challenging for that.

An incisive bowling performance from Trinidad & Tobago paved the way for the team’s seven-wicket mauling of CCC at the Queens Park Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Feb-2014
ScorecardJason Mohammed finished with 3 for 19•WICBAn incisive bowling performance from Trinidad & Tobago, spearheaded by the captain Dwayne Bravo and offspinner Jason Mohammed, paved the way for the team’s seven-wicket mauling of Combined Campuses and Colleges at the Queens Park Oval. As a result of the win, T&T have now qualified for the semi-finals where they will face Guyana.CCC, choosing to bat, failed to produce even one significant partnership and lost wickets right from the off. Only three batsmen reached double figures, as Dwayne and Jason shared six scalps between them to dismiss the team for 98 in 44.2 overs. Both the bowlers ended with identical figures – 3 for 19 from their 10 overs- while Ravi Rampaul, Sunil Narine and Rayad Emrit chipped in with a wicket each.T&T made a bright start in their chase, as the openers Lendl Simmons and Evin Lewis forged a 65-run stand. The pair eventually fell in quick succession – Lewis for 44 and Simmons for 38 – but by then, the hosts’ second win of the tournament had all but been sealed.CCC, who are second in Group B, will only qualify if Leewards Islands beat Barbados in their final group game.

Jackson Bird’s six-wicket haul and an unbeaten 83 from Mark Cosgrove gave Tasmania the edge on the first day of their Sheffield Shield match against South Australia in Hobart

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Mar-2014
ScorecardJackson Bird took 6 for 50 (file photo)•Getty ImagesJackson Bird’s six-wicket haul and an unbeaten 83 from Mark Cosgrove gave Tasmania the edge on the first day of their Sheffield Shield match against South Australia in Hobart. Tasmania cannot make the final but South Australia are fighting for a place in the decider and at stumps they looked likely to concede first-innings points, with the Tigers at 2 for 145, trailing by 67 runs.Cosgrove and Ben Dunk (54 not out) had put on an unbeaten 129 for the third wicket after Ed Cowan and Alex Doolan both fell cheaply to leave Tasmania at 2 for 16. But the South Australia bowlers were unable to have the same impact that Bird managed; he picked up four wickets with the new ball to leave the Redbacks wobbling at 5 for 39 after their stand-in captain Callum Ferguson chose to bat.Andrew McDonald led the South Australian recovery with help from Tim Ludeman (15), Kane Richardson (16) and Trent Lawford, and while they pushed the Redbacks up to a more respectable 212 it remained Tasmania’s day. McDonald missed the chance for a century when he fell to Xavier Doherty for 83 and Lawford finished unbeaten on 46 from 44 deliveries.Bird returned to run through the tail and finished with 6 for 50, showing that time on the sidelines with the Test squad in South Africa has not affected his form. South Australia will need a strong performance over the next few days to give themselves their best chance of a place in the Shield final, with New South Wales, Western Australia and Queensland all vying for two spots.

A round-up of the Faysal Bank T20 Cup matches played on November 29, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Nov-2013Group AMedium-pacer Najaf Shah spearheaded an incisive bowling performance from Pakistan International Airlines as they thumped Pakistan Television, who were 0 for 5 at one stage, by 10 wickets in Lahore. Najaf finished with 4 for 26 to run through a Pakistan TV batting order that offered next to nothing apart from a 59-run seventh-wicket stand between the captain Zohaib Ahmed and Yasim Murtaza. But the partnership made little difference in the end, as Pakistan TV could only muster up 96 runs from their 20 overs. Their poor batting effort saw nine of their batsmen fail to reach double-digit scores, with five of them being dismissed for ducks.PIA needed less than 15 overs to overhaul this paltry target, as Kamran Sajid and the captain Sarfraz Ahmed put up an opening-stand of 97. Sarfraz struck seven fours during his 50- his second Twenty20 half-century, while Sajid’s 39 included four fours.National Bank of Pakistan suffered a third straight defeat when they lost to United Bank Limited by six wickets at Lahore City Cricket Association ground. Opting to bowl, UBL restricted NBP on 127, with left-arm spinner Kashif Bhatti picking up 3 for 27. Sami Aslam (23 off 32) Usman Qadir (36) were the only batsman to offer fight. Solid top-order contributions ensured the target of 128 was reached with five balls to spare. Abid Ali’s 48 of 36 provided the initial impetus, Bismillah Khan made sure one end was secure while Wajihuddin struck a 11-ball 20 to help seal the chase. Usman Qadir and Raza Hassan picked up two wickets apiece for NBP.Fifties from Zain Abbas and Naved Yasin led Khan Research Laboratories to a seven-wicket victory over State Bank of Pakistan. SBP lost an early wicket after opting to bat but Kashif Siddiq (37 off 44) stabilized the innings. Rameez Raja (46 off 33) and a late push from Usman Saeed (20 off 16) took them to 141. KRL suffered early losses as well but opener Abbas (56* off 52) and Yasin (54* off 40) put on 110 for the fourth wicket to help overhaul the target quite comfortably. Seamer Faisal Yasin with 3 for 13 was the pick of the bowlers for SBP.Group BZarai Taraqiati Bank Limited became the first team to qualify for the semi-final after beating Water and Power Development Authority by five wickets. Left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar picked up 4 for 20 to limit WAPDA to 101 and later hit two sixes and two fours in his 17-ball 30 to inspire his side to emphatic victory. Five WAPDA batsmen were dismissed for single figures as opener Aamer Sajjad (23 off 34) and Sarfraz Ahmed (25 off 14) were the only batsmen to offer resistance. ZTBL stumbled during the chase, losing four quick wickets, but the target was soft enough that they reached home with three overs to spare.Port Qasim Authority recovered from their overnight defeat to get the better of Habib Bank Limited by 39 runs and climb to third place in the Faysal Bank T20 tournament. However, HBL are out of the running for a semi-final spot after two consecutive losses. Asked to bat first, PQA’s openers put up a solid 60-run stand but were dismissed in space of three balls. The scoring rate dipped thereafter with PQA reaching their hundred in the 14th over. But Khurram Manzoor (57 off 35) and Faraz Ali (32 off 31) plundered 65 runs in last six overs to post a fighting total of 165. HBL’s reply was sloppy. They were 31 for 4 when Hasan Raza (48 off 47) and Umar Gul (15 off 18) attempted to stabilise the innings, but PQA bowlers were too hot to handle. Sohail Khan, with 3 for 14, was the pick of the bowlers while Mohammad Talha, Mohammad Sami and Kamran Younis picked up two wickets each.

A round-up of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Gold League matches that ended on November 26, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2014Nine wickets in the match from medium-pacer Rashid Latif led Rawalpindi Rams to a 72-run win against Multan Tigers in a low-scoring match in Rawalpindi. Set a target of 265, Multan were dismissed for 192, as Latif took five and Haseeb Azam finished with 4 for 70 to give their team nine points.Put in to bat, Rawalpindi were dismissed cheaply for 137 as Majid Ali took 5 for 46 and Mohammad Irfan took two. But Rawalpindi replied by routing Multan for a paltry 70, only three batsmen reaching double-figures, thanks to four wickets from Latif and two each from Rizwan Akbar and Haseeb Azam. Rawalpindi built on their lead further with a score of 197, despite being 57 for 5 at one point. A lower-order fifty from Usman Saeed (67) with the tail put them in a strong position.Multan were in trouble early in the chase as Azam sent the openers back. He took two more later on and Latif’s 5 for 67 sealed the win despite a fighting fifty from Kashif Naved (62).

A round-up of the One-Day Cup matches that took place on December 10, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2013Group ILegspinner Tanzeel Altaf took two wickets in the final over as Lahore Eagles defeated Rawalpindi Rams by one run at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Zahid Mansoor struck an unbeaten 96 off 61 balls in Rams’ chase of 318, but watched from the non-striker’s end as Altaf dismissed Munir Ansari and Mujahid Amin with the third and sixth balls of the last over.Chasing 316, Rawalpindi Rams stayed on course with Awais Zia and the captain Babar Naeem scoring 53 each, and Mansoor striking 11 fours to reach 94 off 58 when the 45th over began.Rawalpindi Rams needed six off six balls, with two wickets in hand. Altaf had smashed five sixes in an unbeaten 14-ball 44 to propel Lahore Eagles to 317 for 6, but had been expensive with the ball, conceding 54 in his first six overs. He gave away a single off the second ball and followed that with a wide, before trapping Ansari lbw. Singles off the next two balls left Mujahid needing to score two off the last ball, and Altaf bowled Mujahid for 1 to give Lahore Eagles their first win of the tournament.Sent in to bat, Lahore Eagles were 101 for 5 after losing two wickets in the 17th over. Ikhlaq Butt and Zeeshan Ali put on a 144-run partnership before Butt fell in the 41st over for 109, after which Zeeshan and Altaf smashed 72 off the last 29 balls. Zeeshan finished on an unbeaten 84-ball 93, while Altaf struck left-arm spinner Babar Naeem for two fours and three sixes off the last five balls of the innings.Babar Agha made an unbeaten 116 as Karachi Zebras beat Peshawar Panthers by two wickets at the Arbab Niaz Stadium. Chasing 246, Karachi Zebras were 34 for 4 – fast bowler Azizullah had taken all four wickets – when Agha joined Naved Khan in a 119-run partnership for the fifth wicket.Karachi Zebras still needed 93 when Naved fell for an 83-ball 74, but the lower order rallied around Agha. He put on 59 with Ali Mudassar, who made 14, and an unbroken 25 with No. 10 Usama Basharat to take his team over the line with two balls remaining, after left-arm spinner Jibran Khan had struck twice to reduce them to 223 for 8.Earlier, Adil Amin scored a 121-ball 123 to take Peshawar Panthers’ 245 for 8. Five other batsmen got into double figures, but Mohammad Idrees’ 27 was their second-highest score. Ali Mudassar was Karachi Zebras’ most successful bowler with 3 for 35 in nine overs.Zahir Siddiqi took four wickets and scored 28 off eight balls as Bahawalpur Stags beat Abbottabad Falcons by four wickets at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. After Mohammad Naeem built Abbottabad Falcons’ innings with a 58-ball 60, Siddiqi ran through their lower order to trigger a collapse from 200 for 6 to 219 all out with 5.5 overs to go.Bahawalpur Stags lost an early wicket but Mohammad Yasir and Faisal Mubashir steadied the innings with a 62-run partnership for the second wicket before two more wickets fell in quick succession. Adeel Basit, coming in at No.5, scored 62 off 74 balls and put up an unbroken 34 with Siddiqi, who hit three fours and two sixes in eight balls, to take the team home with 14 balls remaining.Group IIAhsan Kareem took three wickets and scored an 11-ball 15 to steer Islamabad Leopards to a one-wicket win over Faisalabad Wolves at Iqbal Stadium. Making his List A debut, the 25-year-old Kareem struck three early blows to leave Faisalabad Wolves reeling at 45 for 4. Hamza Zaheer and Hasan Mahmood scored 30s and added 56 for the fifth wicket, but a 26 from wicketkeeper Mohammad Miqdad was Faisalabad Wolves’ only other notable score as they were bowled out for 198 with an over to go.Opener Sarwar Khan made 47 and Sarmad Bhatti scored 33 but Islamabad Leopars kept losing wickets regularly as they slumped to 155 for 8, with 44 still to get. Wicketkeeper Salman Haider and Kareem took them to 198 when Shehroz Raza took his fourth wicket, dismissing Haider for a 29-ball 43. Kareem and his No.11 partner Shehzad Azam nonetheless held their nerve and completed the win with five balls remaining.Mir Hamza and Khurram Shahzad shared seven wickets, and Mohammad Waqas scored an unbeaten 62 as Karachi Dolphins beat Hyderabad Hawks by five wickets at the National Stadium in Karachi.Hyderabad Hawks never recovered after being reduced to 41 for 4, with Shahzad picking up three of the top four wickets. Shoaib Laghari scored 48 and put on 50 with Lal Kumar for the fifth wicket, but Hamza swept through the lower order to finish with four wickets, and their innings closed with 6.2 overs still remaining.Chasing 152, Karachi Dolphins were 23 for 4 before Waqas and Mohammad Hasan helped them recover with an 82-run partnership. Jawad Ali dismissed wicketkeeper Hasan for 46, but that was to be Hyderabad Hawks’ last success. Waqas saw Karachi Dolphins through to finish with 62 off 101 balls, and put on an unbroken 52 with Shahzaib Ahmed, who scored 25.Opener Arsalan Arshad scored 94 as Lahore Lions thumped Quetta Bears by 89 runs at the Gaddafi Stadium. Arshad struck nine fours and two sixes in a 123-ball knock that helped anchor a Lahore Lions innings without any other major contribution. Extras, in fact, were the team’s second-highest score – 40, of which 30 came in wides. Left-arm spinner Mohibullah took 5 for 43 in eight overs.Chasing 261, Quetta Bears never really got going and dwindled to 123 for 8 before Fareeduddin Agha and Gohar Faiz put on 43, the highest partnership of the innings. The visiting side were eventually all out for 171, with offspinner Agha Salman taking three wickets. Fareeduddin remained not out on 56, having hit six fours and a six in his 63-ball knock.