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New Zealand allrounder Jacob Oram has said that he is not yet ready to retire and is determined to play the 2011 World Cup despite another knee injury, which forced him out of the tri-series in Sri Lanka and also next month’s Champions League Twenty20. Oram said he was targeting the home series against Pakistan, which begins on Boxing Day, for a comeback.”I’m looking at that [World Cup] as the carrot for me because I need something to keep me focused or I will probably slip into ‘woe is me’ mode and look at the ‘R’ word. I’m not ready for that yet,” Oram told the . “Obviously my body has gone past the hinting period – I think it’s yelling at me. But I’m pretty stubborn and I still have this big goal of going to the World Cup.”If I miss the World Cup, then recover to a stage where I feel as good as I can, I may keep going. But it just may be one kick in the guts too many if I don’t make the World Cup.”Oram’s latest setback – patella tendon damage – occurred in Dambulla, where New New Zealand were competing in a tri-series against Sri Lanka and India, and he had to fly home before the campaign was over. Oram had hoped the injury would require only minor surgery but scans revealed that it needed a full repair job and he is set to undergo surgery next week.The setback was the latest one in a tough year for Oram, who forfeited his IPL fee after suffering a torn patella during the ODIs against Australia in March. He made it back for the ICC World Twenty20 but continued to feel pain and aggravated the problem again during a camp in Australia in July. Oram will now miss out on Central Districts campaign in the lucrative Champions League Twenty20 in South Africa.”There are a number of reasons why this is terrible timing, and probably the reason why this is the hardest injury I’ve had to deal with,” he said. “With the amount of injuries and limited game time I’ve had, my form has dipped and with that a bit of confidence. I’ve also slipped down the batting order so I’m thinking, if I give bowling up, they’re not going to pick me as a specialist batter at seven or eight.”On a brighter note, Oram returned home from Sri Lanka to find that his eight-month-old son had begun crawling and said despite his injuries that ” things could be a lot worse”.

Nilesh Kulkarni, the left-arm spinner who played three Tests and ten ODIs for India, has announced his retirement from first-class cricket. “I have a small announcement to make that I am retiring from international and first-class cricket,” Kulkarni said at the launch of Indian Institute of Sports Management, in Mumbai.Kulkarni, 37, has been a stalwart for Mumbai since 1994-95. He took 308 first-class wickets for his team and 95 wickets in List A games. Kulkarni made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 1997-98 and he hit the record books immediately by claiming a wicket off his first ball in Tests, that of Marvan Atapattu. He is the only Indian bowler to achieve this feat and the 12th bowler in the history of the game. He sent down 70 overs but amazingly enough that was the only Test wicket he took for he had the misfortune to bowl when the Sri Lankan batsmen set several records in running up the highest total in Tests.He played in one more Test at home against Sri Lanka but had to wait till 2001 for a Test return. He took one more wicket in the Chennai Test against Australia, which turned out to be his last. He claimed 11 wickets in ten ODIs with a best of 3 for 27.He ends his first-class career with 357 wickets and List A with 135 strikes.

ScorecardZimbabwe international Elton Chigumbura took four wickets on his County Championship debut as Northamptonshire continued to dominate against Division Two leaders Glamorgan at Wantage Road.Glamorgan captain Jamie Dalrymple took 4 for 71 as Northamptonshire were bowled out for 494 after lunch, losing their last five wickets for 42 runs, with their skipper Andrew Hall finishing unbeaten on 84. Chigumbura then claimed figures of 4 for 67 as the hosts’ attack reduced the visitors to 207 all out, with David Lucas taking three wickets of his own.Northamptonshire began the day on 355 for 5, with Chigumbura and Hall resuming on 5 and 6 respectively. Glamorgan’s attack continued to toil, as they had on the first day, as the sixth-wicket pair dug their heels in, with Hall reaching a deserved half-century from 87 balls with a four through cover.Dalrymple gave the visitors the breakthrough they desperately needed with the second ball after lunch when he forced Chigumbura (44) to play on to his own stumps to end a partnership of 108.The captain struck again in his next over, when wicketkeeper Mark Wallace caught an edge from his opposite number David Murphy, who faced ten balls without scoring.Dean Cosker then trapped James Middlebrook (11) lbw before Lucas (8) sliced Dalrymple to Jim Allenby at slip. Dalrymple then claimed his fourth victim when he forced Jack Brooks, who failed to score off five balls, to edge to Wallace to leave Hall stranded on 84 not out.Glamorgan’s reply started disastrously when, in the first over, Mark Cosgrove went for a golden duck by edging Lucas to Murphy. It soon got worse when Tom Maynard (6) launched Brooks high in the air to Murphy, who took the catch at square leg, before Ben Wright (5) edged Lucas to the same man.In the second over after tea, Dalrymple (8) drove at Lucas but Stephen Peters took a fantastic one-handed catch diving to his right at third slip. With the first ball of the next over Brooks pinned Gareth Rees lbw for 29 to leave Glamorgan floundering on 55 for 5.Wallace made 21 before throwing his wicket away by lofting Chigumbura straight to Nicky Boje at midwicket. Chigumbura then took two wickets in consecutive balls in the 35th over when he caught Harris leg before then emphatically bowled Cosker, taking out his middle and off stumps.He then struck again by bowling David Harrison (18) before Will Owen, who smashed 38 off 41 balls, sliced Boje to Murphy with the final ball of the day to leave Allenby on 59 not out.

Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, hailed his team’s unbeaten bilateral tour of West Indies as “terrific” and said the side had bounced back superbly following defeat in the Super Eights in the World Twenty20. South Africa had completed a clean sweep of the Twenty20 and ODI series on the tour, and wrapped up the Tests 2-0 with a seven-wicket win in Barbados.”It’s been a terrific series for us,” Smith said. “We can’t hide away from the disappointment we experienced in the World Twenty20. We’ve asked each other to step it up, make sure that happens in every training session, and we performed to the best of our ability.”Smith also praised the duo of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, who shared 29 wickets in the Test series, and said his role as captain included managing them efficiently. “They are an important part of the Test line-up, the firepower they bring and their wicket-taking ability is crucial for our success,” he said. “As a captain it’s about balancing, how much you really want to use them and getting the most out of it. Especially in this heat and these types of conditions, it’s about ensuring each bowler is effective and that they’re trying to achieve something. That’s the goal for me as a captain.”Steyn was Man of the Series for his 15 wickets at 18.13, including six in the final Test. He said he received excellent support from Morkel and was handled well by Smith. “Morne’s been fantastic. Over the last two series, especially against England, he really came out of his shell and bowled fantastically,” Steyn said. “I’m just glad that there’s another guy who’s striking well.”I’ve been on the road for five months now so I’m really looking forward to going home, but with the extra spinner Graeme Smith has rotated us well fantastically, keeping the fast bowlers fresh and brought us on when he needed to strike.”Chris Gayle, the West Indies captain, said his team had been let down by poor batting and injuries prior to the game. West Indies, who lost allrounder Darren Sammy and fast bowler Nelon Pascal ahead of the Test, were bowled out for 231 and 161 in conditions Gayle described as “perfect” for batting.”We were on the back foot at the end of the first innings after being bowled out for 231,” Gayle said. “Based on their [batsmen] performance in the last game, I thought they would play decently here but that did not happen. A few injuries here and there didn’t help us either.”Gayle, however, hoped things would turn for the better with some younger players coming through and the return of seniors, like Ramnaresh Sarwan. “You’ve got the High Performance Centre here and hopefully some youngsters come out of that,” Gayle said. “There have been a couple of niggling injuries and we hope we can have the senior guys back. But overall a disappointing series, and disappointing the way we went about it.”Gayle admitted captaincy in such circumstances was proving a difficult job. “It’s tough as captain to be honest with you,” he said. “Sometimes when you actually think you’re getting the support of a particular person…but there comes a time when you’re not actually going to get that kind of support. It’s something I’ve got to deal with and clear the air, and I’ll take it from there.”

Chris Gayle, the West Indies captain, has warned his under-performing batsmen the limited-overs series against South Africa could be their last chance. Gayle said the results during the World Twenty20 – the hosts exited after the Super Eights – had been noted and the displays must improve.”It should be a wake-up call but from my point of view maybe it is a pressure situation,” he said ahead of Wednesday’s Twenty20. “The couple of days off could have let the players look into themselves a bit more and look to step up against South Africa. They are tough opponents. When you look at their bowling attack it is one of the best in the world.”South Africa also had a disappointing tournament and failed to reach the semi-finals. Missing out on the final four was tough on the local supporters, who watched the side struggle to post decent totals. Wavell Hinds was the only one dropped for this series, but Dwayne Bravo, Narsingh Deonarine and Andre Fletcher also had some trouble during the World Twenty20.”Our batting display wasn’t up to scratch,” Gayle said. “Hopefully the guys can be ready physically and mentally. We’ve got to try and start fresh and take it from there.”West Indies A are currently playing Bangladesh A and Gayle said the players in that squad would be considered if the batsmen continued to fail. “Darren Bravo is doing pretty well,” he said. “Hopefully he can continue from where he started.”We are looking to turn around the situation. The selectors have come up with new strategies and hopefully when we come about the situation hopefully they make the right choice.”West Indies squad Chris Gayle (capt), Dwayne Bravo, Sulieman Benn, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Andre Fletcher, Nikita Miller, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome Taylor.

The appeals lodged by former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan against their one-year bans by the Pakistan Cricket Board have been adjourned to a later date. The one-man tribunal, chaired by Irfan Qadir, announced that Malik’s hearing will now take place on May 29, while Naved’s is scheduled for June 19.”Malik’s lawyer completed his arguments and the lawyer for the Pakistan Cricket Board wanted time for some legal matters so the appeal has been adjourned for May 29,” Qadir told . He added that Naved’s appeal was adjourned until June 19 after his lawyer filed two more appeals and wanted to know constitutional points about the inquiry.Seven Pakistan players were penalised, for various reasons, by the PCB in the aftermath of a winless tour of Australia. Younis and Mohammad Yousuf, who has retired from international cricket, were banned indefinitely. Malik and Naved were banned for a year while the Akmal brothers and Shahid Afridi were fined and placed on a six-month probation. Each of the players, with the exception of Yousuf, have appealed against the punishments. Younis and Yousuf were accused of “infighting” and having a “negative influence” on the team.Younis’ appeal has been adjourned to Saturday May 29. Pakistan cricket is already under crisis with revelations of the infighting and discord within the team, after a video of the PCB’s inquiry committee was leaked to a television channel. Qadir said the hearings with the players were also being recorded in the interest of the players and PCB.”In my personal opinion the proceedings should be open but on the request of players and the PCB we have not made it open,” Qadir said. “For transparency we are keeping video recordings of the proceedings.”

ScorecardJames Anderson got the better of his England team-mate Jonathan Trott•Getty Images

Lancashire hold the advantage in their County Championship match against Warwickshire at Old Trafford thanks to a solid day with bat and ball. As was the case on the opening day of this Division One clash, wickets fell at a rapid rate in the opening overs.After seeing the hosts slump to 14 for 4 at the beginning of the match, Warwickshire followed suit – falling from their overnight score of 13 for 1 to 28 for 4 in the 13th over of the innings. But they recovered to 254 all out inside 75 overs and gained a first-innings lead of one. Home opener Stephen Moore (43 not out) then helped his side reach 84 for 2 from 25 overs in their second innings at the close on day two.Ian Bell, Jim Troughton and Rikki Clarke all made useful contributions with thebat as Warwickshire fought back from their early troubles. England paceman James Anderson, Glen Chapple, Tom Smith and Simon Kerrigan each picked up a couple of wickets for Lancashire.Captain Chapple sent stumps cart-wheeling when he bowled Ian Westwood and night-watchman Naqaash Tahir in the 12th over before Anderson had international colleague Jonathan Trott caught behind by Luke Sutton for a golden duck. Bell top-scored with a serene 47 off 85 balls as he and Troughton put on 104 in a fifth-wicket partnership before the latter retired hurt with a migraine on 44. Clarke later added 43.Warwickshire reached 138 for 4 in the 40th before Bell was caught at short-leg by a juggling Mark Chilton to give 20-year-old left-arm spinner Kerrigan his maiden first-class wicket. And the debutant picked up his second six overs later when he had Tim Ambrose caught behind to leave the visitors 162 for six. He finished with the pick of the figures with two for 44 from 18.Clarke, who hit four fours and a six during his 70-ball stay at the crease, and Chris Woakes carried the visitors beyond 200 before Sajid Mahmood bowled Clarke in the 61st over. Woakes and Neil Carter then put on 37 for the eighth wicket before the latter was run out thanks to smart work from Steven Croft at point. The returning Troughton was caught in the slips by Paul Horton in the same Smith over without adding to his 44.At that stage Warwickshire were 239 for nine in the 73rd but Woakes and Imran Tahir carried them to the narrowest of first-innings leads. Their effort ended when Woakes (29) was caught at second slip by Moore off the bowling of Smith in the 75th.Smith then fell in the seventh over of Lancashire’s second innings when he wascaught by Ambrose off Carter to leave the score at 16 for 1. And Clarke brilliantly caught Horton (26) at second slip off Woakes to end a second-wicket partnership of 54 with Moore.

ScorecardClaude Henderson ripped through Northamptonshire’s batting with a sensationalspell of bowling to put Leicestershire into a commanding position at the end ofthe second day of the opening County Championship game of the season atGrace Road.The 37-year-old South African left-arm spinner had spectacular figures of 6 for 19 in 18 overs to send Northants plunging to 179 for 9 by the close, still needing another 67 runs to avoid the follow-on. Leicestershire totalled 395 in their first innings with Wayne White hitting a career-best 89 before being last man out on the stroke of lunch.Northants left-arm seamer David Lucas took four of the home side’s last five wickets to finish with 5 for 64. But it was the superb bowling of Henderson that caught the eye and helped put Leicestershire in control of things in the final two sessions of the day.Northants, despite losing the early wickets of Stephen Peters and Paul Harrison to Andrew Harris, still looked in a healthy position at 96 for 2 shortly before the tea interval. But Leicestershire’s new captain Matthew Hoggard then called up Henderson to bowl the final two overs from the pavilion end, and it proved to be an inspired decision.On a pitch that had initially helped the pacemen, the veteran spinner foundsome turn and bounce that the Northants batsmen failed to deal with. He claimed the big wicket of David Sales with the third ball of his first over, taking a brilliant low return catch to end the partnership of 83 with Mal Loye.After tea the wickets continued to tumble as Henderson spun his magic. Hoggard nipped in for the wicket of Rob White who edged a catch down the leg-side before Henderson produced a spell of three wickets for two runs in 24 balls. Loye fell to a superb catch by James Taylor at short-leg, Vishal Tripathi was trapped lbw and Nicky Boje caught off a leading edge at cover.It was eye-catching stuff from the South African and he ended the day by havingLucas lbw and then Jack Brooks caught by Taylor again at short-leg. One more wicket will bring Henderson a career-best return, beating his previous best of 7 for 51.Earlier in the day Leicestershire added 92 runs for their last five wickets with Tom New making 82 before becoming the first of Lucas’ four victims. Leicestershire collected three batting bonus points and Northants two bowling points.

England 599 for 6 dec and 131 for 5 (Bell 0*, Prior 0*) lead Bangladesh 296 (Tamim 86, Rahim 79, Mahmudullah 51, Swann 5-90) by 434 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMushfiqur Rahim displayed skill and spirit for the fight as he held up England’s progress•PA Photos

If Bangladesh’s cricket is about minor victories, then keeping England in the field long enough that they decided to bat again instead of enforcing the follow-on can be classed as one. Mushfiqur Rahim’s battling 79, and a Bangladesh record eighth-wicket stand of 113 with Naeem Islam, meant the visitors had to work harder than expected. The extra exertions persuaded Alastair Cook to give his bowling attack a rest and by the close the lead was 434.England’s pre-day game plan would have revolved around putting Bangladesh straight back in and that looked firmly on the cards when Tim Bresnan produced a beauty to remove Tamim Iqbal in the third over of the day. But the longer they were kept in the heat the more batting again became the likely option especially with just a four-man attack, although it did raise questions about the balance of the side. Neither did the way they batted suggest that ruthlessness was at the forefront of England’s mind.However, it was to Bangladesh’s credit that they forced a change of tactics and Rahim’s innings was a lesson to the more impetuous of his team-mates, while Naeem belied his position in the lower-reaches of the order as the pair defied England for 39 energy-sapping overs. Although neither Rahim or Tamim could convert to deserved hundreds, it is innings like these that others must follow for Bangladesh to improve.Rahim’s innings was a huge boost for Bangladesh and his 152-ball defiance suggested he should be batting further up the order. He has had a solid technique since making his debut as a 17-year-old at Lord’s in 2005 and after a first-ball flash at Bresnan coped impressively with pace and spin.He skipped down at Swann and lofted him straight down the ground, flicked him sweetly through midwicket and then brought his fifty from 90 balls with a powerful sweep. After lunch more of the scoring came from Naeem who expanded his strokeplay. He was given a life on 13 when Swann couldn’t hang on to a stinging return catch and had to withstand a testing spell of reverse swing from the lively Steven Finn.After his nervous start on the second day, Finn gave a proper indication as to his talent after settling himself with the scalp of nightwatchman Shahadat Hossain. He maintained a tight line around off stump and showed great control of the swing, twice inducing Rahim to edge past leg stump and also troubled Naeem with the old ball.Both Finn and Bresnan managed to swing the old ball, but England couldn’t break through and took the new ball as soon as it became available. Rahim was reprieved on 61 when Paul Collingwoood spilled a low edge at second slip off Stuart Broad and the extra hardness meant boundaries started to flow again.It took two outstanding pieces of work in the field for England to finally wrap up the innings. Firstly Naeem was run out by Michael Carberry’s athletic chase, slide and throw which left the batsmen confused, then James Tredwell – briefly on as a substitute after Cook sprinted off (probably to discuss the follow on) – pulled off a blinding one-handed catch at midwicket as Rahim went for a slog sweep.Quite where Tredwell’s appearance fits into the new ruling of only using substitutes for an injury is unclear, but it meant a moment to savour in a game where he should have been playing. As it is, Swann is England’s lone frontline spinner and again starred when he collected his fifth five-wicket haul with an arm ball that beat Rubel Hossain second ball.With a lead of 303, England’s second innings was virtually pressure free but attempts to accelerate before the close weren’t particularly effective. Cook top-edged to deep square-leg, Jonathan Trott fell to a long hop and Kevin Pietersen, having sped to 32 with a succession of effortless blows against the spinners, missed a sweep to Shakib Al Hasan. It was a marginal decision, but this time his dismissal to a left-armer shouldn’t cause many alarms.Carberry also fell lbw, moving too far across at Abdur Razzak, having again become stuck against the spin and Razzak also claimed Collingwood who drove lazily to mid off. However, they were all fairly inconsequential wickets in the bigger picture. England already have enough runs, but Cook will probably want 500 before letting his revived bowling attack loose again.

Group A

A fine unbeaten ton from opener Ali Asad helped Karachi Dolphins successfully chase down 253 against Peshawar Panthers at the National Stadium. Haroon Ahmed struck an adventurous 61 off 73 balls and was supported by Azam Jan’s 56, but the Panthers were pegged back by their inability to kick on. Faraz Ahmed’s medium-pace compounded their problems with a tight spell of 4 for 48. Chasing 253 for the win, Asad’s innings ensured that the Dolphins were never in trouble. Fahadullah Khan struck a busy 66 to ensure that he had the necessary support and the target was overhauled in 44 overs.Multan Tigers’ bowlers wrapped up Quetta Bears for 190 and set the tone for a fluent win at the United Bank Limited Sports Complex in Karachi. Abdur Rauf started the slide by striking twice early to set the Bears back. Shoaib Khan jnr and Taimur Ali resisted briefly before the spinners – Zulfiqar Babar, Faisal Ali and Mohammad Hafeez (1) – got into the act. Taimur Khan’s 52 was the only saving grace as the spin trio picked seven wickets to asphyxiate the innings. The Tigers were troubled by Shoiab’s medium pace and lost six wickets in their chase, but a target of 191 was never going to pose major problems.

Group B

Mohammad Idrees’ 91-ball 104 propelled Khan Research Laboratories to a comfortable 88-run win over Lahore Eagles at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Despite losing Saeed Anwar for 0 in the first over, and two more before the score reached 60, Idrees ensured that the innings did not slow down. He was assisted by a sedate 59 from Bazid Khan who helped raise 119 runs for the fifth wicket. The innings closed at 263, after Emmad Ali and Mohammad Saeed picked three wickets apiece. The Eagles’ chase was derailed by a spate of wickets that saw the score plummet from 78 for 2 to 89 for 7. They eventually finished at 175, well short of the target.National Bank trumped Habib Bank by three wickets in a last-ball thriller at the Gaddaffi Stadium in Lahore. Chasing a reduced target of 256 in 46 overs, Nasir Jamshed and the middle order overcame a torrid start where two top-order wickets fell for ducks. Shahid Nazir bowled well to finish with 3 for 48, but it was not enough as Mansoor Amjad took his side home. Earlier, a fine hundred from Hassan Raza and a strong support role from Younis Khan propelled HBL to 271 in 50 overs. Raza struck ten fours in his run-a-ball innings, but it proved insufficient to force a win.In another nailbiter at the Khan Research Laboratory Ground, Karachi Zebras pulled off a one-run win over Sui Southern Gas Corporation. Ashraf Ali, whose 71 had taken SSGC to the brink of victory, was run out off the final delivery of the match to hand the Zebras four points. At 195 for 8, still needing 51, SSGC looked well out of the game, but Ashraf forged two solid partnerships with Sohail Khan and Dilawar Khan, neither of whom had any batting expertise to keep SSGC fighting. They were helped by a generous Zebras bowling, which conceded 39 etxras including 25 wides. Zebras had been put in to bat earlier in the day, and were struggling at 91 for 5 before Wajihuddin and Babar Rehman made half-centuries to drive them to a useful 245.

Group C

Fine spells from spinners Imad Wasim and Kamran Hussain formed the cornerstone for Islamabad Leopards’ four-wicket win over Abbottabad Rhinos at the Diamond Club Ground. The Leopards chose to field first and tormented the Rhinos from the very first over when Ghulam Mohammad departed for no score. Javedullah’s run-out set them further back before the spinners took over. Both finished with identical figures of 4 for 24, as the innings floundered after Mir Azam’s belligerent 39. Irfan Talib anchored the chase with a calm 65 to take his side home, though six wickets fell in the process.Shehzad Malik’s 72 was the highlight in Sialkot Stallions’ successful chase of 187 against Rawalpindi Rams at the Jinnah Stadium. Asked to bat first, the Rams never got going and lost wickets too often in a shoddy performance. Only two batsmen – Usman Saeed and Adnan Mufti – reached 40, but neither could push on to a substantial score, as they folded in the 44th over for 187. At 51 for 4, the Stallions’ chase seemed to be going down the same road before Shehzad and Adeel Malik put their heads down to strike the only half-centuries of the day. Adeel perished for 55, but Shehzad ensured that he saw the job through, to give his side four points.Faisalabad Wolves made short work of Lahore Lions, trouncing them by 74 runs in Sargodha. Batting first, the Wolves racked up 274, thanks to Zeeshan Asif’s 74-ball 80. He was supported by Mohammad Shahid, who made 56 in 63 balls. Junaid Zia and Asif Ashfaq picked up three wickets each, as the Wolves were bowled out in the final over. The Lions were never in the hunt and folded up for 200 in the penultimate over. Rana Adnan hit 65 and Yasir Ajmal contributed 46, but the big chase required a more substantial anchor. Aqeel Ahmed picked 3 for 21 to put paid to ensure that the chase never picked momentum.

Group D

Despite a career-best 133 from Rameez Raja, Water and Power Development Authority sneaked a one-run victory over Pakistan Customs at the Bahawal Stadium. Chasing 257, Customs lost their top three for 19, but Raja combined with Rameez Aziz for a 113-run stand that evened the match. After another couple of quick blows, he was involved in a steadying 66-run partnership with wicketkeeper Hanif Malik. Customs seemed to have sealed the match reaching 254 for 7, but contrived to lose their final three wickets for one run, with Imranullah Aslam striking twice in the final over of the match. Earlier, half-centuries from Rafatullah Mohmand, Bilal Khilji and Jahangir Mirza proved the backbone of WAPDA’s batting effort after they won the toss.Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited opened their campaign with a convincing 53-run victory over Pakistan International Airlines at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Half-centuries from opener Naeemuddin and No. 3 Raza Ali Dar powered SNGPL after they were put in. There was a lower-order collapse towards the end of the innings – five wickets going down for 18 runs – but SNGPL managed to put up a competitive 245. PIA opener Khurram Manzoor’s 89 was the cornerstone of the chase but with Fahad Iqbal being the only other batsman making it past 15, they were bowled out for 192. Dar was the most successful of the SNGPL bowlers, striking four times in five overs to finish off PIA’s challenge.