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Match facts

Sunday October 18
Start time 16.00 (10.30 GMT)

Big Picture

Somerset have depended on Trinidad & Tobago’s enterprising style of play to get this far in the Champions League. They would have been eliminated if T&T had not beaten Deccan Chargers in the group stage, and they would have been knocked out had Kieron Pollard’s haymaker not flattened New South Wales in the second round. At the moment ,Somerset only have an outside, and mathematical, chance of making the semi-finals and that will again hinge on T&T beating Eagles in the final match of League A.All four League A teams are in the running for semi-final berths, although in varying degrees. T&T are the most comfortably placed, with four points and a healthy net run-rate, but should they lose to Eagles after NSW beat Somerset, then three teams will be tied on four points and it will come down to which side has the better net run-rate. That scenario, however, excludes Somerset who can go through only if they beat NSW and the Eagles lose, leaving T&T on six points and the rest level on two each, before being separated by net run-rate. If NSW win on Sunday, their semi-final berth wont be set in stone but they’ll have an extremely strong chance.Leaving the permutations aside, Somerset’s task is both simple and difficult – they need to beat NSW, by a margin as large as possible. It’s a formidable challenge for, apart from the quality of their opponents, Somerset have problems of their own. Their batting order, depleted by Marcus Trescothick’s departure, has failed to fire: they’ve scored 157 for 9, 106 and 132 for 8, and their top-scorer, Zander de Bruyn with 64 runs, is No. 18 on the tournament list. Their bowling has been reasonably efficient, but not outstanding, and they will need their batters to give them an above-average total to defend against a powerful NSW line-up.NSW stormed into the second round after two convincing victories in the first and were on the verge of another success against T&T until Pollard blitzed them. They are a formidable side despite losing three first-choice players – Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin and Nathan Bracken – even before the tournament began. They possess a strong batting unit: Phillip Hughes is the third-highest run-scorer of the tournament with 146 runs at 73 (after Ross Taylor and JP Duminy), while David Warner and Moises Henriques are in the top ten. Their bowling attack has been the best in the tournament. It took an astonishing 18-ball 54 from Pollard to beat them. Can Somerset produce something as extraordinary?

Watch out for…

Wes Durston came into Somerset’s XI only because Trescothick flew home and he was their best batsman in the loss against the Eagles. Batting at No. 7, Durston had the advantage of unfamiliarity and he cracked 57 off 32 balls to lift a flagging innings. He won’t have that unknown quality against NSW though and will be challenged to repeat his performance.Craig Kieswetter, the 21-year old batsman, came into the tournament having scored over 1000 runs in the first-class season for Somerset. He’s been disappointing so far in India, though, aggregating only 17 runs after three matches. He was given the added responsibility of opening in Trescothick’s absence against Eagles, in addition to his wicketkeeping duties, and it’s likely he’ll be asked to do the same against NSW.The Hughes-Warner opening combination added 121 against T&T, the highest partnership for any wicket in the tournament. Both left-handers are capable of sending the new ball speeding to the boundary and they do a fine job of setting up the innings for the long-handled skills of Henriques. NSW’s batting has been so accomplished that their captain, Simon Katich, has batted only once in three matches.Brett Lee and Doug Bollinger have consistently given NSW excellent starts with the new ball. Lee’s taken only a wicket in each of his games but his economy-rate – 3.54 per over – is staggering and would have been excellent in a one-day international, never mind a Twenty20 thrash. Bollinger has conceded only 4.66 an over and an economical and incisive start on Sunday could dash Somerset’s hopes.

The Indian board’s decision to sever its IPL contract with IMG continues to generate heat, with the sports management firm indicating that it might take the legal route to resolve the dispute, and three more franchises expressing their concern over the development.Replying to the BCCI’s letter on Friday informing IMG that it would not use any of its services following a disagreement over payments for the second IPL in South Africa, Andrew Wildblood, a senior vice-president at the firm, said that there were no grounds for the termination. IMG, he pointed out, had a legally binding 10-year agreement with the BCCI and would “reserve all of our rights and remedies at law under and in respect of the contract”.The issue will be discussed at the Indian board’s annual general meeting (AGM) in Mumbai at the end of the month. The IPL governing council is scheduled to meet in Mumbai on Wednesday but that’s expected to be a 30-minute meeting to ratify accounts and reports related to the second season.The Indian board’s decision has been opposed by the IPL franchises, four of whom wrote to the BCCI over the weekend expressing their disappointment at the unilateral manner in which it was taken and concern that the league’s value will be diluted. On Monday, two more franchises – Deccan Chargers and Kings XI Punjab – sent similar letters to the BCCI, while Vijay Mallya, who owns Bangalore Royal Challengers, is believed to have spoken to Sharad Pawar, the former BCCI president, over phone. Chennai, which is owned by N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, is the only franchise to remain silent on the issue.”These are all important decisions,” Shah Rukh Khan, the Bollywood star who co-owns Kolkata Knight Riders, said on Monday. “All we want is to be kept in the loop. A lot of our sponsorship deals depend on the backbone of the IPL.”Srinivasan had claimed in his letter to IMG that its fee was disproportionate to the services rendered. IMG played a key role in conceptualising the IPL and implementing it, including drafting the Indian and foreign players’ contracts, putting the logistics in place and managing the day-to-day running of the tournament. The BCCI claimed to have paid IMG Rs 42.92 crore (US$ 9.54 million approx) for the inaugural IPL edition, with the fee for the second edition said to be around Rs 33 crore (US$ 7.33 million approx).Reports suggest that IMG’s initial contract with the BCCI, which was signed in September 2007, stipulated a commission-based payment of 10% of the board’s revenue. The contract was subsequently negotiated to a fixed retainer payment of roughly Rs 33 crore but this was objected to by some members of the BCCI’s working committee, who are keen that the Indian board take over the running of the IPL entirely.

Gautam Gambhir’s prolific run of form since the start of 2008 has earned him a national honour from the President of India, Pratibha Patil. Gambhir on Saturday became the 41st cricketer to be felicitated with the Arjuna Award, instituted in 1961 by the Indian government to recognise outstanding achievement in national sport.Since the start of last year, Gambhir has averaged 75.19 in Tests with five centuries – he has scored six in all since his debut in November 2004 – and seven fifties. Two of those hundreds came against Australia in the home series towards the end of 2008, which India won 2-0. He followed that up with two centuries in India’s 1-0 Test series win in New Zealand and played a critical role in drawing the second Test in Napier after India followed on. In 41 ODIs during the same time span, Gambhir averaged 44.31, scoring four centuries and nine fifties.Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag are among the other cricketers to have received this honour. Gambhir is the first cricketer to receive this award in three years; Anjum Chopra, the Indian batsman, who represents the women’s team was the last recipient of this honour.

As the England players savoured their lap of honour around The Oval with the Ashes secured, one key figure slipped quietly back into the dressing room. Andy Flower took charge of the side at their lowest ebb in January when the fall-out between Kevin Pietersen and Peter Moores ripped the team apart. Yet eight months later, he was taking the plaudits for forging a unit that produced a performance few thought possible.Flower, though, didn’t want to take the attention away from his players, so shortly after Andrew Strauss picked up the urn he returned to be with his fellow coaches and reflect in his own, quiet, private way. It was fitting because Flower is not one for hyperbole. “It’s great, we are very proud of ourselves,” he said. “I’ve learnt a hell of a lot. I don’t want to bore you with the details, I’d bore myself, but it’s been great fun. It’s a great challenge and I’m proud to have been given the responsibility of the position and now we have to move it forward.”The hallmark of Flower’s eight-month tenure as coach has been his calmness in the face of a crisis – and there have been a few. His first Test in charge ended with England bowled out for 51 and two weeks ago he had to contend with the embarrassment of Headingley. On each occasion the harsh talking has been done behind closed doors, while in public Flower has always spoken honestly, but with an air of control.”Leeds was quite a blow. It was a bit of a shock playing like that,” he admitted. “But we got together after that game, before we all dispersed, and talked about it. I think we needed to get some closure on that game there and then, before we all disappeared to various parts of the country. The guys had a good look at themselves, and you could see the commitment and determination that they brought to the final Test.””He’s brought a bit of toughness with him,” Stuart Broad said after taking his Ashes-defining 5 for 37 on Friday. “You saw that throughout his playing career. To average over 50 as a wicket-keeper batsman was special. He’s also a relaxed character, so that can rub off on players. I enjoyed working with him on my batting when he was an assistant coach and he’s done a fantastic job since he’s taken over.”These traits will serve Flower well in the coming days and months, because now the biggest part of his task is keeping England focused on the task ahead. The early signs are promising as, compared to 2005, the celebrations have been positively muted and they have imminent international fixtures to focus on. Unlike the ’05 unit, for which the Ashes success was the final part of a glorious two years, this victory, is a beginning.”The guys will be fine, watching them last night they were fine,” Flower said. “They are pretty mature and they haven’t got time to rest on their laurels. We are off the Ireland tomorrow and we will start the hard work again. It’s worked out okay. You don’t want to go overboard. Three days ago we were bowled out for 300 and if we hadn’t bowled them out for 160 in the first dig we would be saying very different things.”When Flower was handed the job on an interim basis for the West Indies tour, England craved some stability. He said he would have to think about taking the role full-time, but when the squad returned from the Caribbean Flower knew, despite the series defeat, that it was a challenge he wanted, having formed a strong bond with Andrew Strauss.”We knew it would be hard but when I took the job I was thinking about very small chunks of time,” he said. “Consolidating things in West Indies was the first thing we had to do. It helps a lot having a leader like Strauss around. He has been a rock around which the team has built innings and also he has shown very strong leadership on and off the field.”We put down a few guidelines and principles around which we wanted to build the unit in the first instance because there are various steps we want to go through to make us a better team. I don’t really want to go through the details but the guys have embraced them.”As Duncan Fletcher did during his reign, Flower has backed his core players when pressure grew for extensive changes. One who responded in style was Broad with his Ashes-winning spell, having reached the mid-point of the series with four wickets to his name, but finished as the leading England striker. Now Flower has to keep Broad’s feet on the ground as he is already being anointed the new Flintoff.”I think he will become a world-class allrounder,” Flower said. “Since he came into the England side he has handled himself really well. One of things that stands out for me about Broady is that he is a quite a street-wise young man and the other thing is that he’s a very competitive. They are great qualities for a cricketer so I think he is going to be a world-class player. He was a lot to do on his batting, but his bowling has progressed very nicely.”It was clear that Flower was trying to keep a lid on the euphoria, but the pride he felt was evident to see. As the players woke up this morning with sore heads, Flower took himself off for a run along the river Thames. “I needed to get out,” he said. “Some of the guys on their way to the office were shouting ‘well done’ and that sort of stuff. It was brilliant.” It’s nothing less than he deserved.

West Indies opener Omar Phillips – who made a solid 94 – rued missing a century on debut on the third day in Kingstown, and acknowledged he had missed one of the easiest opportunities to reach triple-figures in international cricket. “It was one of the easiest hundreds you will ever get at this level and I was really disappointed,” Phillips said at the end of the day’s play. “The hundred was in the bag for the taking but that’s the way cricket plays, to carry on from here is the hardest step because the next innings starts from zero.”Phillips’ innings had laid a strong foundation for a sizable lead before Bangladesh struck back to limit the damage to 69 runs. Fast bowler Rubel Hossain and offspinner Mahmudullah – both on debut – grabbed three wickets each to undermine a strong batting effort early in the day from the hosts. Phillips displayed sound technique and determination in his 177-ball knock which included seven boundaries, and was supported well by nightwatchman Ryan Austin in a dogged stand of 79. He then proceeded to add 48 for the third wicket with Travis Dowlin, and left his team in a position of control when he was dismissed with the score on 176.His departure for 94, when he played a loose shot off Rubel to short cover, Phillips said, was a consequence of a change in tactics after he had reached the 90s. “I changed my game plan a little going into the 90s, you always hear talk about the nervous 90s but I should have continued the way I was going at the time,” he said.Phillips, who represents Combined Campuses and Colleges in the domestic circuit, also said that his achievement would bode well for his first-class team. “It sends a good message to the public that you don’t necessarily need to represent your country, you can play for CCC which is a team of a lot youngsters around the Caribbean and you can also play cricket and further your education which is a good thing.”The teams ended the third day on almost even terms, and though West Indies still retain a lead of 43 going into the fourth day, they will be wary of the fact that they’ll be batting last on a turning track against an opposition whose main strength is spin.

Match facts

Saturday, June 13
Start time 1730 local (1630 GMT)Abdul Razzaq has unwittingly set himself up as a potential saviour and wildcard and may play at The Oval•AFP

Big Picture

If Pakistan are to achieve anything significant in this tournament as a team they will have to do so inspite of themselves.As a bowling unit they have been both wasteful and outstanding. The comeback to halt Sri Lanka on Friday was as good as they have been, but the waste of Sohail Tanvir’s first over and the extras ultimately rendered it futile. It is an age-old problem and will not be resolved overnight. As a batting side, they have lacked the bombast required to negotiate the Powerplay and even the nous to keep singles coming along. Younis Khan has battled alone and if it is said that he is not a Twenty20 player, it is forgotten that he needs others to play around him. With bat in hand he has done his job, more than many expected; his colleagues have failed him. The less said about the fielding the better, though at least they didn’t drop any catches against Sri Lanka.These are elementary things and it will require something special to overcome them. Loathe as we should be to say it, Pakistan’s progress depends on one of those bewildering, fascinating, unexpected individual hands that occur from time to time. A Shahid Afridi or Umar Gul spell, an Abdul Razzaq or Misbah-ul-Haq special; something, anything, any spark for they are perilously close to being extinguished fully.As with Sri Lanka, their record against New Zealand in big tournaments is solid; they’ve won nine of 12, and if this were a semi-final you’d bet on Pakistan such has been their dominance over the Kiwis at that stage. But it isn’t and in any case Sri Lanka rendered a similarly poor record irrelevant. New Zealand’s concerns are primarily of a medical nature. Jesse Ryder is gone and Ross Taylor and Daniel Vettori, vital cogs both, are still hampered; Vettori has yet to play a game in the tournament.Though one McCullum has done well, they wouldn’t mind a Brendon spectacular either. Like India to an extent, they are untested, especially their batting; wins over Scotland are Ireland will count for little and the loss to South Africa, where their batsmen struggled, was a dead tie.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)
Pakistan: LWLWL
New Zealand: WLWWW

Watch out for…

Abdul Razzaq has unwittingly set himself up as a potential saviour and wildcard. Such is Pakistan’s despair that the fact that he hasn’t played international cricket for two years or that he was in dire form when he last did so, doesn’t matter much. Razzaq’s return has, over the last two days, been viewed by many to be just the tonic to galvanise Pakistan. Don’t rely on it but if he did do something special with bat or ball – he was at least outstanding in the ICL – you wouldn’t be entirely surprised.Aaron Redmond‘s return to New Zealand colours was similar in a sense though as a replacement for Jesse Ryder, he had vastly bigger shoes to fill. He brought all the verve of one who wasn’t expecting any such opportunity in his 30-ball 63 against Scotland and you wouldn’t bet against a repeat. If Brendon McCullum finally locates his range, Redmond may not be needed.

Team news

If Pakistan don’t drop Salman Butt now then it will be the most emphatic confirmation that they are not taking this tournament seriously enough. Sohail Tanvir’s troubles are more complex but now may not be the time to patiently see him through them. Razzaq is certain to come in. The question is who else will?Pakistan: (probable) 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Kamran Akmal (wk), 3 Shoaib Malik, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Younis Khan (capt), 6 Abdul Razzaq, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Fawad Alam, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Mohammad Aamer, 11 Saeed AjmalNew Zealand will only hope that both Daniel Vettori and Ross Taylor are fit enough to play.New Zealand: (probable) 1 Brendon McCullum (capt), 2 Aaron Redmond, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Scott Styris, 5 Jacob Oram, 6 Peter McGlashan (wk), 7 James Franklin, 8 Neil Broom, 9 Nathan McCullum, 10 Ian Butler, 11 Kyle Mills

Stats and Trivia

• Younis Khan is the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer, averaging 66 with a strike rate of 150. Decent figures for a man not considered to be a Twenty20 player by his own (ex-) chief selector.
• New Zealand have lost to Pakistan three times in a World Cup semi-final; 1992 and 1999 in 50-over World Cups and in the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup.
  

  Quotes

  “In every single game we’ve had trouble with our start. Today was a crucial game and we had back-to-back no-balls in the first over.”

  “When you’ve got nothing to lose you go out there and give it a go. I was pleased it came off. I got a couple in the slot early on and took it from there.”

The West Indies captain Chris Gayle is carrying an injury after being struck near the knee by Mitchell Johnson and is an uncertain starter for their final group game against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge on Wednesday. Gayle said he would bat during the team’s practice session at Lady Bay and decide on his participation afterwards.Gayle almost single-handedly led West Indies to victory against Australia at The Oval on June 6 but was struck on the outside of his right leg, near the knee, in Johnson’s third over. He hobbled across for a single but then sat on the ground in visible discomfort before carrying on to score 88 off 50 balls.”I’m carrying a bit of an injury so I don’t know if I’m playing [against Sri Lanka],” Gayle said. “After batting [against Australia] I didn’t feel it, but the next day I couldn’t walk properly. It had swollen and bruised a lot. I’m trying to get back into stride.”Gayle had not batted during West Indies’ training session yesterday and today he did not bowl or field. However, he batted for a short while and, although he wasn’t able to move his feet smoothly, he still managed to hit the ball powerfully. If the injury improves by tomorrow afternoon it is likely that Gayle will take the field because he emphasised the importance of beating Sri Lanka to keep the momentum going.If Gayle is forced to rest, though, it won’t upset West Indies too much because both they and Sri Lanka have qualified for the Super Eights from group C by beating Australia. West Indies will be pooled with India, England and South Africa in the next round.

Ishant Sharma, the Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler, has returned to India after a ‘taxing’ IPL. Kolkata had a woeful campaign, finishing bottom after suffering a ten-game winless streak, and were plagued with rumours of dressing-room disharmony.”The last one month has been very hard. Ever since I started playing cricket, this has been the toughest phase of my life,” he told the . “I have never been part of such a long losing streak, and being in a dressing room where there were so many controversies was very taxing.”Kolkata looked like they would snap their losing streak on several occasions, such as the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore and against Deccan Chargers four days later, but lost narrowly in both games before ending their campaign with two wins. “The loss against Deccan Chargers and the sequence of events that led to it really hurt us,” he said. “We might not have won that game, but that was a sort of turning point for the team. We realised how desperate we all were and that helped us come together and win the last two matches.”Ishant was Kolkata’s best bowler in the tournament, bagging 11 wickets and conceding only 6.90 runs an over, but said there was room for improvement. “In T20, you need to have a good yorker and different kinds of slower balls,” he said. “Also, I am looking to become an impact bowler because nothing else puts the opposing team back like losing early wickets.”He called the coming World Twenty20 the ‘biggest challenge’ of his career. “I have never been part of any World Cup, and I am really looking forward to it,” he said. “Conditions in England will be helpful for bowlers and I want to make it memorable for myself.”

Just days after another sad chapter pushed them further onto the margins of the cricket world, Pakistan glimpse a rare opportunity to make a significant on-field statement. They take on Australia in a five-match ODI series followed by a Twenty20 international in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from Wednesday, a contest Younis Khan believes offers Pakistan the chance to begin another era on a brighter note.As an indication of just how much Pakistan have faded away off the field in recent years – and Australia’s reluctance to tour Pakistan – Wednesday’s game will be the first ODI between the two sides since February 2005. In fact, the two sides have only met once in any format since then: at the World Twenty20 in September 2007, when Pakistan trumped them on the way to the final.Much has changed since then – four players from each side remain – not least the fortunes of both sides, but Younis believed that good performances here may well lead to a repeat of Pakistan’s last successful era, which began around the time the two sides last met.”This is a very big series for several reasons,” Younis told Cricinfo. “If we play well – not necessarily win – but play well then we can become like Inzi and Bob Woolmer’s sides in 2005 and 2006,” he said. “If we perform well – and win – then people will have to take notice because it is Australia. I want to see good moments…after the series I want to be able to look back and pinpoint 7-10 moments where we did really well, with a bowling spell, a bit of fielding, some batting. That will be an achievement.”Pakistan’s squad is neither inexperienced nor raw, but undercooked and rusty: since April 2007, Australia have played 45 ODIs against top-flight nations and Pakistan just over half, with 24. But for the players, says Younis, the series is a golden opportunity. “Any guy who takes the opportunity here and does well, it’ll be a massive break for them internationally. This is how I am looking at it personally and trying to instill in the team. I am fairly sure they are aware of it. If as a player you take off in this series, nobody will be able to bring you down.”The time to do that, some might argue, is ripe. This remains a transitional period for Australia as ODI losses to South Africa and a shared home series with New Zealand indicates. The absence of Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson and Brett Lee will be felt but this is, according to Younis, still Australia.”They are still very balanced and the style of play and their motivation doesn’t ever change,” he said. “They are the only team in the world where players come in and go out and it makes very little difference. They are still a top side. If we do well, play to our potential and win a few matches, then I really think we can start getting out of this phase and move on.”

Group B

Islamabad Leopards beat Faisalabad Wolves by four wickets in a low-scoring encounter at the Diamond Club ground to go top of Group B. Each bowler in the Islamabad line-up chipped in to bowl out Faisalabad for 179, after the visitors had got a solid start. None of the Faisalabad batsmen could convert their starts, three of them crossed 25 but no one reached 40. Offspinner Kamran Hussain was the most successful Islamabad bowler, cleaning up the tail to finish with 4 for 18.The home side’s chase also began well, the openers putting on 62. There was a slight wobble when Islamabad lost three wickets for 14 to slide to 123 for 5. Offspinner Mohammad Laeeq, who had triggered that collapse, also stifled the runs to finish with figures of 10-1-17-3, but Ashar Zaidi’s brisk 32 was enough to take Islamabad to the brink of victory, before Kamran Hussain and Rauf Akbar completed the job with 9.2 overs to spare.In another contest in which offspinners had a big role to play, Lahore Lions beat Sialkot Stallions by 88 runs at the Lahore Country Club to pick up their first win of the campaign. In a match reduced to 35-overs-a-side, they got off to a poor start after being asked to bat, losing opener Ashfaq Ahmed for a duck. However, aggressive half-centuries from Kashif Siddiq (74) and Sohail Ahmed (56) put them in a strong position and cameos from Waqas Ahmed and Shahnawaz Malik took them to an imposing 241.Sialkot made a bright start to their reply, despite losing opener Kamran Younis early, with Naeemuddin and Salman Ali motoring along at strike-rates in the 130s. However both were dismissed on 55, and Sialkot lost their momentum. Ayaz Tasawwar scratched around for 27 balls to make 10, while Mohammad Ayub needed 53 deliveries for his 35. Offspinner Usman Malik secured the victory by taking four wickets – Sialkot’s final five going down for 11 runs.

Group C

In a high-scoring encounter at the Marghzar Cricket Ground, Pakistan International Airlines beat Sui Southern Gas Corporation by six wickets to seal their second consecutive win. Set a challenging target of 199 in 30 overs, belligerent half-centuries Sarfraz Ahmed and Yasir Hameed laid the platform for PIA’s chase. Opener Sarfraz slammed three sixes and five fours in a 41-ball 54 while Hameed was a touch more sedate, making his 67 at a run-a-ball. They were still 35 runs away when Hameed was dismissed but Shoaib Malik chipped in with a 15-ball 17 and Kamran Sajid (21) stayed till the end to make sure there were no hiccups.Earlier, opener Asif Zakir’s 73-ball 80 had been the bedrock of SSGC’s batting effort. No one else made more than 30, but cameos from Mohtashim Ali and Ashraf Ali had taken them close to 200. Medium-pacer Fazl-e-Akbar was the most effective of the PIA bowlers, taking 3 for 36 in his six overs.In Rawalpindi, Saeed Anwar jnr’s unbeaten 154 took Khan Research Laboratories to an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Pakistan Customs. Anwar’s 126-ball effort had 23 fours and a six and he dominated his 196-run association with Azhar Ali for the second wicket. Azhar contributed 67, hitting five boundaries in a watchful 81-ball effort. Anwar really opened out towards the end; Rizwan Ahmed made only 3 in an unbeaten 43-run stand that took KRL to the target of 245 with 12.3 overs to spare.Anwar had played a part with the ball as well, taking three wickets in 2.4 overs to wrap up the Customs innings. Offspinner Saeed Ajmal was also among the wickets, taking three including that of opener Jibran Khan who top scored with a cautious 86. Captain Rameez Raja was the other major contributor, making a 62-ball 55, but their efforts were put in the shade by Anwar’s blitz.

Group D

At the Iqbal Stadium, Water and Power Development Authority prevailed over National Bank of Pakistan in a batsmen-dominated cliffhanger. Chasing 304, WAPDA were well on course after openers Jahangir Mirza (96) and Shahid Yousuf (69) put on 157. Captain Mohammad Yousuf had guided the side to 205 for 1 after which they stumbled, losing five wickets for 20 runs. They had slipped further to 252 for 8 before Mustafa Iqbal and Ahmed Said made 26 each to bring WAPDA back on track. Said remained unbeaten to shepherd WAPDA to victory off the penultimate ball.The target had been set up by a pair of half-centuries from the in-form Fawad Alam (77) and Naumanullah (68). The pair’s efforts were sandwiched by opener Nasir Jamshed’s 33-ball 39, which provided the early impetus, and Mansoor Amjad’s 32-ball 40, which kept the run-rate up towards the end of the innings. While the batsmen had done their job for NBP, it was their vaunted bowling attack, which includes Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Talha, which let them down.