KARACHI: Mohammad Ilyas claimed a career-best match haul of 11 wickets as Kingsmen Academy completed a 10-wicket win over Pakistan Television (PTV), while State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) moved to the top of the President’s Trophy Grade-I table after routing Ghani Glass by an innings and 18 runs on Sunday.

The victories were the first of the tournament for both Kingsmen and SBP, who had drawn their first two matches. SBP’s win took them to 49 points, while Kingsmen moved to second with 42 points after the third round of the tournament.

At the Diamond Cricket Ground in Islamabad, Kingsmen required only 9.5 overs to chase down a modest target of 87 set by PTV, with Mohammad Tayyab Arif making an unbeaten 44 off 34 balls, including two fours and two sixes, and Mohammad Huraira remaining unbeaten on 40 off 25 balls, with five fours.

Earlier, Ilyas had completed his best match figures in first-class cricket, finishing with 11 wickets for 186 runs. The pacer followed his five-wicket haul in the first innings with six for 57 as PTV were dismissed for 299 in their second innings.

PTV, who had resumed on 62 for two, were unable to build on their overnight position despite half-centuries from Mohammad Taha and Sharoon Siraj.

Taha scored 69 off 94 balls, hitting 13 fours, while Sharoon made 61 off 125 balls with eight fours. Amad Butt contributed 39, Taimur Khan 26 and Mohammad Ammar 30, but Kingsmen kept taking wickets at regular intervals.

Mohammad Umar and Shoaib Afridi supported Ilyas with two wickets apiece as PTV were bowled out in 88.2 overs, leaving Kingsmen with a straightforward target.

At the National Ground in the capital, SBP completed their innings victory over Ghani Glass after dismissing the latter for 298. Ghani Glass, who had resumed their second innings on 125 for two after SBP had established a first-innings lead of 316, lost eight wickets for 173 runs.

Ghani captain Mohsin Riaz offered the main resistance, scoring his fourth first-class century with a 148-ball 117, an innings that included 19 fours and two sixes. Ali Razzaq, who had scored a century in the first innings, made 49 off 110 balls, with eight fours and a six.

Their efforts, however, could not prevent SBP from securing their first win of the tournament.

Kashif Bhatti and Sirajuddin took three wickets each for SBP, while Mubasir Khan claimed two wickets in a controlled spell of 25 overs, conceding 59 runs and bowling six maidens.

The result also saw SBP climb to the top of the points table after two successive draws, with Ghani remaining on 37 points.

BABAR OUT EARLY AGAIN

Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam suffered another early dismissal, falling for just four as his side’s Oil and Gas Development Company’s (OGDCL) match against Khan Research Laboratories ended in a draw at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium.

Following on after being dismissed for 217 in their first innings, OGDCL resumed on 34 without loss and reached 275.

Babar, who had scored 12 in the first innings before falling to Arshad Iqbal’s short ball, was trapped leg-before by Pakistan team-mate Faheem Ashraf early in the second innings.

The twin failures marked a forgettable return to first-class cricket after nearly seven years away from the domestic red-ball scene.

OGDCL’s total left KRL needing 95 for victory. They reached 11 for one in three overs before the players shook hands, with Shahzaib Khan dismissed for an eight-ball duck by Mohammad Amir Khan.

OGDCL captain Rohail Nazir led the resistance with 72 off 116 balls, hitting six fours and a six.Arshad finished with eight wickets in the match after taking three for 43 in the second innings.

At the Imran Khan Stadium in Peshawar, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) also held out for a draw against Markhor IT Solutions (MIT) after being set 394 to win from the remaining 64 overs.

SNGPL finished on 163 for one, with openers Azan Awais and Sameer Minhas both scoring half-centuries after managing only 18 runs between them in the first innings.

Azan made 81 off 154 balls, hitting 11 fours and a six, while Sameer scored 75 off 146 balls with 12 fours. MIT Solutions had resumed their second innings on 33 for one and declared at 192 for seven.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2026