Shoaib Malik‘s 14th List-A century went in vain as National Bank of Pakistan scored a comfortable 46-run win against Pakistan International Airlines in their opening game of the President’s One-Day Trophy in Sialkot. Malik scored 118 off 100 deliveries and added 141 for the third wicket with Faisal Iqbal, but the rest of the batting couldn’t keep up with the required rate in the tall chase of 322. PIA finished at 275 for 7. For National Bank, Hammad Azam and Hasan Raza picked up a couple of wickets each.
National Bank were asked to bat and lost the wicket of Kamran Akmal in the second over. But opener Sami Aslam and Akbar-ur-Rehman added 227 runs together for the second wicket in 31.4 overs to set up the base for a strong total. Aslam scored 126, his maiden List A century, while Akbar, the dominant partner of the two, scored 121. After Akbar’s dismissal, Aslam picked up the pace and added 43 with Fawad Alam in 5.1 overs. Alam remained unbeaten on 40 off 32 balls as National Bank ended their innings on 321.
In Islamabad, State Bank of Pakistan opened their campaign in the tournament with a 50-run win againstHabib Bank Limited, and they had their lower-order batsmen to thank for that. After being put in, SBP were reduced to 117 for 6 in the 26th over, with HBL’s Umar Gul and Ehsan Adil among wickets. But the last four batsmen added 114 useful runs to lift the team well past 200. Jalat Khan, the No 8 batsman, top scored with 38, while Mohammad Naved, the No 10, hit four sixes to collect 29 off 16 deliveries.
The target was not an imposing one and HBL made the ideal start as well, with Imran Farhat and Shan Masood putting up 52 for the first wicket. However, once Naved had Masood caught behind, HBL struggled to string together any big partnerships. They were reduced to 109 for 4, but the biggest slump came later. Between the 25th and the 30th over, HBL lost four wickets for only five runs, effectively ending the contest. Jalat and Zahid Mahmood picked up three wickets each, giving SBP two points at the start of the tournament.
A five-wicket haul by the seamer Yasir Arafat bowled out Pakistan Television for 161, setting up Khan Research Laboratories‘ six-wicket win in Rawalpindi. Arafat claimed the top three to leave PTV wobbling at 38 for 4. A sixth-wicket stand of 70 lifted PTV, with the captain Naeem Anjum scoring 45 off 53 balls. Arafat claimed two more wickets to finish with 5 for 25. KRL’s chase was led by fifties by Zain Abbas and Shoaib Ahmed. The pair added 83 for the second wicket before Shoaib was stumped for an exact 50. Abbas finished with 69, as KRL wrapped up the game with more than ten overs to spare.
South Africa’s attack, however, will be without Dale Steyn for the first two matches, but they coped impressively in his absence in Sri Lanka. Lonwabo Tsotsobe overcame fitness concerns to bowl with control and understanding of the pace and length needed on slow subcontinent tracks. They also included Imran Tahir after his impressive showing in the T20s in Sri Lanka and will hope the confidence he gained from his successful Test comeback translates into the other formats.
The squad has the resources to put on a decent showing in what South Africa are calling the start of their build-up to the 2015 World Cup. Recent history, however, has shown that they’ve lacked something in the limited-overs format. It may have been chutzpah, creativity, or just plain concentration. With expectations high and everything to prove, they have no choice but to move up a gear in this series.