Ugly altercation mars Habib Bank-Islamabad clash
Habib Bank Limited beat
Islamabad by five wickets within three days at Diamond club ground
in Islamabad, but the result was marred by an ugly altercation. A minor altercation between Habib Bank's
Azeem Ghumman, who was fielding at gully, and Islamabad's
Umar Kiyani, who was batting then, grew into a heated one after Kiyani was found to be pushing
Amad Butt, the bowler, with his right hand. The umpires and the senior players then intervened in an effort to calm things down. Later, a video of Kiyani aiming a punch on Amad's face went viral on social media. The incident was duly reported to the PCB, and the matter is currently under investigation. According to the preliminary findings, Kiyani was found to have indulged in physical contact twice in addition to using abusive language.
Kiyani, the 21-year-old middle-order batsman, was playing only his seventh first-class game, for Islamabad. In the previous season, he had made 273 runs in seven matches at an average of 22.75. Amad, also 21, was recently
called-up to Pakistan's squad for the one-off T20 international against England in Old Trafford last month.
'Misunderstanding' between Umar Akmal and Wahab Dar
Umar Akmal led
Lahore Whites to a
96-run win over
Pakistan International Airlines with a match tally of 175 runs, including a century in their second innings at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. This match too involved a heated exchange. Captain Umar had an argument with reserve player
Wahab Dar, as the latter failed to carry a kit.
Wahab, son of Lahore Cricket Association secretary Shoaib Dar, was added to the Lahore squad as the 16th member. Shoaib then complained to LCCA president Nadeem Ahmed that Umar had insulted Wahab. However, according to the president, it was only a misunderstanding, which was blown out of proportion.
Butt and Irfan misfire but WAPDA win again
Captain
Salman Butt managed only scores of 5 and 4 against
Karachi Blues, but
Water and Power Development Authority won their second successive match, at National Stadium
in Karachi. WAPDA currently top Pool A with
18 points.
Mohammad Irfan, who struggled with fitness issues during the England tour, took only two wickets for 88 runs in 33.4 overs.
Twenty-one-year-old
Hamza Ghanchi hit an unbeaten 300 in only his ninth first-class match in a draw between
Karachi Whites and
National Bank of Pakistan in Karachi. The left-handed opener struck 43 fours during his 420-ball knock, spanning 654 minutes. Ghanchi is the third-youngest player to score a triple-century in first-class cricket in Pakistan after Javed Miandad and Aftab Baloch, and only the sixth batsman in history to convert his maiden first-class century into a triple-century. Behram Khan, batting at No.3, made his presence felt too with 155 off 309 balls, before Karachi declared at 628 for 5 in 159.3 overs.