Centuries from Saif Badar and Tayyab Tahir lead Central Punjab to top spot in Pakistan Cup

Saif Badar and Tayyab Tahir's centuries helped Central Punjab chase down a 348-run target against Sindh in the fifth round of the Pakistan Cup on Sunday. The victory secured Central Punjab's position at the top of the table with four wins in five matches, while Sindh dropped to fourth place with two wins and three losses

 In other fifth round matches, Amad Butt's maiden List A century and a strong all-around performance by Mohammad Junaid helped Balochistan defeat Southern Punjab by 89 runs at the State Bank Stadium. The victory moved Balochistan into second place on the points table with six points, while Southern Punjab, with only one win in the competition, remained at the bottom.

At the NBP Sports Complex, a century from Northern captain Umar Amin helped his team defeat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 68 runs and move into third place on the points table with six points. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained in fifth place with four points.

Central Punjab v Sindh, UBL Sports Complex

Sindh, who batted first, scored 347 runs for 8 wickets in their 50 overs. Opening batsman Sharjeel Khan led the charge with 114 runs off 80 balls, including 10 fours and 9 sixes. Mohammad Suleman also contributed significantly with a 40-run innings off 52 balls, including 3 fours and 1 six.

Mohammad Faizan was the most successful bowler for Central Punjab, finishing the match with figures of 7-0-54-3. Bilawal Bhatti also contributed with 2 wickets for 58 runs from his 10 overs.

Central Punjab's chase got off to a rocky start when they lost 4 wickets with 63 runs on the board. However, opening batsman Tayyab and Saif Badar steadied the innings with a 194-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Tayyab top-scored for his team with a 139-run innings off 109 balls, including 10 fours and 8 sixes. Saif also contributed significantly with a century of his own.

Saif's undefeated 114-run innings included 7 fours and 4 sixes and came off 94 balls. After Tayyab's dismissal, Saif and Muhammad Irfan Khan saw Central Punjab through to victory, completing a 93-run partnership for the sixth wicket and reaching the target in the 46th over with 5 wickets remaining.

Irfan returned unbeaten on 46 from 35 balls, studded with five fours.

For Sindh, Asif Mehmood took two wickets for 55 from nine overs.

Balochistan v Southern Punjab, State Bank Stadium

After being asked to bat first by Southern Punjab's captain Hasan Ali, Balochistan scored 278 for 7 wickets in 50 overs. The match was also streamed on PCB's YouTube channel and saw right-handed Amad Butt score his first List A century.

Batting at number eight, Amad came to the crease when Balochistan had lost six wickets for 130 runs. He and Mohammad Junaid added a valuable 117-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Amad remained not out on 104 runs off 91 balls, including 4 fours and 9 sixes. Junaid scored 87 runs off 80 balls, including 4 fours and 7 sixes.

For Southern Punjab, Sharoon Siraj was the pick of the bowlers, taking four for 48 in nine overs.

Scores in brief:

 

Balochistan beat Southern Punjab by 89 runs

Balochistan 278-7, 50 overs (Amad Butt 104 not out, Mohammad Junaid 87, Ali Waqas 33; Sharoon Siraj 4-48)

Southern Punjab 189 all out, 35.2 overs (Zain Abbas 51; Mohammad Junaid 4-54, Yasir Shah 2-40)

Player of the match – Mohammad Junaid (Balochistan)

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Central Punjab beat Sindh by five wickets

Sindh 347-8, 50 overs (Sharjeel Khan 114, Mohammad Suleman 40, Saad Khan 34, Omair Bin Yousuf 31; Mohammad Faizan 3-54, Bilawal Bhatti 2-58)

Central Punjab 348-5, 45.2 overs (Tayyab Tahir 139, Saif Badar 114 not out, Muhammad Irfan Khan 46 not out; Asif Mehmood 2-55) 

Player of the match – Tayyab Tahir (Central Punjab)

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Northern beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 68 runs

Northern 305-9, 50 overs (Umar Amin 112, Haider Ali 69, Rohail Nazir 45; Mohammad Amir Khan 3-72, Khushdil Shah 2-41, Ihsanullah 2-64)

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 237 all out, 43.5 overs (Kamran Ghulam 92, Waqar Ahmed 42; Kashif Ali 3-18, Mehran Mumtaz 3-48, Umer Khan 2-39)

Player of the match – Umar Amin (Northern)

Southern Punjab struggled to chase down the target, with only one batter, Zain Abbas (51 runs off 64 balls, including 3 fours and 2 sixes), managing to score a half-century. Four of their batters, including captain Hasan, scored in the 20s, but it was not enough for Southern Punjab to win their second match of the tournament. They were eventually dismissed for 189 runs in the 36th over.

Junaid, with his left-arm spin took four wickets for 54 from nine overs, while skipper Yasir Shah took two wickets for 40.

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