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Former Test right-hander Wajahatullah Wasti played a match-winning knock of 64 Thursday to enable Allied Bank Limited (ABL) keep alive slender hopes of reaching the semifinals of the National One-day Cricket Championship.

Wajahat's 42-ball cameo inspired ABL to defeat Sui Gas by four wickets in a high-scoring Group-I fixture of the final round at UBL Sports Complex. Fittingly, the match ended when Wajahat clobbered pacer Wasim Khan's no-ball in the 49th over for a huge six over long-on to claim the Man-of-the-Match award.

ABL's first win sets up an intriguing do-or-die clash Friday at the same venue against PIA, who are expected to be at full strength with the availability of seven top stars.

The winners automatically qualify for Tuesday's semifinal under lights at Gaddafi Stadium against National Bank as the runners-up from this group.

Wajahat, who struck six fours and two sixes after coming to the crease in the 31st over, was given excellent support by Aamir Hanif (22 off 26 balls) in the unfinished 60-run partnership for the seventh wicket that eventually carried ABL to 285 in 48.2 overs.

Naved Latif, the latest Pakistan discard, missed a coveted century by six runs when he holed out to long-on just after the drinks break. The diminutive right-handed batsman's dismissal at 153 revived Sui Gas's chance of victory.

Naved's 94 off 111 deliveries were scored with the aid of 11 fours and a brace of sixes. Ijaz Ahmed Junior, another ex-Test man, helped Naved consolidate ABL's innings after openers Usman Tariq (2) and Humayun Farhat, out for a first ball duck, departed in the second over.

Naved and Ijaz came together to put on 107 for the fourth wicket before the latter was caught in the deep for 37. Ijaz's 60-ball knock was studded with three hits to the fence.

Manzoor Akhtar also played a vital hand. He contributed a 39-ball 28 while adding 72 for the sixth wicket with Wajahat before giving slow left-armer Mohammad Nadeem a reflex catch off his own bowling.

Earlier, skipper Sohail Idrees and Mohammad Hafeez combined in a fine stand of 158 off 163 balls after Sui Gas slumped to 50 for three after 12 overs.

Sohail took advantage of ABL's somewhat depleted bowling attack to smash 83 off 89 deliveries (five fours) while Hafeez contributed 80 off 92 balls (six fours). Both fell to off-spin of Usman Tariq, who ended up with fine figures of four for 31 in six overs. Saleem Mughal was only other major scorer, striking an undefeated 44 off just 30 balls with the help of five boundaries.

Scoreboard

SUI GAS:

Kamran Sajid b Taimur 29 Ali Hussain c Humayun b Aqib 6 Asim Munir b Aqib 9 Mohammad Hafeez c Wajahat b Usman 80 Sohail Idrees b Usman 83 Saleem Mughal not out 44 Shahid Khan run out 10 Ali Raza st Humayun b Usman 10 Wasim Khan c Wajahat b Usman 0 Mohammad Nadeem not out 1 EXTRAS (LB-3, W-4, NB-2) 9

TOTAL (for eight wkts, 50 overs) 281

FALL OF WKTS: 1-24, 2-50, 3-50, 4-208, 5-223, 6-242, 7-271, 8-271.

DID NOT BAT: Abdur Rauf.

BOWLING: Aqib Javed 10-0-54-2 (1nb, 2w); Taimur Khan 8-1-36-1 (2w); Arshad Khan 10-0-52-0 (1nb); Mohammad Nawaz 10-0-59-0; Manzoor Akhtar 6-0-46-0; Usman Tariq 6-0-31-4.

ALLIED BANK:

Usman Tariq c Saleem b Wasim 2 Humayun Farhat c Kamran b Wasim 0 Naved Latif c Asim b Nadeem 94 Mohammad Nawaz c Ali Raza b Wasim 5 Ijaz Ahmed Jr c Wasim b Nadeem 37 Manzoor Akhtar c and b Nadeem 28 Wajahatullah Wasti not out 64 Aamir Hanif not out 22 EXTRAS (LB-1, W-22, NB-10) 33

TOTAL (for six wkts, 48.2 overs) 285

FALL OF WKTS: 1-6, 2-7, 3-36, 4-143, 5-153, 6-225.

DID NOT BAT: Taimur Khan, Arshad Khan. Aqib Javed.

BOWLING: Abdur Rauf 10-2-50-0 (3nb, 5w); Wasim Khan 9.2-0-73-3 (3nb, 3w); Shahid Khan 10-0-64-0 (1nb, 3w); Mohammad Hafeez 9-0-53-0 (1w); Mohammad Nadeem 10-0-44-3.

RESULT: Allied Bank won by four wickets.

UMPIRES: Afzaal Ahmed and Feroz Butt.

MATCH REFEREE: Raees Ahmed

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Wajahatullah Wasti

© Dawn