President’s Trophy Grade-I final begins today

ISLAMABAD: The highly anticipated final of the President’s Trophy Grade-I will be played between State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and Pakistan Television (PTV) from March 4 to March 8 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

The five-day pink ball final will see the winning team clinch a prize money of PKR five million, while the runners-up will receive PKR 2.5 million.

Leading the PTV team will be Amad Butt, while Test cricketer Umar Amin will captain the SBP side. Both teams ended the group stage with an impressive 149 points each from eight matches, securing five wins, two losses, and one draw apiece. The final will be played under lights, with the first ball set to be bowled at 7:30 PM PKT.

For PTV, Shamyl Hussain stands second in the batting charts with 663 runs from seven matches, including two centuries and one half-century at an average of 60.27. Mohammad Taha ranks fifth with 609 runs from eight matches, featuring one century and three half-centuries. In the bowling department, PTV will rely on Mehran Sanwal and Faisal Akram, both of whom have taken 24 wickets each.

On the SBP side, captain Umar Amin leads the batting charts with 571 runs from eight matches, which include two centuries and three half-centuries. Rameez Aziz is another notable batter for SBP, having scored 551 runs from eight outings, with one century and two half-centuries. The team’s bowling strength lies with 19-year-old Mohammad Ismail, who has bagged 39 wickets from eight matches, including three five-wicket hauls.

SBP aim to achieve a double of trophies in the 2024-25 season, having already won the President’s Cup One-Day tournament in October 2024. PTV’s captain Amad Butt expressed his excitement for the final, stating, “We are all geared up for an exciting finish to the tournament. Our team has performed well with young players stepping up on occasions when required, and the results are visible to everyone.