HBL down WAPDA to capture One-day Cup crown

KARACHI: Habib Bank Limited (HBL) were on Sunday crowned champions when they overwhelmed WAPDA by 62 runs in the final of the Quaid-e-Azam One-day Cup 2018-19 at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on Sunday.

Zohaib Khan (68*) and Rameez Aziz (55) blasted solid fifties to guide HBL to 291-7 in the allotted 50 overs. Amad Butt then got three wickets while Agha Salman and Khurram Shehzad captured two wickets each to dismiss WAPDA for 229.

After being invited to bat first HBL, at one stage, were 169-5 in 25 overs. However, experienced Zohaib Khan (68*) and Rameez Aziz (55) added a valuable 59 for the sixth-wicket stand before international left-armer Mohammad Irfan had the latter.

Rameez, held in the deep by Zahid Mansoor, smashed three fours in his 13th List A fifty. He faced 74 balls.

Zohaib then dominated a 56-run seventh-wicket partnership with Amad Butt (16) to guide his side to a fighting total.

Zohaib, who completed his ninth List A fifty off 52 balls, smashed eight fours and two sixes from 57 deliveries.

Openers Jamal Anwar (20) and Imam-ul-Haq (21), earlier, failed to provide a strong base to HBL when rookie medium-pacer Arshad Iqbal got rid of the former in the sixth over. The wicket-keeper batsman Jamal hit five fours from 19 balls. He hit Irfan for four fours in one over.

Imam then got run out after hitting two fours from 32 balls. Former Pakistan’s Test opener Imran Farhat also showed his class, hitting a 42-ball 40 with seven fours. The real beauty of HBL’s innings was a superb feat from discarded international Umar Akmal who smashed a rapid 44-ball 49, hitting five sixes and two fours.

Umar hit Test pacer Wahab Riaz for three sixes and spinner Khalid Usman for two sixes. He dominated a quick 40 runs with Rameez for the fourth-wicket association.

Swabi-born 17-year-old pacer Arshad Iqbal got 2-48. He was hit by Zohaib for two sixes and one four in the last over of the innings that fetched 18 runs. HBL scored 58 in the last five overs.

Wahab (1-71 in ten overs) remained expensive. Irfan (1-59), Khalid Usman (1-41) and left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar (1-29 in 10) were also among the wickets.

HBL missed Test seamer Junaid Khan, who had also skipped the semi-final due to a minor finger injury.

WAPDA had a fragile reply as they lost Kamran Akmal (8) who edged paceman Khurram Shehzad to keeper Jamal Anwar. Kamran hit one four from 11 balls. Skipper Salman Butt (56) then added 98 for the second-wicket association with Rafatullah Mohmand (51) to strengthen the base.

Spinner Agha Salman gave a vital breakthrough to HBL when he had Rafatullah after he had hit eight fours from 57 balls. It was expected that Salman would bat till the end but after completing his fifty, the former Pakistan’s captain fell prey to Agha when Abdul Rehman held a one-handed catch at square-leg.

When Salman departed, WAPDA were 129-3 in the 27th over. Umar Gul then had Mohammad Ikhlaq (30) before left-arm spinner Zohaib Khan got rid of Ayaz Tasawar (20) to reduce WAPDA to 177-5. Ikhlaq struck three fours from 32 balls. Ayaz smashed one four from 25 balls.

Zahid Mansoor (21) and Wahab Riaz (11) batted aggressively but Amad had the latter. Wahab hit two fours from nine balls.

Zahid was then given lbw off Khurram Shehzad when the ball was missing the leg-stump to leave WAPDA gasping at 211-7. Zahid smashed two sixes and one four from 19 balls. Amad then bowled Khalid Usman (4) in the next over before Arshad Iqbal (4) got run out.

Amad finally got rid of Zulfiqar (12) to fold WAPDA well behind the target in 44.4 overs. Ammad got 3-49 in 8.4 overs. He was ably backed by Khurram (2-45) and Agha (2-48).“I think the better team won in the end,” WAPDA skipper Salman Butt said.

HBL skipper Umar Gul credited his boys and team management for a fine victory. “The credit goes to the whole team which had gelled very well. The team management also extended an excellent effort,” Gul said.

Ahmed Shahab and Zameer Haider supervised the match.Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Chairman Ehsan Mani distributed the prizes. The winners were handed over the trophy and a purse of Rs1 million. The runners-up went away with a trophy and a cheque of Rs500,000.Similarly, Rs100,000 each was handed over to Salman Butt (WAPDA, best batsman, 559 runs), Mohammad Irfan Junior (PTV, best bowler, 20 wickets), Zhoaib Khan (Man-of-the-Match, HBL), and Waqar Hussain (Multan, best stumper, 16 catches, one stumping).