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Text of letter from the West Indies touring squad to Dinanath Ramnarine, the CEO of the West Indies Players’ Association

Dear Mr. Ramnarine,We would like to bring to your attention in your capacity as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the West Indies Players Association our astonishment, disappointment and displeasure at remarks made by the Chief Executive Officer of the West Indies Cricket Board, Mr. Bruce Aanensen with regard to us players on the West Indies team. We, however, felt that it would more appropriate to bring up this matter at the end of the England Tour rather than during when the comments of Mr. Aanensen were actually made.We are highly offended that Mr. Aanensen saw it fit to have publicly labeled us the players as ‘incompetent’. We register this with you and ask you to bring it to the attention of the Directors of the West Indies Cricket Board as well as to the Chairman of the Cricket Committee Mr. Clive Lloyd. Please implore the directors and Mr. Lloyd that we the players wish for this matter to be seriously addressed and appropriate action taken.We are also disturbed to learn that Mr. Aanensen made an issue of your meeting with us just prior to our departure for the tour to England. Although we question his claim that he was well within his rights to do so, we, nevertheless, find it incredulous that he should contemplate a position to debar the constitutional representative of the players from meeting them in his official capacity.We are now left with the rather difficult situation of determining whether as players we would be able to continue working with Mr. Aanensen. Unfortunately, given the unfair and frankly thoughtless nature of his comments we would not be keen in having any further interaction at a professional level with Mr. Aanensen.From Mr. Aanensen’s comments, for which, significantly, he has made no withdrawals or apologies, we would find it virtually impossible to engage him in any meaningful manner.Sincerely, Members of the West Indies Team in England & Ireland

Text of letter from Ramnarine to Ken Gordon, the West Indies Cricket Board president

Dear Mr. GordonIt is no secret that since Mr. Bruce Aanensen assumed the position of CEO of the WICB on April 16, 2007, his modus operandi has not been viewed favourably by WIPA. The attached letter dated July 07, 2007 received from the West Indies team in England adds further fuel to the matter. Even admitting that no one is perfect or 100 per cent correct, we continue to find it increasingly difficult to work with Mr. Aanensen in the interest of West Indies cricket. Mr. Aanensen’s management style is unfortunate and surprising for a CEO who has only recently assumed his position and should therefore be trying to build bridges for the future.Recent examples of such negative management style are as follows:1. Indicating to the public that the Board had submitted all relevant documents to the Arbitration Panel re the Future Tour Programme when, indeed, it had not done so.2. Issuing misleading statements regarding Caricom’s official position on the Zimbabwe tour.3. Displaying little tact as a CEO in publicly criticizing the players as “incompetent” while they were in the middle of a tour.4. Causing much embarrassment in not ensuring that replacement players arrived in time for the commencement of the ODI series in England.5. Flouting the MOU regarding the need for prior consultation and agreement with WIPA with respect to the tour to Zimbabwe and the proposed dates for the upcoming first class regional tournament. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, WIPA had to learn about both these scheduling arrangements in the media.6. Failure to consult and agree with WIPA in determining ‘Team Policy” which the WICB is required to do under the terms of our agreement.7. Seemingly insufficient understanding of the Agreements signed and the issues involved, resulting in the recent lengthy and costly arbitration exercise.8. Leaks to the media by Board sources which I have discussed with you previously, that caused embarrassment to WIPA and the players (e.g. captaincy issue re Ganga/Gayle)9. Making uncomplimentary remarks to the media about me as President and CEO of WIPA.10. Apparent reluctance to meet with me as President and CEO of WIPA in spite of at least three requests made by me. We have met only once through my initiative, and this was prior to his assumption of duty as CEO.11. On the only occasion I spoke to Mr. Aanensen on the telephone, he hung up the phone on me and when I called him back he ended up again hanging up on me. I regarded this as the height of discourtesy, and12. We continue to receive feedback from talk show hosts throughout the region, regarding public opinion about Mr. Aanansen’s negative management style.Naturally we recognize the right of WICB to employ anyone they choose but at the same time they should make every effort to select the right person for each job, especially if the position is a public, high-profile post where credibility and transparency are so important in the eyes of other relevant parties. With deep respect and in the view of the Executive of WIPA and the players, Mr. Aanensen has not started off on the right foot.Given the above comments, we feel strongly that in the interest of W.I. Cricket, Mr. Aanensen should be asked to resign with immediate effect so that the incoming Board can start with a clean slate.Respectfully yours, Dinanath Ramnarine

Text of letter from Gordon to Ramnarine

Dear Mr. Ramnarine,This will acknowledge receipt of your letter of July 12th re the management style of our CEO.Having discussed with Mr. Aanensen the alleged examples of “negative management style” about which you complain, and heard his explanations, I am satisfied that there is no justification to your charges.Nonetheless, it is desirable that I convey my own response to your complaint. It is of the utmost importance that organizations like WIPA and WICB should work closely together. That was one of my principal objectives when I assumed the Presidency and as I think you are aware, I invested a considerable amount of time in attempting to build a relationship. I have not succeeded and perhaps there is something more that I might have done which I did not do… if so I continue to ponder what that might have been.On the other hand I have heard your bitter complaints about the WICB and all it’s officials: The Board is totally incompetent; the former President was inaccessible; the former CEO could not be trusted; the CFO is inefficient; the Corporate Secretary is dishonest and you refuse to communicate with him even on official business, causing complications in the communication flow between our organizations for which you blame everyone but yourself. You have been frequently abusive to Deryck Murray and his team at negotiations and I have had to inform you that such behaviour is unacceptable. You have stated at meetings with one of our Board members and two executives of WICB present, that I am a liar. You have since denied saying so, while everyone present heard your comment. I even understand that you have informed both Barry Thomas and Tony Deyal that you would have them fired.In addition, you publicly denigrate the WICB Board, its Officers and Executive at every opportunity and remain constantly critical in the media.Now you state that Mr. Aanensen should be asked to resign because of his “negative style”.Permit me to suggest that self analysis of your own style is long over due. I have urged you on more than one occasion to do so. You have done much on behalf of the players and I personally commend you for that. But you appear incapable of rising to the level of maturity now required if the relationship between WIPA and WICB is to contribute to the development of West Indies Cricket.I sincerely hope you will accept the foregoing in the spirit in which it is written, bearing in mind that whatever differences may exist, civility is at the core of all healthy relationships. When people feel abused, many hit back and then everything goes downhill.It is not too late to attempt a new beginning and if you are disposed to doing so, I would be pleased to arrange a three cornered meeting before I demit office between Mr. Aanensen and us both.With kind regards(not signed when sent electronically)K. Gordon

Adam Gilchrist
“No bowling attack was good enough when he was in the zone. He was a loyal friend who was never totally comfortable with the glare of the public. He simply wanted to be an entertainer.”Andrew Symonds
“I’m just stunned at the news. I think his contribution to Australian cricket in the past ten years has been enormous and his record will stand for itself in the years to come. He should be seen as a legend.”Dennis Lillee
“I think everyone knows when the time is right and he obviously feels that. He has made that decision and we respect him for that and everyone else should. In his time he was in the best top four or five batsmen in the world.”Ian Chappell
“I hope he is remembered fondly. At times he’s been a damn good player and I hope that is how Australian cricket remembers him – a damn good player who was easy on the eye.”Ricky Ponting
“He is one of the world’s most unsung players in both forms of the game and I don’t think it is really understood how good a player he actually is.”Michael Slater
“It just seems that this media scrutiny that he was starting to come under, it was the final blow for him. He wasn’t prepared to go through it. It was obviously going to wear him down. It’s now time to celebrate his 67 Test matches and the immaculate one-day career.”Wayne Clark
“It is a surprising decision, but a very courageous decision on his part. He has been under a fair bit of pressure to hold his position, his private life is as good as it has been and he’s satisfied with where he is at.”James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s chief executive
“Damien’s decision has come as a surprise to us. He has been a wonderful servant to Australian cricket for many years and has played an integral part in Australia being the number one Test and ODI team in the world.”

As Canada prepare to face Bermuda and Zimbabwe in the ICC’s tri-nation tournament in Trinidad, the president of the Canadian Cricket Association has admitted to being rather jealous of the cash-rich Bermudans. And Ben Sennik has set out his vision for Canada being a Test-playing nation within a decade.Bermuda have been given $11 million by their government to pump into the game, and Sennik admitted that he was more than a little jealous. “We were gasping when we heard that,” he told the Mid-Ocean News. “I wish we could have just a little bit of that.”It’s a lot of money. Our budget is a lot less. We have applied to the Canadian Federal Government for funding and we are eligible. In fact we should have applied years ago. Hopefully some help will be coming but no way close to what you have been given. That is a huge sum of money.”Canada, who will be in the 2007 World Cup, are aiming high, and Sennik said that he was looking at being a Test-playing nation “in eight to ten years”. To do that, he realises that all the players must become professionals. “I don’t see any other way. We have to go up progressively. Our bread earners on the team are neither amateurs or professionals. We are looking at the (pro) possibility as soon as a financial base has been established. We have to get salaried players. To get to the objectives we want we have to have professional players. The first thing we have to do is set up a strong financial base.”Sennik went on to explain that cricket was the fastest growing sport in Canada.”Actually cricket was originally the national sport in Canada in the 1800s. The game has a great history in Canada. It had its low period over the years but in the last five years we have seen a huge upsurge in popularity. It is being played in the schools.” This boom has coincided with the influx of immigrants, especially from the subcontinent and the Caribbean.He then said that appointment of Andy Pick, on a one-year sabbatical from the English board to help Canada prepare for the World Cup, had been a big boost. “I am very impressed with him. He took over about two weeks ago and the changes he is bringing about are amazing. We believe he will be a great mentor to our players, especially the younger ones, he will earn respect very quickly, he has a great technical understanding of the game and he believes in a disciplined approach.”He has a wealth of playing and coaching experience and that will be a critical factor in lifting Canada’s performance as they head towards their second appearance at a World Cup.”

Scorecard

Hyderabad Heroes were powered to a seven-wicket victory over the Chennai Superstars by their South African recruits Nicky Boje (61*) and Justin Kemp (66*).In the first match of the ICL to be held in Hyderabad, the Heroes went against the trend in this edition of the tournament at the toss and instead chose to field. Their decision seemed to have backfired as Ian Harvey and G Vignesh gave the Superstars a breezy start with 41 coming off the first six overs.Boje was then introduced into the attack and he struck immediately, dismissing Vignesh for 19, and sent down a miserly three-over spell, giving away only seven runs. Harvey, though, continued to plunder runs off the other bowlers before being trapped lbw by left-arm spinner IS Reddy for a 36-ball 49. Hemang Badani then carted three sixes and two boundaries in an express 33 to lift the Superstars to a respectable 152.The Heroes’ reply got off to a dreadful start as Jimmy Maher and Anirudh Singh were both dismissed in the first over. The runs didn’t flow until Thiru Kumaran’s first over; 17 runs came off it. Boje then picked off three consecutive boundaries off Harvey as he and Ambati Rayudu put on 50 runs in quick time.Rayudu’s dismissal left the Heroes at a shaky 53 for 3 and brought Kemp to the crease. By the end of the 12th over, the asking-rate had climbed to 9 before Kemp showcased his ability to muscle the ball out of the park. Four sixes and six fours flowed off his bat as he clobbered his way to the tournament’s highest score. Boje also completed a superb half-century as the two put on 103 to take the Heroes to victory.The result leaves the Superstars at the bottom of the table having lost both their matches while the Heroes now have one win and one loss so far.

Division One

Luke Sutton hit his first century for Lancashire as the Roses clash with Yorkshire at Old Trafford remained a tight battle. The home side lost early wickets in reply to Yorkshire’s, but they were settled by another fine century from Mal Loye, who followed his match-saving 148 against Sussex with an even hundred. However, Loye fell shortly after tea to Darren Lehmann with Lancashire nearly 100 adrift. Sutton had already passed fifty and took charge of the innings with some support from Glen Chapple and Kyle Hogg as Lancashire edged into the lead. Deon Kruis was the pick of the Yorkshire attack but the young supporting cast struggled to make an impression.Michael Carberry led Hampshire‘s fightback against Middlesex at Lord’s with an unbeaten 103 after they had conceded 422. Paul Weekes and Ben Scott claimed full batting points for Middlesex and then Chris Silverwood claimed the early wicket of James Adams with the new ball. John Crawley, though, continued his fine form and added 134 for the second wicket with Carberry but Middlesex hit back with three wickets for 18 runs. Carberry remained firm and reached his second century of the season shortly before stumps.Alex Loudon claimed 5 for 49, his best figures of the season, to give Warwickshire completed command over Nottinghamshire at Edgbaston. Warwickshire extended their first innings to 381 and the visitors were decently placed on 131 for 2 when Loudon made his impact. David Alleyne and Stephen Fleming had both passed fifty before falling to Loudon’s offspin and David Hussey was run out first ball. In the end Nottinghamshire could only squeeze a single batting point but Warwickshire didn’t enforce the follow-on, conscious of not wanting to bat last. They wobbled slightly, losing three late wickets, but are still well placed with a lead of 229.

Division Two

Chris Rogers struck a magnificent 319 as Northamptonshire piled up an imposed 628 against Gloucestershire Northampton. He already had 242 overnight and continued on his merry way until Chris Taylor finally prized him from the crease. Still, Northants didn’t stop scoring as the tail flung the bat merrily. Lance Klusener and Steven Crook cracked rapid 40s before Steve Kirby wrapped up the innings with a hardworking five-wicket haul. Gloucestershire lost two early wickets in reply but Craig Spearman steadied their innings with a swashbuckling century.Surrey, and especially Mark Ramprakash, just can’t stop scoring runs. Following his triple century last week, Ramprakash became the first batsman to pass 2000 runs for the season as Worcestershire were put to the sword at New Road. He became the first English batsman to pass the milestone since he himself did it back in 1995 before falling for 196 to the last ball of the day. Through Ramprakash’s effort, Jon Batty’s 104 – a second for the season – and a crunching, unbeaten 110 from Ally Brown, Surrey raced into the lead in familiar fashion. Only Mark Butcher missed out as he fell for a duck.Somerset capitulated on the second day against Derbyshire as they slumped to 151 all out at Derby. Steffan Jones took four wickets and Ian Hunter three as the batting showed precious little resistance. Only Neil Edwards, with 75, put up any fight until he was eighth out but Cameron White decided not to enforce the follow on. Michael di Venuto then took the bowlers to the cleaners with a rapid century at more than a run-a-ball as Derbyshire sped into a huge lead. Simon Francis went for 32 off two overs.

Barry Jarman, the former ICC match referee, has made a startling revelation that he once confiscated a ball from the South African team, which was being coached by Bob Woolmer, because he suspected that it had been tampered with. The incident happened during a one-day international against India in 1997.Woolmer, the current Pakistan coach, was a part of the controversy at The Oval Test against England recently, when Pakistan forfeited the match after umpire Darrell Hair accused them of ball tampering.Jarman said he noticed that the ball was being scratched by two fielders who would rub sweat into one side of it, and as a result generate plenty of swing with a ball which was just 16 overs old. His suspicions grew when he noticed the ball being thrown to the same fielders regularly, though he preferred not to reveal their names.”The ball is only 16 overs old yet one side has been tampered with and you can see where they have run their thumbails down the seam which opens up,” Jarman told . “The open seam (which caught the sweat) meant one side was heavier than the other.”I saw Allan Donald (who he insisted was not one of the players tampering with the ball) all of a sudden start swinging the baIl everywhere on the television and I thought ‘hullo, what’s going on here?'”Jarman took action immediately and instructed the umpires to replace the ball, much to the displeasure of Woolmer, who stormed into Jarman’s room to demand an explanation. “I said ‘your guys are stuffing around with the ball, mate’. I told him who it was and he went out with his tail between his legs. I said to him ‘if you really want to make something of it I can give it to the press and we’ll see what happens then but I will just give you a warning to cut it out’. The two players later came up to my hotel room and apologised.”Jarman confiscated the ball and has kept it with him ever since, producing it yesterday to prove his statements. “I kept the ball by mistake because the game finished and it was just sitting there so I took it back to the hotel.”He also backed Hair’s firm stance at The Oval and admired the honest manner in which he had conducted himself in the past. “I really admire Darrell Hair for what he’s done in England,” Jarman said. “He is a guy who tells the truth and is suffering for it. He is one of the best, an umpire who can lie straight in bed.”

Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand wicketkeeper, has denied New Zealand’s batsmen are scared of Brett Lee’s pace but says they are definitely “anxious”. Finding a way to counter Lee’s opening bursts in the mid-150kph range are crucial if the home side is to stay alive in the Chappell-Hadlee Series at Wellington on Wednesday after they were blown away in the first match.”I’m sure people are anxious facing him because he bowls at the speed of light,” McCullum said in the . “He’s no different to Shane Bond, Shoaib Akhtar or Steve Harmison. The guy bowls exceptionally quick, but just because you are a little anxious about things doesn’t make you a worse player. In fact a lot of players steel up and play better.” It did not work in game one of the three-match series as New Zealand fell to 33 for 6.The top-order batsmen struggled to get in line with the ball as Lee fired figures of 3 for 5 from six overs and the batsmen may try merely to see him off, a practice Australia use when facing the nagging spin of Daniel Vettori. “He’s quick, Brett Lee. Let’s not shirk the fact,” McCullum said. “He’s fast and he’s also very clever so it’s something we have to overcome. But from this point on it’s about trying to negate the loss of early wickets. Whether that means being more attacking or more defensive I’m not sure.”Scott Styris, who was part of the initial collapse, said Lee was definitely a threat. “I guess we have to be a little bit tougher,” Styris said in the . “We were pretty disappointed we fell over that quickly. It shouldn’t really happen at that level. I didn’t see anything different from what you always get when you face Brett Lee.”Before the series New Zealand management talked up the opening pairing of Lou Vincent and Nathan Astle as World Cup openers, but McCullum, who usually bats at eight or nine has asked for a boost up the order. “I’ve got no qualms about saying I want to do it [before the World Cup] but I’ve got to make sure I’ve done my time and that I’ve earned the right to do it,” he said.”I think Braces [John Bracewell] knows I’m champing at the bit but, at the end of the day, I haven’t earned the right yet and the guys who are up there have. We aren’t scoring runs at the moment but they’re very good players and hopefully we can pick ourselves back up.”

Keith Dutch has rejected the offer of a one-year contract with Somerset.”I moved to Somerset from Middlesex in the hope of securing a permanent first team place in all forms of the game,” he explained. “That’s not happened and obviously no player can be guaranteed a place. At my age [27] I do not want to be playing 2nd XI cricket”.Commenting upon Dutch’s decision, Peter Anderson, Somerset’s chief executive, said, “The cricket panel is disappointed but fully understands the reasoning. Keith was a popular player with both his colleagues and the supporters. We thank him for his service and enthusiasm whilst representing the club”.

In a frank post-mortem after the 70-run loss, Pakistan’s batting coach Grant Flower has said the visitors “didn’t use [their] brains” towards the end of New Zealand’s innings, in which 71 runs were plundered off the final five overs. Those runs had largely come from New Zealand’s No. 9 and 10 batsmen, Mithcell McClenaghan and Matt Henry, who put on 73 together, before No. 11 Trent Boult edged the final ball of the innings through the vacant slip region.Pakistan had used the short ball well, to have New Zealand 99 for 6 by the 23rd over, but Flower said the death overs required a different approach.”We didn’t use our brains at all towards the end,” he said. “Bowling yorkers is skill execution, and we didn’t do that. They played well at the end. The short ball worked to a certain extent, but we overdid it, and we didn’t learn and we just didn’t bowl enough yorkers.”If we’re going to be honest we should have got them out for 200-odd, seeing the start we had.”

Santner’s positivity helped me drop anchor – Nicholls

Henry Nicholls has said Mitchell Santner’s positivity at the crease helped him bind the innings together with his 111-ball 82. The pair lifted New Zealand from 99 for 6 with a 79-run stand.
“It was great the way Mitchell came out and was positive, which allowed me to play more of an anchor role and keep wickets in hand from that position. Credit needs to go to Pakistan the way they got those early wickets, but we had to play positive. The wind and one short boundary made us realise 250 probably wasn’t going to be enough.”
Henry’s dismissal in the 45th over brought together ninth-wicket pair Mitchell McClenaghan and Matt Henry, who provided an explosive finish to the innings, hitting seven fours and six sixes between them.
“I was dirty on myself getting out when I did – didn’t want to miss out on some overs,” Nicholls said. “But it was probably a blessing the way they had that partnership. Matt got hit a couple of times but way he came back was massive to us, in being able to get a score on the board.”

Pakistan’s seamers were guilty of bowling lengths that allowed New Zealand’s tailenders get under the ball. Matt Henry and Mitchell McClenaghan struck six sixes and seven fours in what was a record 73-run ninth-wicket stand for New Zealand against Pakistan.”You can get as many messages as you want out to the players, but it’s got to come from within,” Flower said. “It’s also executing your skills. If there’s a yorker to be bowled, you have to bowl it as a yorker, not a half volley.”Flower didn’t confine his stern words to the bowling attack’s performance. Pakistan’s batsmen had made a slow start to the chase of 281, making just 33 runs from the first 10 overs, at the end of which the required rate had climbed to 6.2. Flower felt they could have been more aggressive.”Even though we should have got them out for a lot less, I still backed the guys to get the target. We lacked a bit of intent at the start and then we had quite a few soft wickets. We didn’t take advantage of a good batting track in the afternoon.”New Zealand have now won 9 out of 11 completed limited-overs matches in their home summer. Pakistan, meanwhile, have lost three consecutive matches on tour, having begun with a comfortable T20 victory in Auckland.”It doesn’t seem like we’re learning from our mistakes – that’s the disappointing part,” Flower said. “It’s one thing losing, but you’re paid to do a job and if you keep making the same mistakes, there are going to be questions asked.”Flower praised New Zealand’s “resilience” for defending 280 despite losing McClenaghan’s overs through injury, and described Henry Nicholls’ 82 as “mature”.

Group A

Habib Bank Limited (HBL) registered a five-wicket win over Lahore Lions at the Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) Stadium . Needing a win after having lost one of their four previous matches, Habib Bank overhauled Lahore Lions’ score of 256 for 8 with 14 balls to spare.The opener Asif Khan made an exact 100 after the Lions opted to bat first. His knock, which came off 122 balls with 11 fours and two sixes, got his team off to a start. Ahmed Butt later contributed 54 runs off just 45 balls with five fours and a six. Pakistan fast bowler Umar Gul, who appears to be recovering fast from his injury problems, took 3 for 29 runs in nine overs. Slow left-armers Aslam Qureshi and Abdul Rehman picked up two wickets each.Habib Bank were well served by their makeshift opener Sajid Shah who hit 58 off 44 balls with as many as 11 fours and a six. Rafatullah Mohmand, with 70 off 102 balls that included four fours, and Aftab Khan then added 110 for the third-wicket stand.Aftab took 99 deliveries to score 83 runs with the help of four fours and a six. Habib Bank thus joined KRL in the Super Eights Stage, that starts from Monday.Islamabad Leopards, also in the running for a Super Eights spot, beat Quetta Bears by eight wickets, in another match yesterday at the Diamond Cricket Club Ground in Islamabad. But Habib Bank’s win left them at 12 points from five matches. Habib Bank ended with 16.After having dismissed Quetta for 204, the Leopards were powered by their opener Umair Khan who finished with an unbeaten 105 that came off only 97 deliveries with 15 fours and a six. Raheel Majeed hit 55 off 41 balls with five fours and three sixes, helping Umair add 103 for the second-wicket in 13 overs.Already through to the Super Eights round, Khan Research Laboratories attained their fifth win in as many matches to head the table with the full 20 points, as they thrashed Peshawar Panthers by a big 142-run margin at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar.Azhar Ali (119) and Bazid Khan (100) hit centuries in KRL’s imposing score of 319 for 7 as their third-wicket stand produced 185 runs. The Panthers were bowled out for 177 in reply, with Pakistan seamer Yasir Arafat picking up four wickets for 45 runs in eight overs. Jamaluddin meanwhile stood firm with an unbeaten 81 that came off 90 balls with 14 fours.

Group B

Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) qualified for the Super Eights as they defeated Sialkot Stallions by 117 runs at the Jinnah Stadium. SNGPL, in fact, finished on top of the five-team Group B table with 12 points from five matches.Pakistan batsman Misbah-ul-Haq scored his second century in successive matches, his eighth overall in limited overs cricket, as he hammered 107 off 106 balls with 10 fours and a six in SNGPL’s total of 296 for 9. His fourth-wicket partnership with Pakistan Under-19 batsman Umar Akmal, who made 66 off 83 balls with four boundaries, was worth 115 runs.Sialkot Stallions were dismissed for 179 in 42.5 overs. SNGPL captain Mohammad Hafeez followed his score of 40 with bowling figures of 3 for 45 runs in seven overs with his off-spinners.Previous leaders Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) were beaten by Multan Tigers by 27 runs at the Sheikhupura Stadium in their last round match yesterday, after they had already made it to the Super Eights. WAPDA too claimed 12 points, but they were eventually pushed to the number two spot after SNGPL surged ahead on the basis of a better net run-rate.WAPDA were surprised by Multan Tigers, who won their first match of the tournament. WAPDA were all out for 271 after the Multan team had compiled 298 for 7 in their 50 overs.There was only one half-century in Multan’s big total, with Imranullah Aslam scoring 60 off a mere 32 balls with four fours and four sixes. For WAPDA, Aamer Sajjad’s unbeaten 111 off 122 balls with 10 fours at No.4 wasn’t enough to guide his team to victory.

Group C

Lahore Eagles made the Super Eights in style as they defeated National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) by four wickets in a high-scoring match at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.Desperately needing a win, Lahore Eagles overhauled NBP’s big total of 334 for 6 with just three balls to spare. Pakistan’s 16-year-old Under-19 star Ahmed Shahzad blasted 92 for the Eagles off a mere 49 deliveries with 15 fours and three sixes. His opening stand with Ashfaq Ahmed (33) was worth 118 in 13 overs.Shahzad has now scored 60, 88 not out and 92 in his last three innings for Lahore Eagles. The left-handed Kashif Siddiq continued the good work, scoring a 34-ball 31 that included three sixes while Ashraf Ali later made an unbeaten 75 that came off 93 balls with two fours.Earlier, wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal hit 90 off 96 balls with eight fours as he and captain Naumanullah (50) rattled up 111 runs for the third wicket. Shahid Yousuf, contributed a brisk 61 off 65 balls with four fours and a six. Mansoor Amjad came in to hammer an unbeaten 52 off 36 balls towards the end.At the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, Pakistan Customs beat Faisalabad Wolves by three wickets. Farhan Adil scored an exact 100, off 100 balls with five fours and a six, as Customs made 250 for 7 in reply to Faisalabad’s 246 to win with just one ball remaining. Customs, however, ended their Group C league round with only eight points from four matches.

Group D

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) thrashed Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) by the emphatic margin of nine wickets at the Cricinfo’s Newsletter National Stadium in Karachi on Friday.Having bowled SSGC out, after having asked them to bat first, for a modest 166, the PIA batsmen reached the target with more than five overs to spare. Kamran Sajid top scored with an unbeaten 80 that came off 132 balls while Khurram Manzoor scored an unbeaten 73 and the two added 163 for the second wicket and took their team through to victory.Khurram’s knock came off 134 deliveries and included three fours and a six. Sajid had earlier captured two wickets for 23 runs in eight overs, while slow left-armer Nauman Alvi was the most successful with figures of 3 for 31.Experienced SSGC captain Saeed Bin Nasir top-scored with 46, that came off 66 balls with two fours and two sixes. His fifth-wicket stand with Mansoor Ali (35) was worth 67. But the last six SSGC wickets could only add a mere 17 runs. PIA will be joined by Rawalpindi Rams in the Super Eights Stage, starting from Monday, from the six teams that played in Group D.In an inconsequential match, Karachi Dolphins earned some consolation as they defeated Abbottabad Rhinos by 69 runs to gain their only win in five matches at the United Bank Limited (UBL) Sports Complex Ground No.1.Thanks to an unbeaten 141 by the Dolphins captain and opener Shadab Kabir, they notched up a total of 279 for the loss of only three wickets in their fifty overs. In reply, the Rhinos were bowled out for 210 in 48.5 overs. Slow left-armer Mohammad Ali and the Pakistan U-19s legspinner Shahzaib Khan had identical figures of three wickets for 38 runs in 10 overs for the Dolphins.The 30-year-old Kabir, who has represented Pakistan in five Tests and three one-dayers, posted his fourth hundred in major limited overs cricket. His knock came off just 142 balls with 11 fours and two sixes.With the in-form Akbar Rehman (40 off 64 balls with two fours and a six), Shadab’s second-wicket stand yielded 95 in a matter of 10 overs. Faraz Patel (36) joined Kabir to add another 91 for the third wicket.Sharjeel Ashraf, 20 not out, helped Shadab put on 52 for the fourth-wicket by the time the overs ran out. Abbottabad’s opener and wicketkeeper Ghulam Mohammad (31 off 26 balls with five fours) and Wajid Ali (35) added 51 for the second wicket. Later on, Usman Khan hit 53 off 61 deliveries with five fours to boost his team’s score. Due to some tight bowling, the Rhinos fell well before the target could be achieved.Rawalpindi Rams performed a sort of giant-killing act as they beat Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) by a big 111-run margin at the Niaz Stadium to go through to the Super Eights.After being asked to bat, the Rams rattled up a score of 255 for 8 in their allotted 50 overs. ZTBL, seven of whose batsmen failed to get into double figures, were bowled out for a poor 144 in 44 overs. At one stage, ZTBL lost five wickets for only 23 runs on the board before the tenth over. The sixth wicket fell at 52. Zohaib Khan and wicketkeeper Shakeel Ansar then recovered with a 72-run stand for the seventh wicket.Zohaib’s 59 came off 90 balls with four fours while Shakeel took 61 balls for his 33 that included three boundaries. The end was, however, quite near and the last four wickets fell for the addition of 20 runs.Rawalpindi’s successful new-ball bowler Yasir Ali continued his wicket-taking spree with figures of 3 for 16 in seven overs. His left-arm medium-fast partner Mohammad Aamer, slow left-armer Yasim Murtaza and captain Naved Ashraf, with his off-breaks, picked up two wickets each.Earlier, the Rams were in trouble at 97 for 5. Yasim Murtaza and Yasir Ali were the batting heroes too as they added 80 for the eighth wicket and took their team well beyond the 200-run mark.The left-handed Yasim hammered an unbeaten 53 off a mere 42 balls with three fours and as many sixes. Yasir’s 37 came off 31 deliveries with three fours and a six. With this win, the Rams took their points tally in the six-team Group D to 16.