By Shakeel Ur Rehman
KARACHI: Eshaal Associates defeated JDW Sugar Mills by four wickets after a closely contested encounter in the President’s Trophy Grade-II Gold tournament at the UBL Sports Complex in Karachi.
Resuming their first innings at 70 for three, Eshaal Associates were bowled out for 275, securing a valuable 27-run first-innings lead over JDW Sugar Mills, who had scored 248 in their first innings.
Ashir Mahmood was the standout performer for Eshaal Associates, scoring an impressive 121 runs. His century included eight fours and five sixes and played a pivotal role in giving his side the first-innings advantage.
For JDW Sugar Mills, Zain Abbas scored 61, Shoaib made 56 and Humayun Altaf contributed 55 in the first innings.
JDW, however, could not capitalise on their second-innings advantage and were dismissed for 178. Haseeb Ahmed top-scored with 39 runs, while Zahid Bashir claimed four wickets and Muhammad Umair took three wickets for Eshaal Associates.
Set a target of 152 runs for victory, Eshaal Associates successfully chased down the required total for the loss of six wickets.
Young Pakistan Under-19 opener Usman Khan played a match-winning innings of 86 runs, smashing 14 fours and one six. Muhammad Umair also played a crucial role with an unbeaten 28 to guide Eshaal Associates across the finish line.
Eshaal Associates completed a memorable four-wicket victory, with their disciplined bowling and crucial contributions from Ashir Mahmood, Usman Khan and Muhammad Umair proving decisive.
