ABBOTTABAD – Sahir Associates clinched the President’s Trophy Grade-II title with a thumping 355-run win over MIT Solutions on day four of the final here at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The title winners remained unbeaten during their nine-match run in the tournament, winning five and drawing four and will now feature in the President’s Trophy Grade-I – the departmental first-class tournament to be staged in the upcoming domestic cricket season.
The PCB had set aside a prize pool of PKR 7.75 million for the tournament, apart from engaging 27 departmental teams in a highly competitive red-ball tournament taking place countrywide from 15 April to 1 June. Sahir Associates were awarded the winners’ award of PKR 5 million, while runners-up MIT Solutions collected PKR 2.5 million, and top performers of the tournament were also given cash prizes.
MIT Solutions, who were set a mammoth target of 587 runs on the last day of the final in 75 overs, were dismissed for 231 in 37.2 overs with pacer Khan Zeb taking 5-73 in 9.5 overs.
For the runners-up, only Muhammad Bilal (70) and Husnain Nadeem (54) offered some resistance with brisk half-centuries laden with a flurry of boundaries. MIT Solutions slipped from 102-2 in 12.5 overs to 138-7 and then 231 all out.
Earlier, Sahir Associates added 82 runs to their overnight score of 367-7 as they were bowled out for 449 in 90.5 overs with MIT’s Keleem Ullah picking up 5-83. Sahir’s Mohsin Khan ended up with 68 after staying unbeaten overnight for 16.
