By Mohammad Yaqoob




Saturday, 29 Nov, 2008 4



LAHORE: The North West Frontier Province (NWFP) annexed their first national cricket title when they defeated Balochistan by 28 runs in the final of the RBS Pentangular Cup at the Gaddafi Stadium here on Friday.

The NWFP, who won all of their four games in the league stage, needed only 25 deliveries on the fifth and final morning to dislodge the last Balochistan batsman.

Appropriately, skipper Umar Gul had the honour claiming the wicket of Azharullah after Balochistan, chasing 272, had resumed at 234 for nine.

Azharullah failed to add to his overnight score of five. Last man Zulfiqar Babar remained unbeaten with a 46-ball 21.

Yasir Shah, the leg-spinner who turned the match in NWFP’s favour on the decisive fourth day was adjudged Man-of-the-Match for taking six for 87.

Yasir received cash prize of Rs50,000. The NWFP, besides winning the coveted trophy were awarded with the winners’ purse of Rs1 million while Balochistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq collected of Rs500,000 on behalf of his team.

Among individual awards, worth Rs50,000 each, Saeed bin Nasir claimed two prizes since he was adjudged the tournament’s best batsman (419 runs) as well as its best fielder (11 catches).

Paceman Shakeel-ur-Rehman, who played a key in the NWFP success, bagged the best bowler prize for picking 29 wickets while his team-mate Zulfiqar Jan was declared the best wicket-keeper for making 25 dismissals (