Opening batsman Khalid Latif hit an unbeaten 101 as Karachi Dolphins defeated Karachi Zebras by seven wickets in their first-round Gold League match of the 2006-07 ABN-AMRO Cup at the United Bank Limited Sports Complex.
Khalid scored the second hundred of his List A career. He faced 135 balls and hit five fours and three sixes, as the Dolphins chased the Zebras' 203 with 19 balls to spare.
With Wajihuddin, Khalid gave his team a 98-run start in 25 overs. Wajihuddin scored 54 off 83 balls with seven fours. Fawad Alam contributed an unbeaten 23 off 27 to an unbroken 74-run stand for the fourth wicket with Khalid.
Earlier, offspinner Atif Maqbool had the Zebras down at 89 for 5 in the 27th over after they had decided to bat. Saeed Bin Nasir, with 84 runs off 132 balls with seven fours and a six, steadied the innings.
Karachi Zebras will now play their second-round match against Rawalpindi Rams at the Asghar Ali Shah Stadium on Wednesday. The Dolphins will return to action in the third round on Friday.
Last season's runners-up Lahore Eagles registered a comfortable 79-run win over Rawalpindi Rams in their Gold League match at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex Stadium.
Lahore prospered after being put in and scored 270 for 9. Rawalpindi were bowled out for 191 in 40.4 overs. Lahore's innings was powered by strong top-order contributions. Arsalan Mir hammered a 42-ball 60 at number seven with eight fours and two sixes. Earlier, Aamer Sajjad had scored 61 off 82 balls with five boundaries.
Kamran Sajid contributed 44 off 58 balls with two fours while opener Nasir Jamshed took just 41 balls to make 36. After a 54-run second-wicket stand between Babar Naeem and Mohammad Wasim, the captain, Rawalpindi lost wickets at regular intervals and were dismissed well short of the target.
Naved Ashraf, who came in at 75 for 3 in the 13th over, stayed till the end scoring an unbeaten 64 off 73 balls with four fours and two sixes. Lahore's fast bowler Junaid Zia stood out with figures of 3 for 36 in his 10 overs.
Although they lost six wickets while chasing a target of 207, Sialkot Stallions completed a four-wicket win over Peshawar Panthers without fuss at the National Stadium. Peshawar were asked to bat first and Sialkot restricted them to a score of 206 for 7. Sialkot achieved the target in 46.1 overs.
Former Test batsman Qaiser Abbas set the tone for Sialkot's chase. He top-scored with 69 off 106 balls with seven fours. The rest of the batsmen made useful contributions till the end.
Earlier in the day, Peshawar had slumped to 72 for 5 in the first 25 overs. It took a 71-run sixth-wicket stand to help them recover. Wicketkeeper Zulfiqar Jan hammered 76 off 78 balls with six fours and three sixes. Mohammad Fayyaz made 48 off 58 deliveries with three fours and a six.
Sialkot Stallions will now meet Lahore Eagles at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex Stadium in a second-round match on Wednesday. On the same day, Peshawar Panthers will play defending champions Faisalabad Wolves here at the National Stadium.