Division WP Cricket League for 2008-09 kicked off with Kanoo Finance plundering Kanoo Commercial by 104 runs while Freight rolled over P&IP by 69 runs in the 1st week matches. Defending champion Kanoo Finance put up a grand show. Skipper Sami Khan opened the innings with Tasneem and the two put on 120 runs before Tasneem (12) was out. Sami scored a brilliant century with the help of 18 sixes and 7 fours, scoring his 50 off 17 balls and 100 off 32 balls. Later Nasir (42 not out, 3 sixes and 4 fours) joined him and the two accelerated the score with some brilliant batting. Finance set a mammoth target of 248-4 in 15 overs. Atiq (2-44) and Sajeeb (1-68) toiled hard to take the wickets. In reply, Commercial started cautiously though it lost wickets at regular intervals before ending at a reasonable score of 144-8 mainly through Riyaz (25) and Atiq (28 not out). Ehtesham (2-23) and Qasir (2-27) bowled well to give Finance an emphatic win by 104 runs. Man of the Match: Sami Khan of Finance. Kanoo Freight began its innings briskly with the opening partnership of 107 by Oliver 41 (5 fours) and Fazal 68 (7 sixes and 4 fours). It was followed with a good partnership by the energetic Ashfaq 58 not out (4 sixes and 3 fours) and Jayasuriya 42 not out (4 sixes and 4 fours) who put up an unbeaten partnership of 92 runs. Wasi (1-40) and Nasim (1-50) were the only successful bowlers for P&IP. P&IP responded with a blazing opening partnership of 54 runs by Mateen 23 (2 sixes and 1 four) and Razi 36 (2 sixes and 2 fours). Later, skipper Shafi (23) and Wasi (35) continued the good work before Haider (3-22) put the brakes to bring victory for his team. Man of the Match: Ashfaq of Freight. In the 2nd week, Kanoo Freight cruised past Kanoo Travel by 55 runs and debutant Kanoo Machinery bundled Commercial by 8 wickets. Freight made a short work of Travel winning by 55 runs. Freight lost its 5 wickets in quick successions for 64 runs before ‘swashbuckler' Jayasuriya 49 (7 fours) and pinch-hitter Wahid Khan 42 (3 sixes and 2 fours) put up a 100-run partnership for the 6th wicket. Later, Haider hit a brisk 18 (3 fours) to set a competitive target of 171-7 in 15 overs. Junaid (2-34), Adnan (2-18), Aleem and Alireza (1) bowled well for Travel. In response, Travel lost opener Alireza 23 (1 six and 2 fours) and the middle-order batsman Ibad 35 (2 sixes and 3 fours) applied himself to keep the scoreboard ticking with some good strokes before Freight bowler Haider (6-16), Hameen (2-20) and Oliver (2-37) rocked their boat to restrict them to 116 in 12.2 overs. Man of the Match: Haider of Freight. Commercial, batting first, lost its wickets at regular intervals but Irfan 21 (2 fours) and Irfan Pasha 26 (3 fours) steadied their innings before Machinery bowlers Indika (4-22) restricted them to 106 runs in 14.2 overs. In reply, Machinery made light work off the weak bowling attack of Commercial as Panduka 47 not out (1 six and 3 fours), Mushtaq 18 (2 fours) and Waqar Waheed unbeaten 20 (1 six and 2 fours) achieved the target quite easily by losing only 2 wickets in 9.5 overs. Man of the Match: Indika of Machinery. __
