Gritty Jamal not enough
Sports Reporter
Jamaluddin Babu scored a defiant half-century but that was not enough for Bangladesh A to avoid an innings and 15-run defeat against Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) in the Patron's Trophy four-day match at the Quaid-e-Azam Park in Karachi yesterday The gritty lower-order batsman frustrated the home side with 81 off 175 balls after Bangladesh A, resuming the final day on 134-5 and needing another 166 runs to make their opponents bat again, slumped to 182-8. Together with paceman Gazi Alamgir he shared 96 runs for the ninth wicket before champion off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq finally broke through the stubborn pair for PIA. Jamal, who made his one-day debut during the home series against England in Chittagong, stayed at the crease for more than four hours only to brighten his reputation as a useful bat apart from his exploits as a regular off-spinner. Alamgir also scored a plucky 25 before Saqlain, who claimed his second five-wicket haul in the match, also dismissed him. The tourists' innings folded at 284 but not before they played another 51.4 overs on the final day. Saqlain finished with a match-haul of 11 wickets including a first-innings effort of 6-80. It was the A team's third successive defeat in four games in the first-class competition of Pakistan. They will play their next match against Customs from January 12 at the Karachi National Stadium.
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