Pakistan Television (PTV) had an improbable task of defending a paltry score on the third morning of the fourth-round President’s Trophy Grade-I game against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL).
An unprecedented bowling display at National Bank Stadium, Karachi, helped PTV topple a first-class record that had stood for over 231 years.
Chief architects of the miraculous defence, left-arm spinner Ali Usman and right-arm pacer Amad Butt of PTV, bowled in tandem for 19.4 overs to make the unbelievable happen in little under two hours as SNGPL folded for 37, chasing 40.
The day began with PTV resuming their overnight second innings from 99-5 in 36.5 overs, with a 27-run lead, and collapsing to 111 in just 36 balls in the first half hour. The next two hours saw PTV ploughing through the first-class records and pushing aside Oldfield’s record defence of 41 runs in August 1794 against Marylebone Cricket Club at the Lord’s Old Ground.
Ali began and closed the heist with the wickets of Ali Zaryab for a four-ball duck at the start and Shehzad Gul with a nine-ball duck at the end. In the meantime, only Saifullah Bangash and Mohammad Ali put up some fight, batting for 78 and 40 minutes, respectively.
Bagging six for nine from 58 balls, including five maidens, Ali also completed his fourth haul of 10 wickets or more on the trot and 86 wickets in the ongoing domestic season, starting from the Hanif Mohammad Trophy (12) in August, Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (48) and President’s Cup (16).
“When SNGPL had lost five wickets (for 14 runs), only then we started sensing a win, and with the sixth falling, I got supreme confidence that we can even defend the remaining 21 runs as well”, Ali Usman stated.
He added, “For me, this is a very special memory, especially having taken six in defence of the meagre 40-run total, which felt unbelievable. It is such a surreal feat that I can’t even imagine now that we have done it.”
Amad’s contribution of four wickets for 28 runs in his 60 balls was only a supporting act, but it is worth remembering that he walked in at 93-6 in PTV’s first innings and remained unbeaten on 46 off 64 balls, hitting four fours and three sixes. He then took three for 42 in 16.3 overs.
The right-arm pacer downplayed the magnitude of the achievement, saying, “To be very honest, it wasn’t something special, but before walking into the ground for the defence of the 40 runs, I only had this passing thought of how things often happen for the first time and how records are broken, and then it just happened.”
Amad also described how late-order resistance from Mohammad Ali made them wait, “I first anticipated the win when we dismissed Shan Masood with 11 runs on the board, but Mohammad Ali entered at 19-6 and batted for the next eight overs with only one wicket falling, which again took away the hope for a bit. It just kept on fluctuating between the two teams, and I feel we couldn’t consider ourselves safe at any point”
List of lowest totals defended in first-class cricket:
40 by PTV v SNGPL 2025
41 by Oldfield v MCC 1794
42 by Eastern Province v Border 1947
44 by England v Kent and Sussex 1856
49 by Kent v Sussex 1925
