PTV Defended 40 Runs Against Sui Northern: Lowest Successful Defence in First-Class Cricket

Pakistan TV produced one of the most astonishing finishes the domestic game has ever seen, pulling off a result in Karachi that rewrote first-class cricket history and left Sui Northern shell-shocked in the President’s Trophy.

Defending a target of just 40, PTV bowled SNGPL out for 37 to seal victory by two runs, completing the lowest successful defence ever recorded in first-class cricket. The previous benchmark had stood untouched for more than two centuries, dating back to 1794.

On a surface that had steadily worsened over four days, what looked like a routine chase quickly turned into chaos. The ball began gripping and turning sharply, and SNGPL’s batters found survival harder than scoring. Left-arm spinner Ali Usman was at the centre of the collapse, ripping through the line-up with figures of 6 for 9. His control and relentless accuracy left SNGPL with no room to reset. Fast bowler Amad Butt played the perfect supporting role, claiming the remaining four wickets as panic spread through the batting order.

The dramatic finale followed a match that had appeared largely straightforward earlier. PTV were dismissed for 166 in their first innings, after which SNGPL responded with 238 to take a healthy 72-run lead. When PTV were then bowled out for 111 in their second innings, the contest seemed firmly in SNGPL’s grasp.

But Karachi’s crumbling pitch had other ideas. As wickets fell in clusters and the chase unravelled, disbelief turned into tension, then disbelief again as the final wicket fell with SNGPL still three runs short.

In a tournament already marked by low totals and rapid finishes, this match went several steps further, delivering a result that will be talked about wherever first-class cricket history is discussed.