ISLAMABAD/LAHORE -  If the non-striker is out of his ground from the moment the ball comes into play to the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball, the bowler is permitted to attempt to run him/her out. Whether the attempt is successful or not, the ball shall not count as one in the over. If the bowler fails in an attempt to run out the non-striker, the umpire shall call and signal Dead ball as soon as possible

WAPDA needed four runs to win, with more than 78 overs left in the day. Peshawar needed one wicket. Three days of cricket and here we were, the game delicately poised. And then Peshawar fast bowler Taj Wali decided to mankad the non-striker Mohammad Irfan - who had casually taken a step out from the popping crease while the bowler was about to deliver. Following the law, the umpire had no option but to give Irfan out once the bowler appealed - a close finish in this season's Quaid-e-Azam Trophy made controversial.

Ahmed Shahab and Faisal Afridi, the on-field umpires, consulted after the incident, and asked the fielding side if they wanted to rethink their appeal. They didn't, and Peshawar won by three runs - a rare win for a regional side over a department one, and, in this case, no less than the tournament's defending champions. WAPDA's captain Salman Butt questioned the spirit of the act.

"What's the point of this law when the winning team isn't proud and ashamed instead?" Butt told ESPNcricinfo. "We had a great game, fully competitive throughout four days, which saw both teams' fortunes fluctuate. And suddenly this mankading spoiled it. Sportsman spirit should have been the top priority but the game didn't end in a proper way. What's the point of this law when the opponent team despite winning apologises to us?"

According to the ICC playing regulations, mirrored in Pakistan domestic cricket, the dismissal was clearly fair. "The bowler is permitted, before releasing the ball and provided he has not completed his usual delivery swing, to attempt to run out the non-striker. Whether the attempt is successful or not, the ball shall not count as one of the over. If the bowler fails in an attempt to run out the non-striker, the umpire shall call and signal dead ball as soon as possible."

POOL A At ABBOTTABAD CRICKET STADIUM, ABBOTTABAD

PESHAWAR REGION(First Innings): 235-10 in 56 overs: (Gohar Ali 76, 11x4s, 1x6, Ashfaq Ahmed 64, 8x4s, Sahibzada Farhan 48, 10x4s, Mohamad Ali Bhutta 4-69; Mohammad Asif 3-50, Zulfiqar Babar 2-55)

(2nd Innings): 164-10 in 56.5 overs: (Ubaidullah 68, 7x4s, 1x6, Israrullah 35, 4x4s, 1x6, Akbar Badshah 34, 4x4s, 1x6; Mohammad Asif 5-40, Mohammad Irfan 2-35)

WAPDA (First Innings): 154-10 in 57.2 overs (Kamran Akmal 55, 7x4s, Mansoor Amjad 40, 5x4s, Khushdil Shah 24, 3x4s; Taj Wali 6-53, Nasir Awais 2-27, Imran Khan Sr. 2-44)

(2nd Innings): 242-10 in 75.5 overs: (Mohammad Saad 111, 11x4s, Zulfiqar Babar 32, 7x4s, Kamran Akmal 25, 4x4s, Khushdil Shah 24, 5x4s; Imran Khan Sr. 3-49, Nasir Awais 2-31, Taj Wali 3-81, Nasir Awais 2-31)

Result: Peshawar Region won by 3 runs

At DIAMOND CRICKET GROUND, ISLAMABAD

NBP (First Innings): 553-8 decl in 146.1 overs (Kamran Ghulam 102, 14x4s, 1x6, Bilal Asif 102, 12x4s, 3x6s, Faizan Khan 100*, 13x4s, Haris Ali Khan 60, 8x4s, Ramiz Raja 46, 5x4s, 1x6, Naved Sarwar 44, 2x4s, 1x6, Ali Asad 28, 2x4s, Raza Hasan 28, 4x4s, 1x6, Ahsaan Ali 23, 4x4s; Faizan Riaz 2-90, Hamza Nadeem 2-102, Munir-ur-Rehman Tanzil 2-138)

(2nd Innings): 85-2 in 26 overs: (Ali Asad 37*, 4x4s, Naved Sarwar 33*, 1x4, 2x6s)

ISLAMABAD REGION (First Innings): 416-10 in 168.3 overs: (Abid Ali 231*, 21x4s, 1x6, Shahzad Azam Rana 41, 5x4s, 2x6s, Sarmad Bhatti 40, 5x4s, Mohammad Naqsh 30, 4x4s, Faizan Riaz 28, 4x4s, Munir-ur-Rehman Tanzil 22, 3x4s; Altaf Ahmed 6-80, Hazrat Shah 3-74)

Result: Match Drawn POOL B AT JINNAH STADIUM, SIALKOT

FATA REGION (First Innings): 281-10 in 86 overs: (Asif Ali 102, 12x4s, Sohail Akhtar 41*, 5x4s, Ahsan Hafeez Bhatti 40, 4x4s, Mukhtar Ahmed 39, 7x4s; Tabish Khan 3-67, Hasan Mohsin 2-42, Rizwan Akbar 2-66)

(2nd Innings): 449-8 decl in 107 overs: (Yasir Hameed 157, 13x4s, Fawad Khan 121, 113x4s, 4x6s, Sohail Akhtar 66, 7x4s, 3x6s, Mohammad Naeem 32, 5x4s; Mohammad Irfan Jr. 5-136)

PTV (First Innings): 400-10 in 130.3 over: (Saud Shakeel 108, 12x4s, 1x6, Hasan Mohsin 83, 7x4s, 1x6, Mohammad Irfan Jr. 81, 12x4s, Faisal Khan 27, 5x4s; Taimoor Khan 22, 4x4s, Asif Afridi 4-116, Sohail Akhtar 3-84, Asif Ali 2-54)

(2nd Innings): 92-4 in 23 overs: (Taimoor Khan 44, 5x4s, 2x6s, Mohammad Naeem 21, 4x4s; Asif Afridi 3-18)

Result: Match Drawn AT GADDAFI STADIUM, LAHORE

KRL (First Innings): 322-10 in 110.3 overs: (Usman Arshad 77, 11x4s, Sardar Hasan Raza 63, 6x4s, Jahid Ali 47, 5x4s, Nouman Ali 33, 5x4s, 1x6, Sohaib Ahmed 21, 3x4s; Umar Farooq 4-50, Waqas Ahmed 2-68, Mohammad Irfan 2-87)

(2nd Innings): 283-10 in 97.3 overs: (Saeed Anwar 79, 7x4s, 2x6s, Usman Arshad 55, 3x4s, Shoaib Ahmed 53, 6x4s, Sardar Hasan Raza 33, 6x4s; Mohammad Irfan 6-99, Waqas Ahmed 2-44, Umaid Asif 2-56)

LAHORE REGION WHITE (First Innings): 330-10 in 112 overs: (Rizwan Hussain 50, 8x4s, 74 balls, Mohammad Irfan 48, 7x4s, Fahad-ul-Haq 48, 8x4s, Usman Sallahuddin 39, 6x4s, Mohammad Mohsin 37, 5x4s, Ameer Hamza 30, 4x4s, Anas Mehmood 27, 5x4s; Sadaf Hussain 7-85)

RESULT: Match Drawn.