Pakistan Television (PTV) defended a target of 40 against Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) to set a new record in first-class cricket.
Target of 40 defended: PTV set new record in first-class cricket
Amad Butt top-scored with 46 not out as PTV were bowled out for 166 after Shamyl Hussain won the toss and opted to bat at the National Stadium. For SNGPL, Shehzad Gul claimed 4-40. In response, wicketkeeper Saifullah Bangash (71) lifted SNGPL from 129-7 to 238 as Butt (3-42), Israr Hussain (3-66), and Ali Usman (4-66) shared the wickets.
PTV were 99-5 at stumps on the second day: they led by a mere 27. They could add a mere 12 to their overnight total. In fact, they lost all five remaining wickets for five runs in eight balls – in a sequence that read wicket, wicket, four, wicket, dot, leg-bye, wicket, wicket. Gul (5-28) and Sajid Khan (3-28) caused the damage to restrict SNGPL’s target to 40.
PTV now needed to break a 231-year-old world record to win the game: defending 41 in 1794, Oldfield had bowled out the MCC for 34, which stood as the lowest successfully defended total in first-class cricket. They did exactly that.
Butt (4-28) and Usman (6-9) bowled unchanged to skittle SNGPL for 37 in 19.4 overs. In fact, SNGPL were 22-7 at one point before, but Bangash (14) gave them a chance before being ninth out.
Lowest targets defended in first-class cricket
| Target | Score | Bowling side | Batting side | Venue | Season |
| 40 | 37 | Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited | Pakistan Television | Karachi | 2025/26 |
| 41 | 34 | Oldfield | Marylebone Cricket Club | Lord’s (Old) | 1794 |
| 42 | 34 | Eastern Province | Border | East London | 1946/47 |
| 44 | 39 | England | Kent and Sussex | Lord’s | 1856 |
| 49 | 32 | Kent | Sussex | Hawkhurst | 1825 |
| 51 | 42 | East Kent | West Kent | Coxheath | 1789 |
| 51 | 26 | Marylebone Cricket Club | England | Lord’s | 1877 |
| 52 | 27 | Marylebone Cricket Club | Kent | Lord’s | 1856 |
| 53 | 46 | South | North | Scarborough | 1891 |
| 56 | 22 | Kent | Sussex | Sevenoaks | 1828 |
- It is worth a mention that barring the match in South Africa, every other incident was in England in the 19th or the 20th century. The lowest defended total in the 21st century used to be 64: the Southern Rocks bowled out the Mountaineers for a mere 26 at Masvingo in 2012/13.
- The lowest first-class total on Pakistan soil is 27, by Dera Ismail Khan against Railways in 1964/65 and by Habib Bank Limited against Pakistan International Airlines in 2001/02.
