Karachi Blues Archives

Five-star Saqib helps Karachi Blues crush Sialkot to win QEAT 2025

LAHORE: Abdullah Fazal and Haroon Arshad’s sparkling centuries, backed by a splendid bowling display from pacer Saqib Khan — who took a five-wicket haul in the second innings and nine in the match — helped Karachi Blues clinch the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT) 2025-26 title.

With this, Karachi Blues won their record third title in the tournament’s history as Sialkot failed to defend their crown.

Chasing a daunting 533-run target, Sialkot were eventually bundled out for 314 on the final day here at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on Friday.

Saqib, who remained the chief tormentor, started with the wicket of opener Azan Awais, who was trapped lbw for 11. The pair could only add 23 from their overnight score of 12.

After the early blow, Abdullah Shafique and Muhammad Hurraira tried to steady the innings with a 46-run partnership, which brought the total to 81.

However, the stand eventually culminated with Hurraira’s wicket, who was caught behind for 39 with the aid of five boundaries.

Despite the wickets, Abdullah held firm at one end and stitched together multiple stands with middle-order batters. However, his resistance ended after he notched up 59 off 98 balls, laced with five fours and a six.

The other notable partnership was between Hamza Nazar and wicket-keeper batter Afzal Manzoor, who added 112 for the sixth wicket, which provided Sialkot some relief.

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The duo batted impressively while chasing an uphill task and brought the total above the 250-run mark. But, spinners Rameez Aziz and pacer Mushtaq Ahmed dismissed both batters in quick succession, which put Karachi Blues on the cusp of victory.

Afzal 63 off 48 was peppered with 13 fours while Hamza hit nine fours on his way to 56 off 84 balls.

It was only a matter of time for Karachi as Saqib, who started the proceedings, bowled Mohammad Hasnain to take his side to a memorable victory.

Saqib Khan took five for 86 in 20.1 overs and finished as the second-highest wicket-taker with 47 wickets to his name in nine matches at an impressive average of 20.59.

For his 88 and 114, Abdullah Fazal was named the player of the match in the final.

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QEAT Final: Arshad hits ton to set Sialkot massive target

LAHORE: Haroon Arshad’s second century of the season helped Karachi Blues gain a substantial lead in the second innings and set up a mammoth target against Sialkot in the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT) 2025-26 here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday.

Sialkot closed the day four at 12 for no loss in pursuit of a 533-run target, with openers Azan Awais and Mohammad Hurraira remaining unbeaten on seven and five runs respectively.

Earlier, Karachi Blues were bowled out after piling a massive 458-run total on the board. They added 256 runs to their overnight score of 202-1, thanks to youngster Haroon Arshad’s sublime century.

Sialkot started the day on a positive note as Mohammad Hasnain removed the century maker Abdullah Fazal, who made 114 off 219 balls with the help of 13 fours.

However, seasoned batter Shan Masood paired up with Haroon in the middle, and the duo forged an 84-run stand for the third wicket.

Sialkot’s skipper Usama Mir returned figures of 5 for 98 as the defending champions were kept in the field for almost two days.

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Mohammad Hasnain sent down 34 overs, taking 3-91, while off-spinner Hamza Nazar and Hasan Ali dismissed one batter each.

Shan – who registered his 59th first-class half-century – collected 76 runs off 107 balls, comprising nine fours.

The left-hander also went past the 13,000 first-class runs landmark in his 194th game in the format and 335th innings.

Haroon (116, 236b, 9x4s) brought up his second first-class century off 219 balls before Hamza removed him with a fine delivery that turned to hit the stumps going between his bat and pad in the 92nd over.

21 balls later, Usama bagged his first of five scalps, getting Saud Shakeel caught at slip as Karachi Blues lost seven wickets for 131 runs.

No.6 batter Usman Khan sped up Karachi’s pursuit for an insurmountable target as he contributed 47 off 57 balls, hitting four fours and three sixes, stitching 78 runs with Shan.

Rameez Aziz (30, 65b, 2x4s, 1×6) was the last wicket to fall after he accompanied the tail for 26, 13, and 13-run stands.

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QEAT Final: Fazal’s ton put Karachi Blues on top against Sialkot

LAHORE: Saqib Khan’s four-fer and Abdullah Fazal’s sublime century put Karachi Blues in a commanding position against the defending champions Sialkot on day three of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final here at the iconic Gaddafi Stadium.

Karachi ended the day’s play at 202 for 1 in 64 overs in their second innings and are leading by 276 runs.

After losing Saad Baig for 31, Abdullah Fazal and Haroon Arhsad forged a 149-run stand for the second wicket, bringing the score from 53 to over 200-run runs.

The duo kept the experienced pace trio- Mohammad Hasnain, Hasan Ali, and Mohammad Ali, at bay with a calm and commanding batting display.

Fazal, who scored his second first-class century, remained unbeaten with 104* off 200 balls, laced with 11 fours, whereas Haroon hit four boundaries in his 55 from 145 deliveries.

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For Sialkot, Mohammad Hasnain remained the solitary wicket-taker.

Earlier, Karachi Blues fast bowlers skittled Sialkot’s lower order in the first 11 overs of the opening session, to take a big 74-run lead.

The pair of Hasan Ali and Hamza Nazar only added 10 runs to their overnight score of 235, with Mohammad Umar scalping the prized wicket of the latter, who departed after scoring 64 from 126 balls.

Soon after, Saqib dismissed Hasan for 41 to put his side in a commanding position. Eventually, Sialkot were bundled out for 266 in their first innings, handing Karachi a big lead in the all-important final.

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QEAT Final: Karachi Blues pacers shine against Sialkot on even day

LAHORE: Karachi Blues fast bowlers starred with the ball before Sialkot ended the second day of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final on 235 for six in 61 overs here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday.

Hamza Nazar and Hasan Ali remained unbeaten at stumps with 62 and 29 runs respectively, with Sialkot still trailing by 105 runs and four wickets in hand.

Karachi inflicted a poor start on Sialkot, removing both openers inside the first five overs. The prolific run-scorer this season, Azan Awais, was caught after managing just two, whereas Saqib Khan trapped Muhammad Hurraira for nine.

As a result, the defending champions were reduced to 13-2.

Following the early hiccup, Abdullah Shafique and Abdul Rehman tried to stabilize the innings, adding a 46-run partnership which brought the total to 59.

The stand eventually culminated with Rehman’s wicket in the 19th over, caught by Rameez Aziz off Mohammad Umar’s bowling for 14.

Sialkot troubles deepened when Shafique was run out after managing 32 from 56 with the aid of three fours. At this stage, the scorecard read 73-4 in 23.5 overs.

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With Sialkot in trouble, two of their relatively inexperienced batters, Hamza Nazar and Mohsin Riaz, steadied the innings with a 95-run partnership.

The duo took their side out of the trouble and notched up half-centuries, which brought the total above the 150-run mark. However, Sialkot followed a similar pattern of losing wickets in clusters as Karachi hit back with quick wickets.

Riaz was castled by Umar after a well-made 71 off 85 balls peppered with 1`1 fours and a six, followed by the dismissal of the wicket-keeper Afzal Manzoor for a 14-ball duck.

Consequently, Sialkot were 170-6 in 49.4 overs before Nazar crafted a much-needed 65-run partnership with Hasan Ali to end the day on a positive note.

For Karachi Blues, the fast bowling trio consisting of Saqib Khan, Mushtaq Ahmed, and Mohammad Umar starred with the ball, sharing five wickets between them.

Earlier, Sialkot pacer Mohammad Ali took a four-wicket haul to bundle out Karachi Blues for 340 in their first innings.

Karachi started from their overnight score of 285-6; however, Mohammad Ali and Hasan Ali combined to tear through the lower middle-order, limiting Karachi to a big first-innings total.

Usman Khan departed after making 82 from 115 balls, whereas Saqib Khan chipped in with a crucial 33 off 26 balls, laced with three fours and a six.

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QEAT Final: Usman, Fazal lift Karachi Blues against Sialkot

LAHORE: Abdullah Fazal and Usman Khan’s gutsy knocks propelled Karachi Blues to a strong start against the defending champions Sialkot on the opening day of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT) 2025-26 final here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Monday.

Put into bat first, Karachi Blues demonstrated a strong batting display and racked up 288-6 at the end of the day’s play.

Fazal remained the top-scorer with 88 off 149, whereas Usman remained unbeaten with 80 off 107 balls, featuring 10 fours and a six.

The leading run-scorer of the tournament, Saad Baig, started positively and added 80 runs for the opening wicket with Abdullah Fazal.

The stand culminated with Saad’s wicket, trapped lbw off Hasan Ali’s bowling. The southpaw made 39 from 59 with the aid of eight boundaries.

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After a strong start, Siakot bowlers made a comeback and triggered a mini-collapse, slumping Karachi from 80-1 to 125-4.

Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood was caught on the crease after managing to score 13, while Mohammad Hasnain sent back Haroon Arshad (15) and skipper Saud Shakeel for nought to put his side into a dominant position.

However, wicket-keeper batter Usman Khan and Abdullah Fazal arrested the slide with a 98-run partnership, bringing the total to 223.

Siakot skipper Usama Mir broke the threatening stand in the 54th over of the innings as Fazal was caught by Mohammad Huraira.

Usman, meanwhile, held one end and stitched another brief stand with Rameez Aziz. With this stand, the scorecard read 267; however, Sialkot removed the latter in the dying hours of the day, which made the opening day evenly shared.

For Sialkot, Hasan Ali and Mohammad Hasnain chipped in with the ball, scalping two wickets each. Usama Mir and Mohammad Ali also took one wicker apiece.

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Prize money for Quaid Trophy revealed ahead of final

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday revealed the prize money for the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT) 2025-26 ahead of the final between Karachi Blues and the defending champions Sialkot.

The pinnacle fixture of the tournament will be played from 1 to 4 December at the iconic Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

According to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the winning team of the 22nd edition of the tournament will take home Rs7.5 million, while the runners-up will receive Rs4 million.

“Player of the final will be awarded PKR 100k, while best bowler, batter, wicket-keeper, and player of the tournament will be awarded PKR 250k each,” the board said in a press release.

Moreover, notable voices will take the mic in the final, which includes Raja Asad, Salman Butt, and Tariq Saeed.

“The tournament is set to be broadcasted on PTV Sports in and outside Pakistan and will be live-streamed on Tapmad in Pakistan,” the press release added.

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For the unversed, Sialkot are reigning champions and will look to add to their tally of previously won titles in the 2005-06, 2008-09, and 2024-25 seasons.

On the other hand, Karachi Blues has the most titles in the country’s premier first-class competition history. They have clinched the title nine times since. 1961-62 season.

Notably, the last time both met in the final was in 2012-13 when Karachi Blues defeated Sialkot by nine wickets.

Squads

Sialkot: Usama Mir (c), Mohsin Riaz (vc), Abdul Rehman, Abdullah Shafique, Afzaal Manzoor (wk), Athar Mehmood, Azan Awais, Hamza Nazar, Hasnain Khan, Hasan Ali, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Huraira, and Mohammad Waleed.

Karachi Blues: Suad Shakeel (c), Abdullah Fazal, Danish Aziz, Haroon Arshad, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Asghar, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (wk), Muhammad Hamza, Muhammad Umar, Mushtaq Ahmed, Ramiz Aziz, Saad Baig (wk), Saqib Khan, Shan Masood, and Usman Khan.

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PCB reveals venue, dates for Quaid Trophy final

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday announced Gaddafi Stadium as the venue for the final of the 22nd edition of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT).

PCB announced the venue and the dates for the final in a press release on its website. Earlier, the cricket board had said that the venue for the pinnacle clash would be announced later.

The summit clash will be played between Karachi Blues and the reigning champions Sialkot from 1 to 5 December.

“The final of the tournament – to be played between Karachi Blues and Sialkot – will return to Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, and is slated to take place from 1-5 December after the venue played host to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 finals earlier,” the board said in a statement.

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Meanwhile, Karachi Blues secured the final berth by defeating Sialkot in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy last round fixture.

A day earlier, Shan Masood and Saad Baig starred with the bat in Karachi Blues’ three-wicket victory over Sialkot to seal the final berth.

In the bowling department, spinner Kashif Bhatti played a crucial role, claiming a five-wicket haul, followed by Mohammad Asghar, who also chipped in with three wickets.

For his outstanding performance, Kashif was named as the the player of the match.

After Karachi qualified for the final, Faisalabad and Sialkot were the remaining teams to book a berth in the final.

On the contrary, Sialkot reached the summit clash after Bahalwalpur defeated Faisalabad, dashing their hopes of reaching the final.

Bahawalpur outplayed Faisalabad by four wickets and chased the 310-run target in 85.1 overs at the Marghzar Cricket Ground, Islamabad.

Despite the victory, Bahalwalpur finished ninth in a 10-team tournament and were relegated to the Hanif Mohammad Trophy alongside Abbottabad, which won only one game.

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