Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Central Punjab Archives

Talat’s century in vain as Northern thrash Balochistan

ABBOTTABAD: Northern outclassed Balochistan by 10 wickets in the round three fixture of the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23, while Sindh versus Southern Punjab (SP) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) versus Central Punjab (CP) matches ended in draws.

Balochistan, resuming at 136/5, requiring a further 168 to make Northern bat, saw their batter Hussain Talat putting on a remarkable fight as he smashed an unbeaten century and powered his side to add 200 runs before bundling out for 336.

Set to chase a mere 33, Northern took just 43 balls to seal a comprehensive 10-wicket victory and carried on their domination in the standings.

The last four Balochistan wickets accumulated 107 runs, with Hussain dominating the scoring.

The left-handed batter struck an unbeaten 115 from 178 balls with 15 fours and two sixes. He also put on 93 runs for the sixth wicket with Khurram Shahzad (59 from 89 balls with 11 fours).

Northern’s Mubasir Khan bettered his 3/18 with 3/50 for a match haul of six wickets for 68 runs.

At the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Sindh held SP for a draw courtesy of an unbeaten century from Omair Bin Yousuf, while young Saim Ayub missed his maiden century by five runs in tense second innings.

Sindh resuming their 381 run chase at 57/0, managed to finish the final day at 326/7. Omair’s 110 came off 192 balls and contained 15 fours, while Saim’s 138-ball 95 included 12 fours and two sixes.

For SP, Mohammad Abbas bagged three wickets, while Ahmed Bashir returned with 2/53.

The third-round fixture between defending champions KP and CP at Iqbal Stadium also ended in a draw as the persistent rain and wet outfield halted one-and-a-half day’s play.

Following no action on the third day, CP resumed their first innings at 173/4 in response to KP’s 220 and could only add 101 runs before bundling out for 274.

Khalid Usman and Test spinner Sajid Khan rattled the CP batting attack as they bagged six and four wickets respectively.

Starting their second innings with a 54-run deficit, KP were 174/3 at the conclusion of the final day despite a dismal start.

Sahibzada Farhan, who scored an unbeaten century, put on a 142-run partnership with Rehan Afridi (54*) and made sure to protect his side from any stutter.

Farhan’s undefeated hundred came off 121 balls and included 13 fours and a six.

READ: Sillas’ late strike in vain as China beat Mexico in FIFA U-17 Women’s WC

SP’s Zain hits century but Abrar’s 10-fer keeps Sindh in hunt

RAWALPINDI: Southern Punjab’s (SP) batter Zain Abbas scored his seventh career century but Sindh’s spinner Abrar Ahmed bagged his second 10-wicket haul as the third-round fixture of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy between the two sides entered into an exciting phase.

Zain, resuming his overnight score of 48, carried on his domination over the Sindh bowlers as he amassed his century to power his side to a respectable total.

The left-handed batter scored 138 as SP accumulated 283 in the second innings after they already had a 97-run first innings lead.

Zain faced 195 deliveries amid his brilliant knock and smashed 13 boundaries and two sixes.

Abrar, on the other hand, followed up his first innings figures of 37.3-10-94-5 with 31.5-3-100-6 for match figures of 11/194.

Set to chase 381, Sindh finished at 57/0 at the stumps. Saim Ayyub (43*) and Khurram Manzoor (14*) will now resume the run chase for their side on the final day.

Meanwhile at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium in Abbottabad, Northern are on the cusp of a resounding victory over Balochistan as the latter finished the penultimate day at 136/5 in their second innings after Northern captain Nauman Ali enforced the follow-on.

Earlier in the day, Balochistan resumed their first innings at 108/4 in reply to Northern’s 520/8.

Balochistan then skittled out for 216 with only with Hussain Talat (48) and Yasir Shah (31) notable scorers.

Mubasir Khan led the bowling attack with 3/18, while Athar Mehmood, Kashif Ali and Aamir Jamal evenly shared two wickets each.

Ali Waqas (41) and Imran Butt (38) had provided Balochistan with a 59-run start before slipping to 104/3 and then lost two more wickets at the score of 136. They need further 168 runs to avoid an inning defeat.

The wet outfield at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, following persistent rain on Monday halted the action between Central Punjab (CP) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on a penultimate day.

READ: Fritz breaks American ATP top 10 drought

Faizan Riaz’s double ton puts Northern in command against Balochistan

ABBOTTABAD: Right-handed batter Faizan Riaz scored an unbeaten double-century to put Northern in a commanding position in the third-round fixture of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT) against Balochistan.

Resuming his overnight century with Northern at 347/3, Faizan continued his domination over Balochistan bowlers and converted into a magnificent double century.

Faizan’s brilliant knock during which he faced 216 balls and hit 27 fours and a six, lifted Northerns to declare at 520/8.

Balochistan found themselves in trouble as they were tottering at the end of the second day at 108/4 with Haris Sohail (26) and Hussain Hussain (9) at the crease.

Captain Asad Shafiq put on a great fight as he scored 53 before becoming one of the two victims of Kashif Ali (2/35).

On the second day, majorly dominated by Northern, Balochistan had something to cheer as their bowler Taj Wali completed the 19th five-wicket haul of his career.

In another second-round fixture, Southern Punjab (SP) pacer Mohammad Ilyas decimated the Sindh’s batting lineup for a paltry 181 In response to the SP’s first innings total of 278.

The right-arm pacer finished with figures of 15-5-50-5, while Ahmed Bashir claimed three and Mohammad Abbas two to further add to the opposition’s misery.

Earlier, Sindh’s mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed finished with astonishing figures of 37.3-10-94-5, bagging his third five-wicket haul.

Sindh’s Muhammad Umar (59), Saad Khan (36) and Fawad Alam (32) put on a fight against a berserk bowling trio of SP.

SP now lead Sindh by 174 runs with seven second innings wickets intact as they finished 77/3 at the conclusion of the second day.

Meanwhile at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, an early afternoon rain halted a majority of the action of the second-round fixture between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Central Punjab (CP).

CP resumed their first innings at 24/0 in response to KP’s 220 and were 173/4 when rain forced an early closure to the day’s play.

Abid Ali top-scored with 66, while Abdullah Shafique scored 51.

KP’s Khalid Usman remained the top pick among their bowlers as he finished with figures of 3/52.

READ: Ronaldo nets 700th club goal of his career

Imran shines as KPK beat Central Punjab by 18 runs in National T20 Cup

RAWALPINDI: Imran Khan Snr led the bowling attack with four wickets against Central Punjab (CP) to power the defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) to their maiden victory in the recently-commenced National T20 Cup 2022.

Set to chase 166 in 20 overs, CP fell 16 runs short in the end, and finished at 147/9 in 19.1 overs as their captain Faheem Ashraf remained unavailable to bat due to an injury.

The side were off to a dismal start to their run chase as they lost two wickets for a mere 33 in five overs. Tayyab Tahir and Qasim Akram then anchored the innings with an important 57-run partnership for the third wicket.

The pair appeared solid and was looking to take the game into CP’s favour before Arshad Iqbal castled Qasim in the 12th over. The right-handed batter scored a run-a-ball 15.

Following the breakthrough, CP ran into a frustrating lower-order collapse and as a result, slipped to 147/8 in 19 overs with their top-scorer Tayyab being the latest casualty. He scored a brilliant 72 off 45 deliveries, laced with five boundaries and three sixes.

CP captain Faheem, who sustained an injury while bowling in the first inning could not bat in the run chase forcing the side to finish at 147/9 with five balls to spare.

Imran Snr was the pick of the bowlers for KPK as he returned with match-winning bowling figures of 4-27, while Asif Afridi and Mohammad Imran bagged two wickets each. Arshad, on the other hand, made a timely scalp.

Batting first, KPK managed to register a decent total of 165/6 in the allotted 20 overs, thanks to the combined batting effort from the defending champions.

Kamran Ghulam remained the top scorer for the side with 39 off 32 deliveries, while Mohammad Sarwar Afridi followed back with a quickfire 30 off 21 balls.

Ali Asfand led the bowling attack for CP with two wickets, while Wahab Riaz, Usama Mir, and Irfan Khan Niazi struck out a batter each.

READ: Hong Kong win toss, elect to bowl first against India in Asia Cup 2022

Kamran’s century propel KPK to beat CP and qualify for Pakistan Cup Final

MULTAN: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK)’s top-order batter Kamran Ghulam starred with a magnificent hundred after Mohammad Imran and Sajid Khan shone with three wickets each to power the defending champions beat Central Punjab (CP) by six wickets, here on Monday.

Set to chase 287, KPK comfortably steered to the victory in the 49th over, thanks to the astonishing century from Kamran, who top-scored for the side with 109.

The defending champions had an unwanted start to their run chase as the side lost their first wicket for a mere 22. Muhammad Mohsin Khan lost his wicket due to a run-out. The left-handed batter could only score two.

Ashfaq Ahmed and Kamran then added 130-runs for the second wicket before Ashfaq perished in the 28th over. Ashfaq remained the second top-scorer for the side with his brilliant half-century. The right-handed batter scored 71 off 86 balls.

Kamran then put on another valiant partnership with Adil Amin. The duo batted sensibly with Adil scoring a half-century, while Kamran went on to score a terrific century.

Kamran, however, made his way back after amassing his century, he scored 109 off 120 balls with the help of 10 boundaries and three sixes.

Whereas, Adil, who lost his wicket in the 49th over, scored 60 off 58 deliveries, laced with three boundaries and a six.

For CP, Ali Asfand, Rizwan Hussain, and Qasim Akram made one scalp each.

Batting first, CP managed to score 286/9 in the allotted 50 overs at the back of the fifties from Hussain Talat and Qasim.

After opting to bat first, CP had a below-par start to their innings as the side lost their first four wickets with 78 runs on the scoreboard in the 18th over.

The dependent pair of CP – Hussain and Qasim then anchored the innings with an important 108-runs partnership for the fifth wicket and took the score to 187 in the 34th over before Hussain made his way back.

The left-handed batter scored 63 in 71 balls, laced with five boundaries and a six, while Qasim top-scored for the side with 67. The right-handed batter faced 63 deliveries and smashed 10 boundaries in the course of his gritty knock.

Later, all-rounder Saad Nasim also chipped in with his unbeaten 46 in 42 balls, laced with three boundaries and a six.

For KPK, Imran and Sajid led the way with three wickets each, while Imran Khan followed back with two. Sameen Gul, on the other hand, struck out a batter.

READ: Pakistan Cricket Board announces women’s cricket calendar for 2022-23

Balochistan crush Northern by seven runs to top Pakistan Cup points table

FAISALABAD: In the ninth-round match of the ongoing Pakistan Cup, Balochistan sealed a thrilling victory in a high-scoring match over Northern to secure the top spot in the points table.

Batting first, Balochistan posted a commendable 302/5 in the allotted 50 overs, thanks to the fifties from Haseebullah, Imran Butt, and Asad Shafiq.

The opening pair of Imran and Haseebullah provided a solid start to the side with a magnificent 107-runs partnership. Both the batters scored half-centuries and laid the foundation for a decent total.

Imran scored 54 off 62 balls with the help of seven boundaries, while Haseebullah perished after scoring 58. He faced 70 deliveries and hit eight boundaries.

Following their departure, Balochistan’s most experienced batter Asad took the charge and played a sensible knock of 89 runs. The right-handed batter faced a mere 66 balls and smashed a dozen boundaries.

The rest of the Balochistan batters also made small contributions to bolster their side to 302/5 in 50 overs.

For Northern, Aaqib Liaquat, Aamir Jamal, Ali Imran, Athar Mehmood, and Mehran Mumtaz made one scalp each.

Set to chase 303, Northern fell seven runs short despite the fifties from Rohail Nazir, Ali Imran, and Umar Amin as they could only manage to score 295/6 in the allotted 50 overs.

Ali and Umar scored 50 and 52 respectively, while the wicket-keeper batter Rohail top-scored for the side with 82 off 87 balls. The batters, however, remained a touch slow as they conceded a lot of deliveries.

For Balochistan, the skipper Yasir Shah led the way with three wickets, while Khurram Shahzad bagged two. Taj Wali, on the other hand, struck out a batter.

In another ninth-round match, Southern Punjab (SP) stunned the then table-toppers Sindh as they outclassed the latter by 46 runs.

Batting first, SP managed to post a decent total of 314/6 in the allotted 50 overs. The late onslaught from Hassan Khan and Muhammad Imran saw their side get to 168/6 to 314/6 as the pair put on an unbeaten 146-runs partnership for the seventh wicket.

Hassan scored 66, while Imran top-scored with 71. Both the batters faced 48 balls each during their magnificent seventh-wicket stand.

For Sindh, Sohail Khan took three wickets, while Abrar Ahmed, Danish Aziz, and Mohammad Asghar picked one wicket apiece.

Set to chase 315, Sindh’s batting line-up failed as they bowled out for 268 in the 49th over.

The right-handed opener Saim Ayub showed resilience with his gritty knock of 82, while the rest of the batters failed to contribute significantly in the run chase.

For SP, Zia-ul-Haq claimed three wickets, while the skipper Salman Ali Agha followed back with two. Rahat Ali, Hassan, Ali Majid, and Sharoon Siraj, on the other hand, made one scalp each.

In the 27th match of the ongoing Pakistan Cup, Central Punjab (CP) edged past Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) by 15 runs.

Batting first, CP were off to a poor start as the side lost their first four wickets for a mere 63. Rizwan Hussain, however, stood firm and kept the scoreboard ticking single-handedly.

The left-hander batted sensibly and scored a terrific century. He scored 104 off 120 balls with the help of 10 boundaries including three sixes.

Lower-order batters Qasim Akram and Saad Nasim then also chipped in with 38 and 48 respectively to further bolster their side to a decent total.

For KPK, Mohammad Imran shone with four wickets, while Imran Khan Snr claimed two. Mohammad Sarwar Afridi, Khalid Usman, and Arshad Iqbal managed to make one scalp each.

In the run chase, CP bowlers displayed combined bowling effort and dismissed KPK for 253 in 50 overs.

Young all-rounder Qasim led the bowling chart with three wickets, while Zafar Gohar, Hussain Talat, and Mohammad Faizan followed with two each. Raza Ali Dar, on the other hand, struck out a batter.

For KPK, Sarwar top-scored with his 42, while Adil Amin and Mehran Ibrahim also chipped in with 32 each. The rest of the batters’ failure, however, prevented the side from securing the victory.

READ: ‘No one wants to miss out on a century’ Cameron Green

Huraira’s triple century drive Northern to QEAT final

KARACHI: Northern’s Muhammad Huraira hit his first triple-century in First-class cricket before Mubasir Khan’s six-fer completed their crushing victory over Balochistan by an innings and 170 runs in the final round of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT).

Northern, resuming at an overnight score of 449/2, carried their momentum; adding another 91-run to the total before the skipper, Umer Amin departed after scoring a brilliant half-century. Amin scored 51 off 73 balls; including seven boundaries.

Northern’s previous day hero, Huraira, too, kept scoring runs, and, eventually, became the second-youngest Pakistani batter to score a triple century in FC cricket. He scored 311 off 343 deliveries, laced with 40 boundaries and four sixes.

With small contributions from down the order, the Northern posted a massive 621-runs total on the board; taking a huge lead of 316 runs against Balochistan.

Trailing by 316, Balochistan, started their second inning and struggled throughout the innings, none of their batters could go deep; resulting in Balochistan, bowling out for a skimpy 146; losing the match by an inning and 170 runs.

For Northern, Mubasir Khan took six wickets for just 43 runs, while Musa Khan claimed two. Ather Mahmood, on the other hand, bagged one wicket.

With this victory, the Northern have qualified for the final of the QEAT, while Balochistan remained at the bottom.

At NBP Sports Complex, Sindh is currently leading by 219-runs against Southern Punjab in the second innings; as the side scored 294/7 before stumps were called on day three.

Southern, resuming at an overnight score of 333/6, could only add 52 runs for the loss of their last four wickets, Ali Usman, batted valiantly; scoring an unbeaten 34, while the rest of his partners made little to no contribution with the bat. Southern, in the end, bundled out for 385.

For Sindh, Shahnawaz Dahani bagged three wickets, while Muhammad Asghar and Zahid Mehmood, each claimed two wickets. Whereas, Asad Shafique struck out a batter.

In response, Sindh had an average start to their second inning; losing their first wicket for just 23 runs, as Ahsan Ali departed after scoring 11. However, Khurram Manzoor, along with Saud Shakil, tried to anchor the innings; with the pair adding an 80-runs partnership before Manzoor was dismissed after scoring 59.

Saad Khan then joined Shakil, the pair appeared solid, and also had a decent partnership of 40-runs, but, Shakil fell short, after scoring 63, he faced 113 deliveries, and smashed seven boundaries. Saad, on the other hand, remained not-out for 63, will now resume the innings at 294/7 on the final day, alongside Zahid.

For Southern, Ali claimed three wickets, while Muhammad Ilyas, Salman Ali Agha, and Muhammad Junaid each shared one wicket apiece.

In another final round match, Central Punjab, chasing 495, against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), are looking solid as their opening pair added 123-runs without losing any wicket.

Earlier, KPK resumed at an overnight score of 89/0 in their second innings, could only add 10 runs for the loss of their first wicket, as Sahibzada Farhan, departed after scoring 45. The side ran into a brief collapse, slipping from 99/0 to 135/4, the top-scorer for the side in the second inning, Fakhar Zaman, too, departed; scoring 62.

Iftikhar Ahmed and Adil Amin, however, scored the fifties and kept the side out of any trouble. Iftikhar scored 61, while Adil scored 54. Both the batters remained unbeaten as KPK declared the innings at 249/4.

For Central, Bilawal Iqbal took three wickets, while Zafar Gohar claimed one.

Abid Ali (49*) and Rizwan Hussain (66*) will now resume the run-chase on the final day of the final round.

READ: Huraira’s double-ton outshines Masood’s 190 as Northern on top of Balochistan

Huraira’s double-ton outshines Masood’s 190 as Northern on top of Balochistan

KARACHI: Northern’s Muhammad Huraira scored a magnificent double-hundred to put his side in the commanding position against Balochistan, in the last round match of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT), here at State Bank Stadium, today.

Northern’s openers, resumed at an overnight score of 28-0, extended their partnership to a massive 365 before the centurion, Sarmad Bhatti departed after scoring an astonishing 135; facing 243 balls, the batter smashed 16 boundaries and two sixes.

Star of the day for Northern, Huraira, on the other hand, was even more handy, as the batter went onto smash his maiden First-class double century, he remained not-out on 243; facing a mammoth 265 balls, and smashed 30 boundaries and four sixes.

Following the heroic innings from the duo, Northern ended the second day of their final round fixture at 449/2; leading with 144 runs. Huraira (243*) and Umer Amin (17*) will resume the proceedings for the side on third day.

For Balochistan, Najeeb Ullah Achakzai and Akif Javed, each struck out a batter.

In another tenth round match, Southern Punjab (SP) are leading by 23 runs against Sindh; scoring 333/6 in response to Sindh’s 310 in the first innings. Zeeshan Ashraf of SP, scored a terrific century on the penultimate day to put the SP on to the driving seat.

Earlier in the day, Sindh resumed at an overnight score of 275/5, could not add much to their total; losing their last five wickets for just 35 runs. Returning to the side, Sarfaraz Ahmed top-scored for the Sindh on the penultimate; remaining not-out on 34. The batting tail made little to none contribution, and Sindh, in the end, bowled out for 310.

In response, SP openers, Tayyab Tahir (69) and Umer Siddique (30) provided a solid start to the team before Zeeshan scored an outstanding 108; facing 100 balls, he smashed 11 boundaries and six maximums.

Later, Yousuf Babar and Azam Khan, chipped in with valuable 64 and 48 runs, respectively; keeping their side on top.

Ali Usman (5*) and Muhammad Junaid (2*) will now resume the proceedings for SP at 333/6 on the third day.

For Sindh, Muhammad Asghar and Zahid Mahmood, each took two wickets, whereas, Shahnawaz Dahani and Asad Shafique shared one wicket apiece.

At UBL Sports Complex, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) are in strong position against Central Punjab (CP); having a gigantic lead of 334 runs, in the second innings.

Earlier, KPK, resumed at an overnight score of 305/7, added a valuable 50-runs for the loss of three wickets; posting a commendable 355 on the board. Sajid Khan converted his overnight (48*) into a half-centrury; scoring 51 off 53 balls.

For CP, Faheem Ashraf and Muhammad Ali took three wicket each. Hussain Talat and Bilawal Iqbal, on the other hand, each struck out a batter.

In response, KPK bowlers trapped the CP batting line-up completely, with none of their batters could go big, and the CP, eventually, bundled out for a skimpy 110; handing 195 runs lead to their opposition.

For KPK, Imran Khan (Snr.) and Sameen Gull each took three wickets, whereas, Sajid claimed a wicket.

In their second innings, KPK, again started brilliantly, ending the second day at 89/0, as Fakhar Zaman and Sahibzada Farhan batted brilliantly, Fakhar remained not-out on 48, while Farhan scored an unbeaten 40. The pair will now resume the proceedings for KPK on the third day.

READ: Shan misses double century but Balochistan in control against Northern