Asad, Imam resist as Balochistan hang on for draw against CP

RAWALPINDI: Balochistan batter Imam-ul-Haq scored a vital century, while skipper Asad Shafiq scored a gritty knock of 62* and propelled their side to force a draw in the second-round fixture against Central Punjab (CP) of the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23.

Balochistan began the final day of their second-round fixture at 137/1 with a 213-run deficit.

Imam, resuming on 72*, converted his overnight score into a valiant century before walking back after scoring 108. The left-handed batter smashed 13 fours in his 231-ball innings.

Following Imam’s dismissal, Balochistan skipper Asad led his team’s fightback and added 63 runs for the fifth wicket with Ali Waqas (25 off 64), denying CP bowlers any more inroads.

Asad remained undefeated on 62 from 140 deliveries at the conclusion of the action, leading Balochistan to 303 for six in 118 overs.

Meanwhile, at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, the second-round fixture between defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Southern Punjab (SP) also ended in a draw as SP could finish at 101/2 while chasing 266.

KP batter Kamran Ghulam missed what could have been his second consecutive century by 14 runs. The right-handed batter made 86 off 175 (10 fours and two sixes) before Ahmed Bashir ended his stay at the crease.

Another second-round fixture of QEAT ended in a draw as Sindh were 160/4 in their second innings at the conclusion of the final day.

Earlier, Northern started the day on 363/6 and finished on 417, with Nauman’s 123-ball 65 being the highlight of the day (nine fours and two sixes).

Following this, Sindh started their second innings with a 40-run lead and at one stage were 23/3 but Saad Khan and Fawad Alam, with 72 and 60 not out, respectively, denied any trouble and powered the side to finish the match as a draw.

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Umar, Faizan centuries power Northern to fightback against Sindh

FAISALABAD: Northern batters Umar Amin and Faizan Riaz scored a century each to power their side to cut Sindh’s lead to 94 at the conclusion of the third day of the ongoing second round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23.

Resuming at an overnight score of 129/2 in response to Sindh’s 457/8, Umar and Faizan scripted an astounding fightback for their side as the pair added 85 runs for the third wicket.

Umar converted his overnight score of 60 into a magnificent century before walking back to the pavilion for 105 off 209 with the help of 14 boundaries and a six.

Faizan, on the other hand, held his ground firm and followed the footsteps of his skipper as he too, smashed a brilliant century.

Mubasir Khan and Rohail Nazir bagged a duck each, while Sarmad Bhatti played a crucial knock of 46. Faizan remained unbeaten for his 106 off 252 including eight boundaries and a six.

Faizan will now resume his magnificent knock alongside Nauman Ali (38) as the side still trail by 94 runs.

Meanwhile, at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, the second-round fixture between defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Southern Punjab (SP) remained in the balance as the hosts accumulated a 207-run lead as their batting line-up struggled to 275/7 at the stumps on Day 3.

SP bowlers Hasan Ali and Ali Usman claimed three wickets each to halt defending champions from amassing a big total.

Sahibzada Farhan fell short of his century by 17 runs as he scored 83 off 147, while opening batter Waqar Ahmed was impressive with his brilliant 75 early on.

At the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Imam-ul-Haq led Balochistan’s fightback against Central Punjab (CP).

The left-handed opener scored an unbeaten 72 as Balochistan ended the day at 137/1 after CP declared their first innings at 545/6 after securing a massive 350-run lead.

Imam hit eight boundaries amid his 157-ball knock and provided his side with a vital 132-run first wicket start with Imran Butt (53).

Earlier, CP resumed at an overnight score of 417/4 with centurion Tayyab Tahir (118) and Qasim Akram (59).

Tayyab fell after scoring 137 off 244 balls, laced with 12 boundaries and a six, while Qasim missed his maiden first-class century by a mere eight runs as he fell to Amad Butt at the score of 92. The right-hander’s 136-ball innings included 13 fours and a six.

Aamer Yamin was the other CP batter amongst runs as he scored a quickfire 50* off just 30 balls with the help of seven boundaries and a six.

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Azhar, Tayyab tons lift CP to a commanding position over Balochistan

RAWALPINDI: Central Punjab (CP) batters Azhar Ali and Tayyab Tahir scored centuries to bolster their side to take a commanding 232-run lead over Balochistan at the conclusion of the second day’s play in the second round fixture of the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT) 2022-23.

Resuming at an overnight score of 91/2 after the bowlers bundled out Balochistan for a paltry 185, CP finished the second day on a high as the side accumulated a hefty 232-run lead after finishing at 417/4.

Veteran right-handed batter Azhar stroked his 44th first-class century while Tahir scored his second consecutive hundred in the ongoing tournament.

Azhar scored 107 off 196 with 11 fours and a six and Tayyab remained unbeaten on 118 off 205 and had hit 10 fours and a six.

Tayyab will resume his brilliant knock on the third day with young all-rounder Qasim Akram, who scored 59 not out off 77, laced with eight boundaries and a six.

Meanwhile, Northern are trailing by 328 runs after finishing at 129/2 in response to Sindh’s 457/8 at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium.

Northern captain Umar Amin scripted an astounding recovery for his side with a gritty knock of 60 not out as he added 92 runs for the second wicket with Mohammad Huraira, who fell eight short of his half-century.

Earlier, Sindh captain Saud Shakeel converted his overnight 12th hundred into a brilliant 158. The left-handed batter faced 319 balls and hit 14 boundaries and two sixes.

Wicketkeeper batter Sarfaraz Ahmed further bolstered the side to a massive total as he stroked his second fifty on the bounce with a 70 not out off 136 including eight fours.

In another second-round fixture, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), batting second, are trailing by 64 as the defending champions concluded the second day at 4/1 in response to Southern Punjab’s (SP) 308.

Umar Siddiq’s 13th first-class century had earlier lifted SP to 308 at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium after KP had scored 240 the day before. SP were 48/3 at the start of the second day before Umar hammered 19 fours in his 199-ball innings.

Salman Ali Agha then lifted his side’s score with a brilliant knock of 64 off 88 deliveries with the help of 10 boundaries.

Ihsanullah led the bowling attack for KP with 3/45, while Arshadullah and Arshad Iqbal bagged two each.

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Bowlers help Northern triumph over table-toppers Sindh

KARACHI: Ather Mahmood and Kashif Ali shared 14 wickets to help Northern beat table-toppers Sindh by an innings and 39 runs in the eighth round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT) here at UBL Sports Complex.

Following on the first innings total of Northern, Sindh were bowled out for 182 runs thanks to Ather who took four wickets, and Kashif who bagged three.

Khurram Manzoor and Ahsan Ali provided good start to Sindh after they were enforced a follow-on. Khurram scored 39 whereas Ahsan made 44 before walking off. Omair Bin Yousuf fought hard and scored 52 runs with the help of three boundaries.

But, it was bowlers’ day at UBL as they managed to get a complete haul of Sindh. Apart from Ather and Kashif, Mohammad Musa and Zaid Khan shared two wickets each. In the first innings, Ather and Kashif bagged as many wickets as the second innings respectively.

In the first match of the on-going eighth round, Central Punjab bowlers put the side on driving seat against Balochistan.

Central, resumed their innings at an overnight score 178/5 on day-three, were off to a shaky start. The side lost their sixth wicket at a combine score of 186.

Soon after, the wickets began to tumble at an alarming rate and the side were bundle out for 262. Zafar Gohar played a gritty knock and showed resistance, the batter remained not out on his individual score of 42. While, rest of their batters were dismissed cheaply.

With 63-run lead, Balochistan batters began their second innings, however, Central’s bowlers dismantled the side’s batting line up, bowling them out for just 162. Bismillah Khan scored 27 off 29 balls including two boundaries and a six, while Gohar Faiz, top-scored with 36 off 43 deliveries laced with five boundaries and two sixes.

Muhammad Ali was the Central’s standout bowler, taking a fifer, while Zafar took two wickets. Waqas Maqsood and Bilawal Iqbal each had one wicket.

Chasing a target of 211-run, Central’s openers provided a decent start to the side. The pair put on a decent 48-run partnership. Imran Dogar was dismissed on 26.

Rizwan Hussain (23*) and Ali Shah (9*) will resume the proceedings for Central at 62/1 on day-four.

In the third match of the ongoing round of QEAT, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) need to chase 219-run target to win the match.

Southern resumed their innings at 40/0 on day-three, were off to a shaky start as the side lost their first wicket without adding much into their overnight score. Soon after, Zeeshan Ashraf was also dismissed, on 19 and the team slipped to 69/2.

However, Umar Siddiq and Salman Ali Agha played sensible knocks and partnered strongly to put the side in commanding position. Salman scored 90 off 131 balls including 14 boundaries, while Zeeshan top-scored with 92 laced with 15 boundaries.

With valuable contributions from down the order, Southern, eventually, were able to put a decent score of 334 on the board.

For KPK, Irfan Ullah Shah bagged four wickets, while Sameen Gull took three wickets. Asif Afridi and Arshad managed to take two wickets and one wicket respectively.

KPK openers will resume the run chase on day four.

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