Tag: Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

RAWALPINDI: Central Punjab batter Abdullah Shafique starred with an unbeaten 189-run knock to aid his side raise a massive total of 358/6 against Sindh on the opening day of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT).

Abdullah completely dominated the Sindh bowlers as he smashed more than two dozen boundaries, including 23 fours and three sixes as he faced 231 deliveries while batting throughout the day.

Aamer Yamin, on the other hand, combined excellently with Abdullah for a valiant seventh-wicket partnership of 120 runs as the pair remained firm on the crease till the end of the day’s play.

Yamin scored a quick 61 off 80 before stumps, laced with six fours and two sixes.

Sindh, on the other hand, had a handsome start to their bowling after they elected to field first as Mir Hamza provided the initial breakthrough on 43 runs total, sending Abid Ali back to the pavilion.

Ali Zaryab (19), Mohammad Saad ( 20) and Tayyab Tahir (13) failed to prolong their stays on the crease before Qasim Akram joined Abdullah on the crease for a 77-run stand on the fifth wicket.

Akram fell prey to Asif Mehmood after scoring 31 off 72 while the next batter Ali Shan went back quickly following a runout.

For Sindh, Asif bagged three wickets while Muhammad Umar and Mir Hamza took a scalp each.

In another first-round match, Abdul Faseeh and Umar Amin put Northern in a commanding position over Southern Punjab (SP) as they managed 379/4 on the opening day at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad.

Faseeh blasted a brilliant 151, laced with 20 fours and four sixes while Amin played a valiant knock of 89 off 184 as the pair combined for a magnificent 188-run partnership on the second wicket.

SP bowler Hassan Khan got rid of the fierce-looking duo as he bowled out Faseeh on a cumulative total of 248. Amin soon followed the suit and was dismissed in a similar fashion by the same bowler.

Sarmad Bhatti and Mubashir Khan then raised another strong partnership of 117 runs on the sixth wicket and remained not out till the end of the opening day’s play.

Bhatti and Mubashir will continue the Northern’s first inning on day 2 with the overnight score of 35 and 74, respectively.

For SP, apart from Hassan’s three strikes and a scalp from Ali Usman, the bowling sheet presented a woeful picture.

A similar batters’ dominance was also witnessed at Abbotadabad Cricket Stadium where Balochistan raised 324/5 against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) thanks to the sublime knocks by Azeem Ghumman and Abdul Waheed Bangalzai.

Ghumman top-scored for his side with 78 and made the KP captain regret his decision to bowl first after winning the toss.

Bangalzai, on the other smashed 69 including thirteen scintillating boundaries and paired with Ghumman for the second-wicket partnership of 133 runs.

Following their dismissals, Ali Waqas shone with a brilliant half-century in the final session of the day and carried his bat till the end of the day’s play.

He will continue his inning from 55 with Haseebullah (33) on the other end at the start of the second day.

For KP, Irfanullah Shah, Arshad Iqbal, Sarwar Afridi, Ihsanullah and Khalid Usman bagged wicket apiece.

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LAHORE: The 65th edition of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT) 2022-23 is set to embark tomorrow (September 27) as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) unveiled the schedule of the premium First-Class (FC) tournament of domestic cricket.

The two-month-long tournament will embark on September 27 in Abbottabad, Faisalabad, and Rawalpindi simultaneously with all six teams participating in the first round of the tournament.

Defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) will start their campaign against Balochistan while last edition’s finalists Northern will lock horns with Southern Punjab (SP). Sindh, on the other hand, will face Central Punjab (CP).

National men’s chief selector Mohammad Wasim finalised the squads of all participating teams in consultation with six cricket associations.

Azhar Ali, Hasan Ali, Khalid Usman, Saud Shakeel, Umar Amin, and Yasir Shah will lead CP, SP, KP, Sindh, Northern, and Balochistan respectively in the forthcoming edition of the QEAT, in which each team will play the other twice in the 10-round group stage.

The first five round matches of the tournament will be held in Abbottabad Cricket Stadium in Abbottabad, Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium, and Rawalpindi’s Pindi Cricket Stadium.

Whereas, the remaining five round matches will be played at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, Multan Cricket Stadium, Abbottabad’s and Rawalpindi’s stadiums.

The tournament final will take place from November 26 to November 30. The venue of the final will be announced later.

Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23 squads:

Balochistan: Yasir Shah (c), Azeem Ghumman, Haris Sohail, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Akif Javed, Ali Waqas, Ammad Butt, Asad Shafiq, Ayyaz Tassawar, Haseebullah, Hussain Talat, Imran Butt, Kashif Bhatti, Khurram Shehzad and Taj Wali

Central Punjab: Azhar Ali (c), Aamir Yameen, Abdullah Shafiq, Abid Ali, Ahmed Daniyal, Ahmed Shahzad, Ali Shan, Hunain Shah, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Saad, Qasim Akram, Tayyab Tahir, Umaid Asif, Usama Mir and Waqas Maqsood

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Khalid Usman (c), Ashfaq Ahmed, Adil Amin, Arshad Iqbal, Arshad Ullah, Ihsanullah, Imran Khan Snr, Irfanullah Shah, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Sarwar Afridi, Nabi Gul, Rehan Afridi, Sahibzada Farhan, Sajid Khan and Waqar Ahmed

Northern: Umar Amin (c), Abdul Faseh, Ather Mehmood, Faizan Riaz, Kashif Ali, Mehran Mumtaz, Mubasir Khan, Muhammad Huraira, Musa Khan, Nauman Ali, Rohail Nazir, Sarmad Bhatti, Umer Waheed, Waqas Ahmed and Zeeshan Malik

Sindh: Saud Shakeel (c), Abrar Ahmed, Asif Mehmood, Fawad Alam, Ghulam Mudassar, Khurram Manzoor, Mir Hamza, Muhammad Aasghar, Muhammad Umar, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saad Khan, Saim Ayub, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Syed Faraz Ali and Zahid Mahmood

Southern Punjab: Hasan Ali (c), Ahmed Bashir, Ali Usman, Hassan Khan, Imran Rafiq, Maqbool Ahmad, Muhammad Ilyas, Muhammad Imran Randhawa, Salman Ali Agha, Sameen Gull, Sharoon Siraj, Umer Siddique, Usman Salahuddin, Yousaf Baber and Zain Abbas

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KARACHI: Pakistan’s premium tournament – Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 concluded on Wednesday, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) successfully defending the title after beating Northern in the final.

As the three months long tournament concluded today, take a look at the top performers from the event:

Northern’s Mohammad Huraira, who made his First-Class debut this year, was declared best batter of the tournament. The right-handed batter scored 986 runs in this season.

Another Northern’s player Mubasir Khan with his brilliant all-round performance bagged player of the tournament award.

Southern Punjab’s left-arm-spinner Ali Usman was adjudged best bowler of the tournament for his 43 wickets in the tournament.

Rohail Nazir, Northern’s wicket-keeper, was named as the best wicket keeper of the tournament.

The winning captain, Iftikhar Ahmed pocketed player of the final for his impactful all-round performance.

READ: KPK beat Northern to defend Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

KARACHI: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) beat Northern by 169 runs to lift Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 here at National Stadium. 

Set to chase 384 runs in the final match, Northern were bowled out for 214 thanks to Sajid Khan who once again proved his mettle by taking five wickets for 33 runs.

Mohammad Huraira provided a good start, continuing his magnificent form by scoring 57 runs but Northern fell apart in front of KPK’s strong bowling line up. Huraira fell just 14 runs short to 100 runs in this year’s First-Class tournament but managed to surpass Sahibzada Farhan as highest run-scorer with 986 runs.

Umer Amir (33) and Faizan Riaz (49) resisted to chase the target after a quick start provided to Northern by their openers.

But, Sajid and his companions were on song to take wickets. Iftikhar Ahmed and Waseem Jr took two wickets each while Imran Khan Sr managed one for KPK.

Earlier on Day 5, Rehan Afridi scored 79 runs to help KPK set Northern to chase 384 runs.

Resuming the last day with a lead of 270 runs, KPK lost well set Iftikhar Ahmed after he and Afridi could only add four runs.

But, Rehan stood firm and partnered with Sajid Khan to score 58 runs. Rehan smashed 79 runs off 110 balls laced with eight boundaries and a six. Sajid made 39 off 48 balls including two boundaries and as many sixes.

Earlier, Fakhar Zaman scored 50 runs to provide a quick start to KPK.

For Northern, Mohammad Nawaz bagged four wickets, Mohammad Musa took three wickets, Kashif Ali picked up two wickets and Mubasir Khan managed a wicket.

READ: QEAT Final: Afridi, Ahmed fightback to keep KPK in command

KARACHI: Rehan Afridi and Iftikhar Ahmed of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) batted well to assist their team grab a 270-run lead at stumps on day four of the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final (QEAT).

Despite Fakhar Zaman’s quick half-century (50 off 53 balls), KPK found themselves struggling at 103/5 in the second innings, before Afridi and Ahmed stabilized the innings. Afridi kept the scoreboard moving while Ahmed played defensively.

Afridi (42*) and Ahmed (24*) will now resume the proceedings for KPK at 152/5 on day five.

For Northern, Muhammad Musa picked two wickets, while Mubasir Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, and Kashif Ali shared one wicket apiece.

Earlier, Mohammad Wasim and Sajid Khan, fired with the ball for KPK; each taking four wickets. The duo’s heroics resulted in Northern bowling out for 256 in the first inning; handing 118-runs lead to KPK. Sameen Gul, on the other hand, also contributed with his two scalps.

Resuming Day 4 at 184-3 after Day 3 was washed out, Northern’s Sarmad Bhatti and Faizan Riaz came out on a pretty sunny day. The duo could manage to add 36 runs before Sarmad went out off Gul after scoring his 11th First-Class fifty. Bhatti remained the top-scorer for his side, in the first innings.

READ: Rain washed out Day 3 of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Final

KARACHI: The third day of the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT) final between Northern and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), washed out without a ball being bowled.

Rain continued to fall on the third day of the final between Northern and KPK; forcing the day to be called off without a ball being bowled.

The Northern’s Sarmad Bhatti (39*) and Faizan Riaz (1*) will resume the innings on the fourth day; trailing by 191 runs.

A day ago, Northern’s openers provided a solid start to the side, in response to KPK’s 375. Mohammad Huraira scored 51, while Haider Ali scored a brilliant 81.

READ: QEAT Final: Northern batters shine to keep the game in balance

KARACHI: Northern’s openers batted brilliantly and partnered strongly to help their side fightback against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KPK) 375 in the final of the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT).

Northern’s openers showed fightback after KPK finished their first innings at 375. The side ended the second day of the final at 184/3.

In the pink-ball final of the premium tournament, Northern openers – Mohammad Huraira and Haider Ali batted superbly; recording a magnificent century partnership for the first wicket. The pair added exactly 100 runs before Huraira dismissed soon after scoring an important half-century. He scored 51, including seven boundaries and a six.

Haider, however, looked in more control. The batter played some lovely shots in his inning of 81; smacking 14 boundaries. Following Haider’s dismissal Umer Amin joined Sarmad Bhatti on the crease. But, Amin’s stay on the crease was a brief one. He managed to score just four.

Sarmad Bhatti is looking solid with his unbeaten 39, including three boundaries. He along with Faizan Riaz (1*) will now resume the innings for Northern at 184/3 on the third day.

For KPK, Sajid Khan bagged two wickets, while Sameen Gull took one wicket.

Earlier, KPK resuming at an overnight score of 252/5, lost an early wicket as Rehan Afridi departed after scoring 31. Rehan Afridi, on the other hand, batted sensibly and scored a terrific half-century. He scored 68 off 104 balls, laced with six boundaries and a maximum.

With a significant contributions from the tail, KPK managed to post a decent total of 375 in the first innings.

For Northern, Mubasir Khan starred; picking up four wickets, while Waqas Ahmed took three wickets. Mohammad Nawaz managed to take two wickets. Whereas, Kashif Ali struck out a batter.

READ: QEAT Final: KPK hold their nerves calm, finish Day 1 against Northern at 252-5

KARACHI: Iftikhar Ahmed played captain’s knock as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) posted 252-5 against Northern at Stumps on Day 1 of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 final here at National Stadium.

Iftikhar partnered exceptionally well with Kamran Ghulam as they scored 104 runs together. Kamran missed his century and managed to score 72 runs with the help of 11 boundaries.

He and Ashfaq Ahmed (45) took KPK to competitive position after they lost two quick wickets.

Resuming at 77-2 after Tea on Day 1, KPK lost Ashfaq after he alongside Kamran added just seven runs.

Kamran stood strongly thereafter, joining hands with Iftikhar Ahmed. They both scored 73 runs together when Dinner was called by the umpires and KPK walked off for dinner at 158-3. Kamran was standing not out at 61 whereas Iftikhar made 46.

Earlier, defending champions KPK were sent into bat first in the final match of the event. They lost Fakhar Zaman (4) and Sahibzada Farhan (0) to start off their inning. But, the middle-order batting line consolidated runs well for them.

For Northern, Waqas Ahmed managed three wickets while Mubasir Khan and Mohammad Nawaz took a wicket each.

KARACHI: The finalist teams of the ongoing premium First-Class (FC) tournament of domestic cricket – Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT) 2021-22, were expelled by the hotel management over the booking issue.

The expulsion of the finalists, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Northern, burst the bio-secure bubble, as the players of both teams had to leave the hotel with all their stuff.

The hotel management claimed that the booking of the teams ended on December 22. Whereas, no official statement made by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as of yet.

The players left stranded for a while until the PCB booked another hotel for the teams. Chairman PCB, Ramiz Raja said that he is monitoring the incident himself.

The final of QEAT 2021-22 is scheduled from December 25 to December 29 here at National Stadium.

READ: KPK beat Central Punjab to qualify for QEAT 2021-22 final

KARACHI: Test cricketer Abid Ali has shown immense improvement after angioplasty and started the rehabilitation process. 

According to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Abid has started rehabilitation at a local hospital here.

“As part of his [Abid Ali] rehabilitation process, he did light walking in the morning without showing any discomfort. He will continue his rehab in the hospital until he is discharged early next week,” PCB stated.

It must be noted here that Abid complaint of chest pain during the Central Punjab (CP)’s contest against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK). He was batting at 61 when he complained of chest pain and later taken to the hospital.

He was diagnosed with Acute Coronary Syndrome and went through angioplasty.

READ: Abid Ali diagnosed as case of Acute Coronary Syndrome: PCB