LAHORE – Faisalabad thrashed FATA on the third day of the fourth Quaid-e-Azam Trophy round on Sunday.
Multan, Lahore Whites, Sialkot and Peshawar frustrated their opposition bowling attacks, piling on runs.
Faisalabad’s pace trio of Asad Raza (4-16), Jahandad Khan (3-18) and Afaq Afridi (2-15) bowled out FATA for a mere 58 in 20.4 overs to help their team bag a thumping win by an innings and 213 runs at the Marghzar Cricket Ground, Islamabad.
Resuming their second innings from an overnight score of 10-2 and a trail of 291 runs, FATA lost wickets one after another as only Mohammad Wasim Khan (18) could enter double figures.
The Faisalabad pace trio had also shared eight wickets among them in the first innings too, combining to take 17 wickets in the match as their team bounced back from a 10-wicket drubbing against Multan in the previous round.
Multan’s batters had a productive day as Imran Butt and Aamer Yamin struck centuries to help their team post 462 all out in reply to Bahawalpur’s 501 all out at the Diamond Cricket Ground, Islamabad. For Bahawalpur, left-arm pacer Mohammad Azab (5-130) registered his fourth first-class five-for.
Imran (113) struck his 16th first-class century, while Yamin (100 not out) hurried to his fifth first-class century. Imran shared a 166-run second-wicket stand with Waqar Hussain (57). Yamin frustrated the Bahawalpur bowlers with a 147-run eighth-wicket stand with Bismillah Khan (49).
A brisk eighth first-class century from Tayyab Tahir (108) and half-centuries from Ali Zaryab (91) and Umar Siddiq (86) helped Lahore Whites gain a meagre 32-run first innings lead as they posted 456 all out in reply to Karachi Blues’ 424 at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium.
After Lahore Whites resumed from an overnight score of 215-2, Ali and Hussain Talat’s (57) 53-run stand came to an end, bringing Tayyab to the middle. While the next four wickets fell at regular intervals, Tayyab bedded in at 350-7 with Mohammad Abbas (31) to gather 83 runs and crucially got their team ahead of Karachi.
In turn, Karachi Blues closed the day with 103-3 in 24.4 overs – 71 runs ahead of Lahore – with Saad Baig retiring hurt after striking 59 off 55 balls, inclusive of nine fours and one six. Mohammad Abbas picked up two wickets for 18 runs in 7.4 overs.
Islamabad required 361 more runs to win against Sialkot as they finished the day three with 107-3 on the board in 32 overs at the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi.
Islamabad’s wicketkeeper-batter Rizwan Ali was unbeaten on 45, while Sialkot’s Mohammad Hasnain, Athar Mehmood and Mohammad Ali had taken a wicket each.
Earlier, Sialkot declared their second innings at 246-7 in 63 overs after resuming from an overnight score of 50-3. Abbottabad were 10 for no loss in 3.5 overs in their second innings at stumps on day three, requiring another 452 runs to win against Peshawar at the Imran Khan Stadium, Peshawar.
Earlier in the day, they were bowled for 181 in 69.4 overs in their first innings after resuming from 159-6 overnight, incurring a massive 267-run deficit.
In reply, Peshawar plundered 194 runs in 39.4 overs for the loss of one wicket to set a 462-run target. After Muhammad Amir Barki (35) departed at 76, his opening partner Waqar Ahmed (100) registered his sixth first-class century.
Waqar also put on an unbeaten 118-run stand with Nabi Gul (52 not out) before the declaration call came from skipper Mohammad Haris.
