KARACHI: Inspired by a splendid century from Fakhar Zaman, Karachi Blues gained a two-run advantage on the first innings against Islamabad on the penultimate day of their Super Eight Group ‘A’ match in the Faysal Bank Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship here on Sunday.

Replying to Islamabad’s 367, Karachi Blues added another 194 runs to their Saturday’s tally of 175-3 before being all out for 369 in the final session. Islamabad then faced eight overs to close at 28-0 in their second innings.

Fakhar, the 23-year-old opener, was the mainstay for the home side after resuming at his overnight score of 76. The left-hander was dismissed for 126 — his second first-class century — a 243-ball knock containing 22 fours and one six.

Babar Hussain Agha could add just two more runs before falling to Imad Wasim for 69 (113 balls, nine boundaries) after sharing a fourth-wicket partnership of 123 with Fakhar.

Skipper Javed Mansoor (65 off 171 balls, seven fours) and Yasir Hussain (48 not out from 78 balls with four fours and one six) frustrated the visitors by adding 79 for the seventh wicket before left-arm seamer Shehzad Azam Rana (4-46 in 16.3 overs) polished off the tail with three quick strikes.

Imad finished with four for 124 in 43 overs of left-arm spin.

Poor visibility curtailed play to 52.4 overs in the other Group ‘A’ game at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar.

Karachi Whites, who resumed their second innings at 11-2, carried their score to 173-8 to extend their overall lead to 203.Skipper Mohammad Hasan played the part of a savior after the Whites had plummeted to 92-7.

Hasan, who is batting with 51 (74 balls, seven boundaries), and Babar Rehman shared an invaluable stand worth 70 for the eighth wicket.

Taj Wali, the 22-year-old left-arm paceman, who bagged a career-best six for 88 on Saturday, grabbed five more scalps for 74 runs in the second innings.

Skipper Umar Siddique, who struck a career-best 168 on Saturday, returned unbeaten with 187 (340 balls, 25 boundaries) as Lahore Shalimar clinched a commanding 162-run lead on the first innings against Multan in their Group ‘B’ fixture at the LCCA Ground in Lahore.

The overnight eighth-wicket partnership between Umar and Mustafa Iqbal (49 odd 97 balls, nine fours) yielded 99 runs as Lahore Shalimar reached 372 in reply to the visitors’ 210.

But Multan then rode on a fine 112 (123 balls, 10 fours and one six) from opener Zeeshan Ashraf to comfortably wipe off the deficit as they made 255-3 in their second innings. Zeeshan and Usman Liaquat (69 off 174 balls, six fours) put on 170 for the opening wicket.

Rawalpindi closed in a deserved victory after reducing Sialkot 162-6 in the visitors’ second innings at the National Cricket Ground in Islamabad.

The hosts had earlier built a match-winning lead of 181 after totaling 375 in their first innings.

Salman Ali, the 26-year-old off-spinner from Muridke, bagged the remaining four wickets to end up with his best-ever analysis of seven for 117 in 43.1 overs.

Hyderabad were 34-0 after Faisalabad declared their first innings at 362-7 in the rain-hit Bottom Six Teams Pool ‘A’ fixture at the Sports Stadium in Sargodha.Resuming at 134-4, the hosts soon found themselves in bother at 191-7.

But Imran Ahmed, who scored his career’s first century against Karachi Whites two weeks ago, rescued his team by completing a second successive hundred (110 off 250 balls, 11 fours and one six).

Wicket-keeper Mohammad Miqdad, 21, reached a maiden ton in only his fifth first-class appearance. He scored exactly 100 (131 balls, 12 fours and one six) in the unbroken partnership of 171 in 133 minutes when Imran applied the closure.

Abbottabad were set a target of 231 after Quetta made 257 in their second innings of the Pool ‘B’ tie at Gohati Cricket Stadium in Swabi.

Close of play scores on Sunday (day three of four):

Super Eight:

Group ‘A’:

At NBP Sports Complex, Karachi: ISLAMABAD 367 in 116.3 overs (Sarmad Bhatti 147 not out, Shehzad Azam Rana 91, Afaq Raheem 35; Faraz Ahmed Khan 5-114, Usama Basharat 2-75) and 28-0 in 12 overs (Afaq Raheem 25 not out); KARACHI BLUES 175-3 in 48 overs (Fakhar Zaman 126, Babar Hussain Agha 69, Javed Mansoor 64, Yasir Hussain 48 not out; Shehzad Azam Rana 4-46, Imad Wasim 4-124).

At Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar: KARACHI WHITES 253 in 89.1 overs (Daniyal Mansoor 57, Mohammad Waqas 41, Mohammad Hasan 36, Fazal Subhan 32; Taj Wali 6-88, Afaq Ahmed 2-47) and 173-8 in 55 overs (Mohammad Hasan 51 not out, Mohammad Waqas 31; Taj Wali 5-74, Azam Khan 2-32); PESHAWAR 222 in 57.3 overs (Gauhar Ali 64, Mehran Ibrahim 41; Mir Hamza 4-50, Khurram Shahzad 3-67, Babar Rehman 2-54).

Group ‘B’:

At LCCA Ground, Lahore: MULTAN 210 in 67.5 overs (Abdul Rehman Muzammil 52, Kashif Naved 51, Zeeshan Ashraf 38; Mustafa Iqbal 4-38, Agha Salman 3-68, Mohammad Irfan 2-49) and 255-3 in 77 overs (Zeeshan Ashraf 112, Usman Liaquat 69, Kashif Naved 37 not out); LAHORE SHALIMAR 372 in 103 overs (Umar Siddique 187 not out, Agha Salman 68, Mustafa Iqbal 49; Mohammad Rameez 4-94, Haziq Habibullah 4-116, Aamir Yamin 2-80).

At National Cricket Ground, Islamabad: SIALKOT 194 in 59 overs (Salman Ali 64, Ahmed Butt 44; Haseeb Azam 4-55, Babar Naeem 3-16, Nasir Malik 2-52) and 162-6 in 59 overs (Mohammad Saeed 52, Mansoor Amjad 42; Babar Naeem 2-30, Haseeb Azam 2-32, Nasir Malik 2-33); RAWALPINDI 375 in 128.1 overs (Adnan Mahmood 101, Zahid Mansoor 78, Akhtar Ayub 54, Shoaib Nasir 50, Talha Qureshi 33; Salman Ali 7-117, Hasan Ali 2-117).

Bottom Six Teams:

Pool ‘A’:

At Sports Stadium, Sargodha: FAISALABAD 362-7 declared in 118 overs (Imran Ahmed 110 not out, Mohammad Miqdaq 100 not out, Hamza Zaheer 68, Moazzam Hayat 44; Farhan Arub 3-43); HYDERABAD 34-0 in 8 overs.

Pool ‘B’:

At Gohati Cricket Stadium, Swabi: QUETTA 136 in 43.3 overs (Umar Qasim 49, Taimur Ali 37; Shakeel Ahmed 4-48, Aziz-ur-Rehman 4-64, Fazle Rabbi 2-13) and 257 in 97.2 overs (Umar Qasim 51, Taimur Khan 42, Badar Ali 41, Ata-ur-Rehman 30; Aziz-ur-Rehman 4-73, Fazle Rabbi 3-89); ABBOTTABAD 163 in 68 overs (Riaz Kail 98 not out; Faizullah 4-65, Gohar Faiz 3-55, Mohiuddin 2-32) and 0-0 in 1 over.