KARACHI: Saeed Anwar Jr led from the front with 113 as Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) put themselves in the driving seat against Hyderabad Hawks in the Silver League match of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship in Hyderabad on Friday.

Resuming day two at 54-1 in reply to the Hawks’ modest first-innings total of 213, KRL progressed to 322-5 by the close of play. Saeed struck 12 boundaries and one six in his 177-ball innings. It was the 35-year-old left-hander’s 27th first-class century.

Usman Arshad also made an invaluable contribution of 65 as he and Saeed shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 148. Seamer Babar Khan claimed three wickets for 93 runs in 21 overs.

Quetta Bears obtained a slender seven-run lead over PIA by totalling 186 at the National Cricket Ground in Islamabad. Hazrat Shah captured five wickets in an innings for the second time in only his third first-class appearance as he took 5-61 in 19 overs.

By stumps, PIA were somewhat in trouble at 160-6 with their top-order batting already gone.

Much-travelled England-born batsman Bilal Shafayat marked his 150th first-class game with 145 as Habib Bank moved into a position of command against Bahawalpur Stags at Dring Stadium in Bahawalpur.

After having resumed at 85-2 in response to the Stags’ 221, Habib Bank had amassed 415-8 to hold a lead of 194. The 30-year-old Shafayat dominated the proceedings as the right-hander slammed 15 fours and two sixes in his 179-ball effort in exactly four hours.

Aftab Khan (61) and former international Kamran Hussain (53) put on 100 for the third wicket before both fell to part-time bowler and Stags skipper Faisal Mubashir.

But Shafayat, who registered his 13th hundred on Friday, and discarded Pakistan slow left-armer Abdur Rehman (57) consolidated their team’s dominance by putting 169 for the sixth wicket in 163 minutes.

Paceman Mohammad Abbas grabbed five wickets for 66 to help Pakistan Television (PTV) earn a first-innings lead of 81 runs as Lahore Eagles were dismissed for 213 at the LCCA Ground in Lahore.

Another paceman to make a telling impact on Friday was Hasan Ali who took 5-50 to put State Bank in a state of shock against Sialkot Stallions at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot.

After the Stallions had been bowled out for 342, State Bank suffered one shock after another to be six wickets down for 97. But Mohtashim Ali (41) and Kashif Bhatti (50) spared them further embarrassment with an unfinished partnership that has yielded 72 thus far.

Former Pakistan U-19 wicket-keeper/batsman Saifullah Khan Bangash scored his maiden century in just his third first-class game as Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) posted 297 in reply to Abbottabad Falcons’ 223.

Peppering all corners of the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium with 23 fours and two sixes, the 19-year-old from Karachi plundered an unconquered 148 from only 138 deliveries in 221 minutes after coming to the crease at 48-4.

The Falcons had then reached 24-0 in their second innings by stumps.

Close of play scores on Friday (day two of four):

Group-I:

At Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad: HYDERABAD HAWKS 213 in 44.4 overs (Faisal Athar 56, Lal Kumar 47, Shabih Haider 35; Nauman Ali 3-44, Irfan Ali 3-85, Ali Khan 2-20, Sadaf Hussain 2-51); KRL 322-5 in 80 overs (Saeed Anwar 113, Usman Arshad 65; Babar Khan 3-69).

At LCCA Ground, Lahore: PTV 294 in 88.3 overs (Rehan Afridi 69, Hasan Raza Jr 47, Rizwan Haider 47, Usman Ashraf 39; Bilawal Iqbal 5-60, Asif Raza 2-70, Mohammad Waheed 2-82) and 2-0 in 2 overs; LAHORE EAGLES 213 in 67 overs (Mohammad Hamza 57; Mohammad Abbas 5-66).

At National Cricket Ground, Islamabad: PIA 179 in 48.4 overs (Tahir Khan 51 not out, Shaharyar Ghani 39; Nazar Hussain 3-58, Ziaullah 2-6, Sher Ali 2-22, Gohar Faiz 2-44) and 160-6 in 41 overs (Fahad Iqbal 43, Faisal Iqbal 44, Najaf Shah 32 not out; Gohar Faiz 2-33, Jalat Khan 2-41, Nazar Hussain 2-52); QUETTA BEARS 186 in 61.5 overs (Shahzad Tareen 72; Hazrat Shah 5-61, Ali Imran 2-22, Najaf Shah 2-49).

Group II:

At Dring Stadium, Bahawalpur: BAHAWALPUR STAGS 221 in 65.3 overs (Mazhar Bashir 66, Faisal Mubashir 32; Waqas Khan 30; Fahad Masood 4-31, Aftab Khan 2-21, Kamran Hussain 2-24, Aslam Qureshi 2-37); HABIB BANK 415-8 in 101.3 overs (Bilal Shafayat 145, Aftab Khan 61, Abdur Rehman 57, Kamran Hussain 53, Fakhar Zaman 38; Faisal Mubashir 2-17, Imranullah Aslam 2-75, Abdul Rehman 2-96).

At Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot: SIALKOT STALLIONS 342 in 101.3 overs (Faisal Khan 121, Bilal Asif 111; Mohammad Naved 4-70, Mohammad Naeem 3-36, Aamir Yamin 3-58); STATE BANK 169-6 in 34 overs (Kashif Bhatti 50 not out, Mohtashim Ali 41 not out; Hasan Ali 5-50).

At Abbottabad Stadium, Abbottabad: ABBOTTABAD FALCONS 223 in 82.3 overs (Sohail Akhtar 77, Rameez Ahmed 42; Tabish Khan 5-43, Tariq Haroon 3-57, Adnan Ghaus 2-47) and 24-0 in 12 overs; SSGC 297 in 67.3 overs (Saifullah Bangash 148 not out, Awais Zia 32; Ikramullah 3-63, Umair Khan 3-72, Shakeel Ahmed 3-75).

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2014