KARACHI: Shahzaib Ahmed Khan made a triumphant return from injury to help Karachi Dolphins annihilate Multan Tigers by innings in their Gold League match of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship in Multan on Thursday.

The 23-year-old leg-spinner, who was incapacitated by a hairline fracture on his right thumb during the fixture against ZTBL in Karachi last month and subsequently missed the next three games, snared five wickets for 53 runs in 23 overs to terminate the Tigers’ second innings at 222 after just 11 overs of play on the third morning of the four-day tie at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

It was appropriate that Shahzaib bagged the final wicket to fall when he trapped last man Majid Ali, who had the mortification of being dismissed first ball in both innings.

Only skipper Gulraiz Sadaf stood for the Tigers who resumed at 177-7. The wicket-keeper/batsman contributed 82 (138 balls, 13 fours and one six).

Left-arm paceman Mir Hamza failed to add to his overnight tally of two wickets but still finished with excellent match figures of eight for 74in 23.5 overs. His new-ball partner Adeel Malik grabbed six for 89.

The Dolphins’ second win in the championship earned them 10 points.

Peshawar Panthers, who had lost five of the opening six matches, finally celebrated their first win when they trounced Lahore Lions by nine wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

The Panthers’ hero was left-armer Taj Wali, the 23-year-old paceman who added figures of five for 58 in the Lions’ second innings of 166 to his best-ever 7-63 in the first innings.

Needing just 43, the Panthers got them for the loss of one wicket.

National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) closed in on another victory after Wapda were forced to follow on at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi.

Replying to NBP’s 399, Wapda were dismissed for 231 after having started at 121-3. Upcoming left-arm paceman Zia-ul-Haq was the destroyer with analysis of 5-55 while Hammad Azam took 3-61.

Batting again, Wapda lost four wickets in making 85 runs and till need 83 to avoid innings defeat.

Port Qasim Authority (PQA) were also in driving seat when they enforced the follow on upon Shoaib Malik’s ZTBL side at the National Cricket Ground in Islamabad.

Overnight ZTBL were 46-0 in response to PQA’s huge tally of 508, but lost wickets regularly on Thursday to be all out for 218 with discarded Pakistan fast bowler Sohail Khan taking 5-55, including Malik’s wicket for eight.

Abdur Rauf then completed PQA’s dominance as the ex-Test paceman took all three wickets to fall in ZTBL’s second innings (68-3) by stumps.

The game between SNGPL and United Bank was evenly poised at the Marghazar Cricket Ground in the federal capital.

The bankers feel 23 short of matching SNGPL’s total of 289 despite Ali Asad and wicket-keeper Bismillah Khan, who excelled seven catches in the first Innings, making 79 apiece. Debutant Ahmed Safi Abdullah took 4-41.

SNGPL then went to stumps a 221-6 in their second innings with opener Naeemuddin hitting 101 (166 balls, 12 fours) to reach three figures for the second consecutive match.

But the biggest setback for SNGPL was Umar Akmal yet again getting out for a low score. The Pakistan batsman was caught behind off Ali Zahid (4-45 so far) for a three-ball two.

Close of play scores and results on Thursday (day three of four):

At Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan: Karachi Dolphins beat Multan Tigers by an innings and 182 runs.

MULTAN TIGERS 46 in 13.5 overs (Kashif Naved 14 not out; Mir Hamza 6-16, Adeel Malik 4-31) and 222 in 66 overs (Gulraiz Sadaf 82, Abdul Rehman Muzammil 66; Shahzaib Ahmed Khan 5-53, Mir Hamza 2-58, Adeel Malik 2-68); KARACHI DOLPHINS 450 in 103.1 overs (Rameez Raja 82, Mohammad Waqas 68, Yasir Mushtaq 62, Babar Hussain Agha 50, Saad Ali 39, Fazal Subhan 37, Adeel Malik 33; Majid Ali 4-134, Hasnain Bukhari 2-71, Mohammad Irfan 2-88, Haziq Habibullah 2-102).

At Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore: Peshawar Panthers beat Lahore Lions by nine wickets.

LAHORE LIONS 221 in 85.5 overs (Saad Nasim 71, Raza Ali Dar 51, Mohammad Farhan 32 not out; Taj Wali 7-63, Azizullah 2-47) and 166 in 52.5 overs (Agha Salman 57; Taj Wali 5-58, Afaq Ahmed 2-38, Azizullah 2-48); PESHAWAR PANTHERS 345 in 92.1 overs (Akbar Badshah 117, Jamaluddin 116; Bilawal 4-88, Hasan Dar 2-28) and 45-1 in 7.2 overs (Adil Amin 28 not out).

At Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi: NATIONAL BANK 399 in 126 overs (Sami Aslam 162, Fawad Alam 69, Nasir Jamshed 53, Wahab Riaz 31; Azhar Attari 4-87, Waqas Maqsood 2-93); WAPDA 231 in 88.4 overs (Iftikhar Ahmed 56, Adnan Raees 48, Ayaz Tasawwar 38, Ali Azmat 35; Zia-ul-Haq 5-55, Hammad Azam 3-61) and 85-4 in 44 overs (Iftikhar Ahmed 24 not out; Ahmed Jamal 2-29).

At Diamond Club Ground, Islamabad: RAWALPINDI RAMS 351 in 90.4 overs (Naved Malik 80, Usman Saeed 78, Yasim Murtaza 61, Zahid Mansoor 42; Zohaib Ahmed 3-91, Hamza Nadeem 2-49, Imad Wasim 2-52, Shehzad Azam Rana 2-97) and 138-4 in 51 overs (Shoaib Nasir 50 not out, Naved Malik 46 not out; Shehzad Azam Rana 3-74); ISLAMABAD LEOPARDS 253 in 91.1 overs (Sarmad Bhatti 86, Imad Wasim 78, Umar Kayani 38; Haseeb Azam 5-74, Rizwan Akbar 3-59, Rashid Latif 2-27).

At Marghazar Cricket Ground, Islamabad: SNGPL 289 in 108.2 overs (Khurram Shehzad 89, Ali Waqas 66, Imran Butt 37; Prince Abbas 5-81, Ali Zahid 3-56) and 221-6 in 61 overs (Naeemuddin 101, Imran Butt 50; Ali Zahid 4-45); UNITED BANK 266 in 71.5 overs (Ali Asad 79, Bismillah Khan 79; Ahmed Safi Abdullah 4-41, Samiullah Khan Niazi 3-56, Imran Ali 2-65).

At National Cricket Ground, Islamabad: PORT QASIM AUTHORITY 508 in 150.1 overs (Khurram Manzoor 139, Umar Amin 58, Shahzaib Hasan 50, Kamran Younis 50, Sohail Khan 46, Daniyal Ahsan 33; Zohaib Khan 3-103, Rao Iftikhar 2-68, Kashif Daud 2-79); ZTBL 218 in 65.1 overs (Zohaib khan 55, Shahid Yousuf 36, Shakeel Ansar 31, Sohail Tanvir 30; Sohail Khan 5-55, Umar Amin 2-13, Abdur Rauf 2-53) and 68-3 in 19.5 overs (Sharjeel Khan 35; Abdur Rauf 3-34).

Published in Dawn, November 21th, 2014