KARACHI: Port Qasim Authority (PQA) kept their Gold League final aspirations in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship very much alive on Sunday by reaching 208-5 on day two of their top-of-the-table clash with SNGPL at the National Stadium.
Umar Amin showed no signs of the ankle injury sustained while bowling on Saturday by scoring 60 (131 balls, seven boundaries) to set a solid platform after Mohammad Rizwan had scored all 20 runs made by SNGPL in the morning to complete a well-deserved fourth first-class century.
The 22-year-old wicket-keeper, who is playing in this game as a batsman while leaving Adnan Akmal to stand behind the timbers, was dismissed for a fine 105 (175 balls, 13 fours) to lift his side to a fighting 278 all out.
Sohail Khan, the leading wicket-taker of the competition, took the remaining SNGPL wicket — that of Rizwan — to finish with five for 124 in 30.3 overs. It was the fast bowler’s third successive five-for and fifth in the championship this season.
PQA might have ended the day in a much better frame of mind had they lost two wickets with the total on 198, when Test spinner Yasir Shah sent back Umar Amin and Kamran Younis off consecutive deliveries.
United Bank were on top as Wapda struggled to 185-8 after dismissing the hosts for 277 at the UBL Sports Complex. Left-arm paceman Rumman Raees Khan led the bankers’ domination by taking four wickets for 56 runs with Mohammad Ali (3-37 in 15 overs) providing great support.
Earlier, paceman Mohammad Irfan captured six for 60 in 25 overs in what is only his second first-class match. Mohammad Wajihuddin was stranded on an unbeaten 55 after United Bank resumed at 249-6.
National Bank were also well placed by collecting 238-4 in reply to ZTBL’s 323 all out at the NBP Sports Complex. Fawad Alam sent another emphatic reminder to the selectors with an undefeated 69 (132 balls, seven boundaries) while adding 104 for the third wicket with Mohammad Nawaz who struck a superb 102 (150 balls, 14 fours).
Earlier spinner Mohammad Asghar snared five for 89 as ZTBL added 43 to their Saturday’s tally of 280-6.
A magnificent unbroken partnership of 323 between Faizan Riaz (158 off 208 balls, 23 boundaries) and Imad Wasim (a career-best 154 off 228, 19 fours and one six) has raised hopes of an Islamabad Leopards’ victory against Multan Tigers.
After being shot out for 56 on the opening day and then conceding a lead of 67, the Leopards limped to 93-2 at stumps on Saturday at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Their hopes suffered more on Sunday when the fifth wicket went down at 147.
But Faizan and Imad then came together to carry the Leopards to 470-5 through brilliant display provided by the pair that has enabled their team to hold a lead of 403 at the halfway stage of the match.
Lahore Lions were 157-5 in their second innings after Rawalpindi Rams earned a first-innings lead of 93 at the Niaz Stadium in Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, fit-again spinner Shahzaib Ahmed Khan grabbed career-best analysis of six for 24 in 10 overs as Karachi Dolphins dismissed Peshawar Panthers for a measly 86 all out on the first day of play at the Arabian Sea Country Club.
The Panthers failed to cash in on a placid pitch by capitulating inside 31 overs with a mixture of injudicious shot selection with just four batsmen entering double figures.
The Dolphins were already in front at 123-2 in their reply.
Close of play scores on Sunday (day two of four):
At National Stadium, Karachi: SNGPL 278 in 91.2 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 105, Ali Waqas 56, Imran Butt 51, Azhar Ali 34; Sohail Khan 5-124, Abdur Rauf 2-49); PORT QASIM AUTHORITY 208-5 in 72 overs (Umar Amin 60, Faraz Ali 41, Khalid Latif 35 not out, Mohammad Waqas 30, Khurram Manzoor 25; Yasir Shah 3-81).
At UBL Sports Complex, Karachi: UNITED BANK 277 in 103.1 overs (Ali Asad 91, Mohammad Wajihuddin 55 not out, Umair Khan 35; Mohammad Irfan 6-60, Azhar Attari 3-72); WAPDA 185-8 in 70 overs (Adnan Raees 35, Ali Azmat 29, Waqas Maqsood 25 not out; Rumman Raees 4-56, Mohammad Ali 3-37).
At NBP Sports Complex, Karachi: ZTBL 323 in 113.2 overs (Shahid Yousuf 115, Yasir Hameed 59, Sharjeel Khan 43, Ammar Mahmood 39, Zohaib Khan 38; Mohammad Asghar 5-89, Zia-ul-Haq 3-81); NATIONAL BANK 238-4 in 64 overs (Mohammad Nawaz 102, Fawad Alam 69, Akbar-ur-Rehman 26 not out; Sajjad Hussain 3-46).
At Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad: LAHORE LIONS 129 in 47.1 overs (Raza Ali Dar 42, Umar Siddique 30; Abid Hasan 6-47, Baber Naeem 3-12) and 157-5 in 53.3 overs (Umar Siddique 51, Agha Salman 42; Babar Naeem 2-12, Haseeb Azam 2-40); RAWALPINDI RAMS 222 in 53 overs (Sarmad Bhatti 42, Yasim Murtaza 34, Munir Ansari 31, Haseeb Azam 27, Usman Saeed 26, Zahid Mansoor 25; Malik Aftab 5-79, Bilawal 3-66).
At Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan: ISLAMABAD LEOPARDS 54 in 14.1 overs (Mohammad Asif 8-19, Sadaif Mehdi 2-24) and 470-5 in 104 overs (Faizan Riaz 158 not out, Imad Wasim 154 not out, Ali Sarfraz 71, Salman Haider 36; Sadaif Mehdi 4-116); MULTAN TIGERS 121 in 35 overs (Gulraiz Sadaf 24; Hamza Nadeem 4-41, Zohaib Ahmed 4-51).
At Arabian Sea Country Club, Karachi (day one): PESHAWAR PANTHERS 86 in 30.3 overs (Musadiq Ahmed 27; Shahzaib Ahmed Khan 6-24, Mir Hamza 3-35); KARACHI DOLPHINS 123-2 in 53 overs (Majid Khan 37, Fazal Subhan 32, Yasir Mushtaq 23 not out, Saad Ali 23 not out).
Published in Dawn December 8th , 2014
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