KARACHI: Karachi Whites wasted a golden opportunity to cash in after openers Arsalan Bashir and Jaahid Ali shared a splendid century-plus partnership against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) on day two of the fourth-round Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship tie at the National Stadium here on Tuesday.

Replying to the visitors’ 296, the regional side reached stumps at 255-5 in their first innings after having begun the day at 18-0. But Karachi Whites would have easily collected more runs had sanity prevailed in some of their batsmen following the first-wicket stand of 137 in just under three hours.

The most glaring example of their frenetic approach in the afternoon session was illustrated by horrendous dismissal of the most experienced batsman in Karachi line-up – Faisal Iqbal. Arriving at the fall of Jaahid’s wicket at 158, the Karachi Whites captain succumbed to a well-directed bouncer from an ailing Mohammad Abbas in the next over when an aimless hook shot from the seasoned campaigner – who was aware that a trap had been put in place with two men placed behind square exactly for that stroke – landed in the lap of Yasir Ali at fine leg.

With Faisal, who missed the previous game against HBL since he was serving a one-match ban for slow over-rate, departing for a six-ball duck Karachi Whites lost Haris Ali Khan (36) and wicket-keeper Mohammad Hasan (11) to leave the impressive Saad Ali (41) and Saud Shakeel (12) together at the crease when stumps were pulled out for the day with the home side still trailing by 41 runs.

The first session was dominated by Arsalan and Jaahid as the two batted through to lunch without being separated while carrying Karachi Whites to 112-0. Arsalan slashed a catch to point after striking 12 boundaries and one six in his entertaining 136-ball knock of 82.

Jaahid was caught behind off slow left-armer Nayyar Abbas for a 144-ball 55 — the right-hander’s third 50-plus score in the ongoing championship – after hitting five fours.

Rawalpindi were tottering at 188-7 after Pool ‘B’ leaders NBP lost the last six wickets for 99 runs to be dismissed for 453 at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi.

The overnight fifth-wicket partnership between Fawad Alam (93 off 146 balls, 12 fours) and Akbar-ur-Rehman (128 off 138, 20 fours) yielded 206 after NBP resumed their first innings at 342-4.

After his devastating burst of 7-32 on Monday, discarded Pakistan paceman Umar Gul showed his prowess with the willow to blast 61 from 72 deliveries (10 fours and one six) as HBL reached 331 in response to Lahore Whites’ paltry first-innings total of 89 at the LCCA Ground in Lahore.

Aftab Khan was unfortunate to be dismissed for 95 (127 balls, 16 boundaries) after adding 23 to his overnight score, while becoming one of paceman Asif Raza’s five wickets.

But Lahore Whites continued from where they have left on in their first innings. At close of play they were struggling at 98-4 in the second innings and still requiring 144 to make HBL bat again.

Wapda were also on top by reducing Fata to 217-8 after being all out for 440 in their first innings at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot. Skipper Aamir Sajjad led the way with a superb 178 (250 balls, 23 fours and one six), while Test spinner Zulfiqar Babar made 89 off just 66 balls with 11 fours and three sixes, his highest score in first-class cricket.

Khushdil Shah excelled for Fata with maiden century (122 off 153 balls, 15 fours and two sixes).

Saad Nasim played a captain’s innings of 104 (90 balls, 13 fours and three sixes) as Lahore Blues collected 243-5 after SNGPL had amassed 445 at the Gaddafi Stadium with Adnan Akmal hitting 148 (181 balls, 21 fours).

Lahore Blues in dire straits at 32-4 before Saad and Fahad-ul-Haq (75 not out) put on 141.

Zohaib Khan also excelled as a leader as the all-rounder struck an unbeaten 138 (248 balls, 20 boundaries) guided Peshawar to an imposing 453-4 in reply to Port Qasim Authority’s meagre 107 at the Arbab Niaz Stadium. Wasif Nawaz was out for 94 on his first-class debut.

UBL were 79-4 after bowling out Hyderabad for 197 to earn a lead of 62 on the first innings at the Niaz Stadium. Left-arm paceman Mir Hamza celebrated his inclusion in the Pakistan ‘A’ squad for the T20 series against English Lions next month with 5-42 in 16.5 overs.

Islamabad were 98-2 after SSGC had made 375 at the Diamond Club Ground. Skipper Umar Amin (161 off 258 balls, 21 fours) and Asif Zakir (115 off 235, 18 fours) added 264 for the fourth wicket.

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

Pool ‘A’:

At Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad: UNITED BANK LIMITED 259 in 74.5 overs (Sharjeel Khan 73, Umair Khan 54, Gulraiz Sadaf 50, Rumman Raees Khan 25 not out; Sajjad Hussain 3-62, Nasir Awais 3-89, Hazrat Shah 2-36) and 79-4 in 25 overs (Shan Masood 33, Umair Khan 26; Sajjad Hussain 3-20); HYDERABAD 197 in 67.5 overs (Zeeshan Gul 63, Shoaib Leghari 39, Mir Ali Talpur 30; Mir Hamza 5-42, Hammad Azam 2-25).

At Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore: SUI NORTHERN GAS PIPELINES LIMITED 445 in 105.5 overs (Adnan Akmal 148, Bilawal Bhatti 72, Umar Akmal 54, Taufiq Umar 36, Naeemuddin 33, Misbah-ul-Haq 30, Imran Khalid 27; Agha Salman 4-60, Aftab Azwar 3-116, Mohammad Saeed 2-104); LAHORE BLUES 243-5 in 55 overs (Saad Nasim 104, Fahad-ul-Haq 75 not out, Agha Salman 33 not out; Sami Aslam 2-43, Asad Ali 2-50).

At Diamond Club Ground, Islamabad: SUI SOUTHERN GAS COMPANY 375 in 113.4 overs (Umar Amin 161, Asif Zakir 115, Mohammad Amir 25, Wajid Ali 22; Hasan Ali 5-65, Shehzad Azam Rana 3-104, Zohaib Ahmed 2-86); ISLAMABAD 98-2 in 31.3 overs (Abid Ali 40 not out, Afaq Raheem 34).

At Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar: PORT QASIM AUTHORITY 107 in 39.5 overs (Kamran Younis 32, Azam Hussain 31, Khurram Manzoor 23; Taj Wali 5-30, Nasir Ahmed 4-52); PESHAWAR 453-4 in 112 overs (Zohaib Khan 138 not out, Mohammad Wasif Nawaz 94, Israrullah 80, Ashfaq Ahmed 41, Akbar Badshah 39, Musadiq Ahmed 38 not out; Azam Hussain 3-109).

Pool ‘B’:

At National Stadium, Karachi: KHAN RESEARCH LABORATORIES 296 in 77.2 overs (Nayyar Abbas 85, Luqman Butt 83, Mohammad Yasin 28, Zain Abbas 20; Sohaib Khan 5-74, Ghulam Mudassar 3-91); KARACHI WHITES 255-5 in 86 overs (Arsalan Bashir 82, Jaahid Ali 55, Saad Ali 41 not out, Haris Ali Khan 36; Mohammad Abbas 2-44, Nayyar Abbas 2-53).

At LCCA Ground, Lahore: LAHORE WHITES 89 in 30.1 overs (Asif Raza 41, Sami Aslam 28; Umar Gul 7-32, Altaf Ahmed 2-12) and 98-4 in 34 overs (Mohammad Waheed 30 not out, Usman Salahuddin 21 not out; Ammad Butt 2-28); HABIB BANK LIMITED 331 in 82.1 overs (Aftab Khan 95, Umar Gul 61, Asad Shafiq 53, Fakhar Zaman 31, Jamal Anwar 30, Rameez Aziz 22; Asif Raza 5-91, Saif-ur-Rehman 3-86).

At Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot: WAPDA 440 in 96.2 overs (Aamir Sajjad 178, Zulfiqar Babar 89, Adnan Raees 80, Zahid Mansoor 24; Mohammad Irfan 4-129, Rahim Baz 2-50, Ibrahim Gul 2-91); FEDERALLY ADMINISTERED TRIBAL AREAS 217-8 in 61 overs (Khushdil Shah 122 not out, Haroon Sadaqat 27, Nisar Khan 20; Waqas Maqsood 3-46, Zulfiqar Babar 3-63, Azhar Attari 2-28).

At Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi: NATIONAL BANK OF PAKISTAN 453 in 100.4 overs (Akbar-ur-Rehman 128, Fawad Alam 93, Mohammad Nawaz 66, Nasir Jamshed 35, Qaiser Abbas 35, Fahim Ashraf 33; Saad Altaf 4-125, Yasir Arafat 3-67, Abid Hussain 3-119); RAWALPINDI 188-7 in 50 overs (Mansoor Amjad 50, Usman Saeed 45 not out, Babar Naeem 23; Ahmed Jamal 3-19, Zia-ul-Haq 2-67).

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2015