KARACHI: Saeed bin Nasir, one of the unluckiest batsmen not to don the coveted Pakistan cap, hammered a magnificent 251 not out to put Karachi Whites in a position of strength on the second day of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship Division II fixture against Multan at the NBP Sports Complex here on Sunday.
Saeed, the 31-year-old right-hander whose previous highest firs-class score was 163, struck 35 boundaries in a stay of 556 minutes during which he faced 421 balls as Karachi Whites applied closure to their first innings at 440-7. Saeed, who resumed on 103 in a total of 222-6, was easily the dominant partner in the unfinished eighth-wicket partnership of 192 with Mansoor Ahmed (56 off 153 balls, seven fours) in 231 minutes.
Multan, who need to score 291 to avoid the follow on, were 57-1 at stumps with the in-form Karachi speedster Tabish Khan clean bowling Najam Abbas for four.
Lahore Ravi reached 49-1 after Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) amassed 491-8 declared at the Gaddafi Stadium. Opener Naeemuddin added 10 more runs before being dismissed for 136. But Usman Arshad, son of ex-Pakistan opener Arshad Pervez who was batting on 60, got to his eighth first-class century – 158 off 281 balls with 20 fours –while skipper Azhar Shafiq contributed 53.
Hyderabad were 205-5 after Lahore Shalimar scored 348 at the LCCA Ground with opener Irfan Haider making 148 (325 balls, 15 fours).
Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) earned a 40-run lead on the first innings after division II leaders Peshawar were shot out for 124 at the Arbab Niaz Stadium. KRL, in their second innings, were 124-4 with former Test right-hander Bazid Khan at the crease on 47. But current Test batsman Azhar Ali made a miserable return to the domestic circuit. After making only seven in the first innings, Azhar was out for a four-ball duck. Quetta made a strong response by reaching 136-1 after United Bank were all out for 273 in their first innings at the National Cricket Ground in Islamabad.
Close of play scores on Sunday (day two of four):
At NBP Sports Complex, Karachi: KARACHI WHITES 440-7 declared in 147.2 overs (Saeed bin Nasir 251 not out, Mansoor Ahmed 56 not out, Faraz Ahmed Khan 44, Mohammad Hasan 43, Tahir Maqsood 3-83, Mohammad Ahmed 2-53); MULTAN 57-1 in 16 overs (Mohammad Ahmed 35 not out).
At Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore: SNGPL 491-8 declared in 139 overs (Usman Arshad 158, Naeemuddin 136, Azhar Shafiq 53, Azeem Ghumman 44, Bilawal Bhatti 31; Mohammad Irfan 2-81, Saad Nasim 2-101); LAHORE RAVI 49-1 in 23 overs (Hamza Paracha 31 retired hurt).
At LCCA Ground, Lahore: LAHORE SHALIMAR 348 in 111.5 overs (Irfan Haider 148, Adnan Raza 82; Imran Chandio 3-67, Zahid Mahmood 2-50, Mir Ali Talpur 2-66); HYDERABAD 205-5 in 55 overs (Rizwan Ahmed 72, Lal Kumar 69; Asif Raza 3-52, Hasan Dar 2-46).At National Cricket Ground, Islamabad: UNITED BANK 273 in 76.5 overs (Tahir Mughal 130 not out, Kashif Bhatti 33; Saeed Khan 3-66, Arun Lal 3-74, Taimur Ali 2-29); QUETTA 136-1 in 45 overs (Bismillah Khan 73 not out, Mohibullah 33).
At Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar: KRL 164 in 65.3 overs (Zulfiqar Jan 36 not out, Yasir Arafat 32; Waqar Ahmed 4-53, Noor-ul-Amin 4-53) and 124-4 in 41.2 overs (Bazid Khan 47 not out; Afaq Ahmed 2-32); PESHAWAR 124 in 44.5 overs (Israrullah 75; Yasir Ali 4-20, Yasir Arafat 3-26, Rahat Ali 3-47).
