KARACHI: Karachi Blues opened a nine-point gap at the top of Group ‘B’ standings in the RBS Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship after crushing Lahore Ravi by 312 runs at the National Stadium here on Thursday.

The Ravians, who were asked to chase an improbable 413, crashed to 106 all out in the second innings after resuming the final day’s play at 48-4.

Former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Sami claimed two more wickets this morning to finish with 5-40 — the Blues skipper’s second five-wicket haul in consecutive matches — in 15 overs while medium-pacer Tanvir Ahmed grabbed 3-36 to return match bag of 8-101.

Karachi Blues have now collected 45 points from six games while Lahore Ravi are rooted to the bottom of this group with just three points in five matches.

Rawalpindi, who have one less than Karachi Blues, missed a chance to draw level on points after their rain-hit fixture against Islamabad ended in a stalemate at the Diamond Club Ground.

The hosts reached 176-3 in their second innings after Rawalpindi declared at 252-5 to set them a stiff target of 339.

Faisalabad recorded their first win of the season with an eight-wicket rout of Quetta at the Sports Stadium in Sargodha with their skipper and former Test batsman Ijaz Ahmed claiming 5-59 with his off-spinners.

The Abbottabad-Peshawar tie at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium was drawn with Abbottabad skipper Adnan Raees, in a selfish move, batting on for another 6.2 overs to score the 20 runs the 28-year-old left-hander needed to complete an unbeaten double century.

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Habib Bank won their respective matches to stay on top of Group ‘A’ with 42 points apiece.

SNGPL’s fifth successive win came at Pakistan Customs’ expense at the Marghzar Cricket Ground in Islamabad. The star performer on Thursday was left-arm paceman Samiullah Niazi who took a career-best 7-55 in 19.1 overs as Customs were dismissed for 160 in the second innings.

Habib Bank cantered an innings and 14-run victory over Sui Southern Gas Company at the KRL Stadium in Rawalpindi. Spinners Aslam Qureshi (4-25) and Abdul Rehman (4-55) shared the bulk of wickets as SSGC folded up for 144 in the second innings.

Aslam, in fact, had a match to remember as he scored his maiden half-century in first-class cricket.

He made an unbeaten 74 to help the bankers declare their first innings at 299-8. Rehman, the Test reject, returned match figures of 8-101.

Our Sports Reporter adds from Lahore: Former Pakistan Under-19 paceman Anwar Ali bowled PIA to a thrilling 25-run victory over National Bank in the Group ‘A’ match at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.

Anwar, who played a sterling role in helping Pakistan win the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka just under four years ago, claimed a hat-trick in taking 6-113 as the bankers were all out for 240 while chasing 266.

Anwar trapped Amin-ur-Rehman and Wasim Khan leg-before-wicket off consecutive deliveries before having Mohammad Talha held at point by Fahad Iqbal off the very next ball to complete the hat-trick.

At one stage, National Bank were on course for victory with Umar Amin (59) and Rashid Riaz (86) putting on 120 for the first wicket but Anwar put an end to their hopes with his excellent bowling.

He finished with match haul of 10-171 as well as contributing a vital 68 with the bat in PIA’s second innings on Wednesday.

Lahore Shalimar, meanwhile, avoided their sixth straight loss thanks to dogged batting from the lower-order batsmen to hold Karachi Whites to a draw at the Gaddafi Stadium.

Lahore Shalimar, resuming at 55-1, were heading for defeat at 182-7 but a rollicking partnership of 181 between Hafiz Saad Nasim (86 off 140 balls, 15 boundaries) and Mohammad Saeed who struck a career-best 96 off 104 balls with the aid of 18 fours and two sixes guided Lahore Shalimar to 364-9.

Karachi Whites’ paceman Tabish Khan took 6-110 in a lion-hearted effort. The match between Wapda and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) petered out in a draw after Wednesday’s third day at the Jinnah Stadium in Gujranwala was completely washed out by rain.

ZTBL, replying to Wapda’s 446-8 declared, reached 246-6 on the last day.