KARACHI: Karachi Blues tightened their grip as Multan struggled to 188-5 on a curtailed second day of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy Grade-II Cricket Tournament final in Rawalpindi on Friday.

Play at the Pindi Cricket Stadium was for thrice interrupted by bad light with the final stoppage occurring at 4:35pm.

Thus, Karachi Blues are poised to take a big lead on the first innings as Multan still require 275 with only 28 overs remaining in their stipulated quota.

Karachi Blues, who were already on top with the scoreboard reading an imposing 374-6 when the match resumed on Friday morning, added 88 runs in the remaining 10 overs of the mandatory first-innings quota of 83 to finish on 462-7.

Saifullah Khan Bangash and Sohail Khan added a further 71 to their overnight partnership of 63 before Sohail’s belligerent innings was terminated by left-arm fast bowler Majid Ali for 82.

The out-of-favour Pakistan fast bowler, who began the day on 43, was in punishing mood as he scored as many as 60 runs in boundaries. His 54-ball innings featured half a dozen sixes and six fours. The seventh-wicket stand between Sohail and Saifullah yielded, in total, 134 runs in just 81 minutes.

Wicket-keeper/batsman Saifullah, who was batting on 24 at stumps on Thursday’s opening day of the four-day final, remained undefeated on 68 after having struck five boundaries and a brace of sixes during his 77-ball contribution in a stay of exactly 100 minutes.

Majid was Multan’s main wicket-taker with figures of 3-79 in 14 overs.

Multan began their reply rather tentatively and suffered a big blow when promising left-handed opener Zain Abbas was bowled by impressive left-arm seamer Zohaib Shera for 11 with the total on 31.

Zain’s opening partner Imran Rafiq and Saeed Anwar Jr then lifted the score to 72 before the veteran Saeed was trapped leg-before by Mir Hamza, the Blues’ other left-arm pace option, for a 31-ball 26.

Zohaib then claimed his second wicket by dismissing incoming batsman Shahzad Ali with the help of Saifullah for a nine-ball duck.

Imran was then joined by Abdul Rehman Muzammil in a stand of 36 before the opener was run out by Karachi Blues skipper Asad Shafiq for 57 (105 balls, 10 boundaries).

Kashif Naved, who hit a century in the semi-final against Faisalabad, departed without opening his account as Sohail had caught behind by Saifullah after facing just three deliveries.

At 108-5 Multan seemed for more disaster but Muzammil batted defiantly while dominating the unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 70 with wicket-keeper Ali Hasnain.

Muzammil has so far held the fort for two hours and 20 minutes to score a 108-ball 71 that includes 10 hits to the fence. Ali faced 48 balls to make 18 and importantly denied Karachi Blues further breakthrough for 82 minutes.

The side winning the title will qualify for the first-class Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship next season.

Scoreboard

KARACHI BLUES (1st Innings, overnight 374-6):

Khurram Manzoor c Shahzad b Zia78 Mohtashim Ali c Imran b Rizwan0 Mohammad Waqas b Majid127 Akbar-ur-Rehman c Ali b Zia66 Asad Shafiq run out7 Fawad Alam c Kashif b Majid16 Saifullah Khan Bangash not out68 Sohail Khan b Majid82 Mohammad Asghar not out0

EXTRAS (B-5, LB-5, W-7, NB-1)18

TOTAL (for seven wkts, 83 overs)462

FALL OF WKTS: 1-10, 2-158, 3-260, 4-277, 5-304, 6-311, 7-445.

DID NOT BAT: Mir Hamza, Zohaib Shera.

BOWLING: Zia-ul-Haq 23-2-132-2 (1w); Rizwan Haider 10-1-63-1 (3w); Majid Ali 14-1-79-3 (1nb); Zulfiqar Babar 16-1-77-0; Saeed Anwar Jr 18-0-85-0; Kashif Naved 1-0-8-0; Imran Rafiq 1-0-8-0.

MULTAN (1st Innings):

Zain Abbas b Zohaib11 Imran Rafiq run out57 Saeed Anwar Jr lbw b Mir Hamza26 Shahzad Ali c Saifullah b Zohaib0 Abdul Rehman Muzammil not out71 Kashif Naved c Saifullah b Sohail0 Ali Hasnain not out18

EXTRAS (B-1, W-2, NB-2)5

TOTAL (for five wkts, 55 overs)188

FALL OF WKTS: 1-31, 2-72, 3-75, 4-108, 5-108.

TO BAT: Rizwan Haider, Zulfiqar Babar, Zia-ul-Haq, Majid Ali.

BOWLING (to-date): Sohail Khan 14-2-50-1 (2nb, 1w); Zohaib Shera 14-2-72-1 (1w); Mir Hamza 14-3-40-1; Mohammad Asghar 10-4-16-0; Fawad Alam 3-0-9-0.

Published in Dawn, April 2nd, 2016