KARACHI: Karachi Whites, the side which finished runners-up to outgoing champions Rawalpindi last season in the PCB Under-19 Inter-region National Cricket Championship, struck to have Islamabad in real strife on Friday.

The Group ‘C’ clash at the Jinnah Stadium in Gujranwala generated huge excitement as no less than 15 wickets tumbled at the start of the fifth and final round league fixture with Karachi Whites, who are just four points behind current pool leaders Islamabad, going to stumps in advantageous position.

After being dismissed in 48 overs for a modest total of 150 after asked to bat first by skipper Islamabad Rohail Nazir with paceman Zain-ul-Abedin taking 5-35 in 17 overs, Karachi Whites had Islamabad on the ropes at 70-5 in reply.

Fast bowler Mohammad Makki led Karachi’s resurgence with three wickets upfront after Sufyan Khan had made a 66-ball 48 (nine boundaries) for the Ram Ravi-led team.

In another battle for the triangular stage of the competition, Abbottabad and Bahawalpur were engaged in an intensely fought race to qualify after the Sports Complex in Mardan saw 15 wickets go down.

Bahawalpur skipper Mohammad Junaid led by example after his decision to field first paid off handsomely as Abbottabad were bundled out for just 135 in 59.1 overs after being 97-8 at one stage.

Junaid snared four wickets for 29 runs in 22.1 overs with slow left-armers.

By close of play on day one Bahawalpur, who are currently tied on 15 points with Abbottabad at the top of Group ‘B’, had reached 101-5 in 31 overs. Opener Ali Imran remains their main hope for the much-needed lead on the first innings as he survived 94 balls to end the day on 56 in a vital knock that, thus far, included 10 fours.

Third-placed Quetta kept their qualification aspirations very much alive in another key Group ‘B’ game at the Bohranwali Ground in Faisalabad where the hosts secured a 48-run lead despite being all out for 168 with in-form Faisalabad leg-spinner Salman Shafqat picking 5-48 in 18 overs.

Earlier, Faisalabad’s decision to bat first backfired badly as the hosts mustered a disappointing 120 all out with slow left-armer Mohammad Ajmal returning startling analysis of six for 17 in 11.4 overs.

The match at the LCCA Ground in Lahore was held up by rain as just 21 overs were delivered in which Lahore Blues collected 59-2 after being put into bat by Larkana.

Meanwhile, after tormenting Karachi Blues’ opponents with the ball, all-rounder Ashar Qureshi showed his prowess with the willow by striking 106 off 139 balls with the aid of 11 fours and two sixes as the outright Group ‘A’ winners posted 277 against Rawalpindi after opting to bat first at the SBP Sports Complex.

Opener Imran Shah contributed 76 (off 132 balls, seven fours and two sixes) while helping Ashar put on 96 for the fourth wicket.

Rawalpindi, in their response, were already in trouble at 18-3.

Close of play scores on Friday (day one of three):

Fifth-round:

Group ‘A’:

At SBP Sports Complex, Karachi; KARACHI BLUES 277 in 76.4 overs (Ashar Qureshi 106, Imran Shah 76, Haider Ali 28; Nasir Nawaz 4-43, Farhan Shafiq 3-54); RAWALPINDI 18-3 in 11 overs (Ali Umar 2-9).

At NBP Sports Complex, Karachi: FATA 171 in 60.1 overs (Mohammad Naeem 44, Mohammad Khayyam 40, Naik Afridi 30; Hammad Islam 6-43, Najam Naseer 2-18, Faisal Akbar 2-18); AZAD JAMMU KASHMIR 59-2 in 33 overs (Badar Mukhtar 28).

At Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad: PESHAWAR 240 in 63 overs (Waqar Ahmed 88, Saqib Jamil 58, Mohsin Khan 32; Nauman Akbar 4-43, Raza-ul-Hasan 3-44); HYDERABAD 57-1 in 22 overs (Uzair Jaffri 24 not out).

Group ‘B’:

At Bohranwali Ground, Faisalabad: FAISALABAD 120 in 42.4 overs (Awais Zafar 28; Mohammad Ajmal 6-17) and 9-1 in 2.4 overs; QUETTA 168 in 48.3 overs (Mohammad Junaid 38; Salman Shafqat 5-48, Talha Umar 2-14).

At LCCA Ground, Lahore: LAHORE BLUES 59-2 in 21 overs (Zohaib Amanat 21 not out) vs LARKANA.

At Sports Complex, Mardan: ABBOTTABAD 135 in 59.1 overs (Hamza Khan 31, Basit 30; Mohammad Junaid 4-39, Abdur Rehman 2-19, Nauman Ahmed 2-27, Naveed Malik 2-28); BAHAWALPUR 101-5 in 31 overs (Ali Imran 56 not out; Hamza Khan 3-27).

Group ‘C’:

At Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala: KARACHI WHITES 150 in 48 overs (Sufyan Khan 48, Syed Amin 27, Mohammad Tariq 26; Zain-ul-Abedin 5-35, Danish Javed 3-10); ISLAMABAD 70-5 in 35 overs (Hasan Nasir 30; Mohammad Makki 3-20).

At KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi: DERA MURAD JAMALI 353 in 74.4 overs (Aaqib Junaid 166, Mohammad 39, Mohammad Shahid 35, Usama Razzaq 32, Abdul Haq 32; Mohammad Jahangir 5-108, Asjad Ashfaq 3-84); MULTAN 70-0 in 14 overs (Mohammad Alamgir 44 not out).

At Mirpur Cricket Stadium, Mirpur: SIALKOT 271 in 80.3 overs (Abdullah Shafiq 97, Momin Waqar 70, Aashir Mahmood 33; Fahad Munir 3-45, Danish Butt 3-63, Mohammad Naeem 3-69); LAHORE WHITES 31-0 in 8 overs.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2017