KARACHI: Mohammad Hafeez sent out a timely but emphatic reminder to the Pakistan selectors with a double century that put holders SNGPL in an unassailable position against Peshawar on the second day of their fourth-round Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship fixture in Faisalabad on Wednesday.

The veteran all-rounder, who was overlooked for the ongoing Asia Cup in the UAE, played a captain’s innings of 213 as SNGPL extended their overnight score of 100-1 to 456-6 while building a massive first-innings lead of 280 in the Pool ‘A’ fixture at the Iqbal Stadium.

With the Pakistan squad for the upcoming two-Test series against Australia still to be picked by the national selection committee headed by Inzamam-ul-Haq , Hafeez’s 327-ball knock containing 26 boundaries and a brace of sixes in 493 minutes of intense concentration could possibly invite deliberations for the Australia Tests.

Former Test wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal was still going strong on 88 (126 balls, 14 fours) after sharing a sixth-wicket partnership of 154 with Hafeez.

NBP were closing in on a crushing victory after Islamabad at the Diamond Club Ground in the federal capital. The bankers rode on a brilliant sixth-wicket stand of 273 between all-rounders Kamran Ghulam (111 off 192 balls, 14 boundaries) and Hammad Azam (157 off 221 balls, 22 fours and one six) to convert their Tuesday’s tally of 140-5 into 454 all out in reply to the regional team’s 167.

Islamabad then had no answer to the pace of left-armer Mir Hamza who grabbed 3-30 to leave the home side in dire straits at 48-3.

SSGCL need just four wickets on Thursday’s day three after Lahore Blues were forced to follow on at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

After SSGCL had been dismissed for 360, Lahore Blues were shot out in 34 overs for 148 before slumping to 123-6 in the second innings with slow left-armer Kashif Bhatti snaring five wickets for 59 runs so far.

Karachi Whites took a handy lead of 69 by making 223 against PTV at the UBL Sports Complex with ex-Pakistan opener Khurram Manzoor scoring a patient 89 (208 balls, 11 fours). Leg-spinner Mohammad Irfan Jr claimed 5-77 in 16.3 overs.

The visitors were 70-2 in reply in their second innings at stumps.

Imran Rafiq struck 106 (234 balls, 11 fours) before retiring out while putting Multan in the lead at 265-3 in response to the struggling ZTBL’s 223 at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

Rawalpindi reached 227-8 after letting Wapda earn a slim 17-run lead on the first innings at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi. The departmental side lost their last three wickets for only two runs after having begun the day 125-7 with aging left-arm paceman Saad Altaf taking 5-35 in 17 overs.

Spinner Mohammad Irfan (5-47 in 24.5 overs) and paceman Waqas Ahmed (4-46 in 20) excelled as Lahore Whites obtained an unexpected 16-run lead by bowling out KRL for 166 at the LCCA Ground in Lahore. The home team then collected 23 without in their second innings.

HBL were 202-3 in reply to Fata’s 437 all out at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium in Abbottabad. Fata captain Asif Afridi hit up 112 from only 103 balls with 13 fours and five sixes while adding 127 with Mohammad Talha 68.

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

Fourth round:

Pool ‘A’:

At Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad: PESHAWAR 176 in 48.2 overs (Israrullah 42, Sajid Khan 34, Gohar Ali 28, Mohammad Idrees 24; Bilawal Bhatti 6-38, Asad Ali 2-26); SNGPL 456-6 in 123 overs (Mohammad Hafeez 213, Adnan Akmal 88 not out, Imran Butt 45, Khurram Shehzad 37, Bilawal Bhatti 20 not out; Taj Wali 2-99).

At LCCA Ground, Lahore: Lahore Whites 182 in 100.1 overs (Afaq Shahid 51, Ali Zaryab 44, Imran Dogar 40; Yasir Ali 5-23, Sameen Gul 2-20, Ali Shafiq 2-63) and 23-0 in 8 overs; KRL 166 in 66.5 overs (Gulraiz Sadaf 58, Jaahid Ali 26, Usman Arshad 20; Mohammad Irfan 5-47, Waqas Ahmed 4-46).

At Diamond Club Ground, Islamabad: ISLAMABAD 167 in 49.5 overs (Arsal Sheikh 34 not out, Ali Salman 27, Mohammad Hamza Nadeem 25, Zawan Hikmat 24; Hammad Azam 4-24, Mir Hamza 3-51, Atif Jabbar 2-42) and 48-3 in 12 overs (Mir Hamza 3-30); NBP 454 in 101.4 overs (Hammad Azam 157, Kamran Ghulam 111, Rameez Raja 40, Ataullah 32, Ali Asad 27, Umar Siddique 22; Mohammad Hamza Nadeem 4-121, Hazrat Shah 2-100).

At Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Abbottabad: FATA 437 in 97.2 overs (Asif Afridi 112, Afaq Raheem 75, Mohammad Talha 68, Asad Afridi 52, Samiullah Jr 41, Khushdil Shah 35; Khurram Shahzad 6-162, Ammad Butt 2-79, Umar Gul 2-82); HBL 202-3 in 55.2 overs (Mohammad Waqas 70, Zohaib Khan 47 not out, Imran Farhat 27 not out, Umar Akmal 24; Mohammad Talha 2-57).

Pool ‘B’:

At UBL Sports Complex, Karachi: PTV 154 in 59.4 overs (Adnan Mahmood 62, Hasan Mohsin 59; Waqar Anwar 6-43, Anwar Ali 2-15) and 70-2 in 25 overs (Umair Khan 32 not out, Mohammad Waqas 23); KARACHI WHITES 223 in 85.3 overs (Khurram Manzoor 89, Babar Hussain Agha 31, Anwar Ali 20; Mohammad Irfan Jr 5-77, Raza Hasan 3-46).

At Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan: ZTBL 223 in 89.4 overs (Waqas Saleem 43, Anas Mustafa 40, Shahrukh Ali 36 not out; Mohammad Ali Khan 3-46, Ali Usman 3-48, Sajjad Hussain 3-69); MULTAN Imran Rafiq 106 retired hurt, Khalilullah 65 not out, Usman Liaquat 61; Imran Khan 2-21) .

At Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore: SSGCL 360 in 94.2 overs (Fawad Alam 153, Umar Amin 109, Asif Zakir 44; Aizaz Cheema 5-45); LAHORE BLUES 148 in 34 overs (Zubair Malik 33, Aizaz Cheema 30 not out, Irfan Haider 26, Shahid Nawaz 24; Zia-ul-Haq 4-37, Mohammad Irfan Jr 3-33, Kashif Bhatti 2-39) and 123-6 in 39 overs (Saad Nasim 46, Zubair Malik 31, Tayyab Tahir 22; Kashif Bhatti 5-59).

At Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi: RAWALPINDI 110 in 32.3 overs (Sarmad Hameed 19; Mohammad Asif 5-43, Ehsan Adil 4-26) and 227-8 in 80.4 overs (Usman Saeed 75 not out, Naved Malik 60, Sarmad Hameed 33; Ehsan Adil 4-74, Hasnain Shah 2-63); WAPDA 127 in 45.5 overs (Ayaz Tasawwar 51; Saad Altaf 5-35, Syed Tauseeq Shah 2-39).

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2018