KARACHI: The last of the Quaid-i-Azam One-day Cup quarter-finals in Lahore was a thrilling affair in sharp contrast to the three previous ones as it went down to the wire before Pakistan Television held off a gallant Islamabad challenge to seal a nine-run win on Tuesday.

The road to Friday’s second semi-final — against Habib Bank Limited — at the Gaddafi Stadium ebbed and flowed throughout the 100 overs of exhilarating cricket that saw both teams collectively make 649 runs for the loss of 13 wickets, while PTV duo of Mohammad Waqas and their young skipper Hasan Mohsin along with teenaged Islamabad wicket-keeper Rohail Nazir all post maiden one-day hundreds.

Islamabad’s failure to be the solitary regional representative in the last-four round was their own fault when their captain, Faizan Riaz, committed a horrifying blunder that ‘gifted’ PTV 24 precious runs in the 48th over that should have been bowled by a specialist bowler rather than part-time spinner like Fahad Iqbal.

That tactical error came to haunt Faizan and his team-mates in a big way later just as the artificial lights were switched on to make up for the natural sunshine. When the final over arrived PTV were already in the mood to celebrate reaching semi-finals for the second straight season as Islamabad needed 20 with tailenders Shehzad Azam Rana and Hamza Nadeem at the crease.

Faizan, however, did try to redeem himself as thrashed 80 from 56 deliveries that kept Islamabad very much in the hunt as long as the skipper stayed put. But a fine low catch by Azharullah at short third man resulted in the dismissal of Faizan, who struck seven fours and one six, in the penultimate over, bowled by Ali Imran.

Upfront Rohail held the Islamabad innings together as the 17-year-old leader of the Pakistan Under-19 team scored run-a-ball 100 while striking eight boundaries and a brace of sixes before former Pakistan stalwart — and now a PTV cricket — expert Abdul Razzaq took his wicket in the 35th over.

Razzaq, who these days bowls gentle seamers given his advancing age, also sent back Fahad for a 38-ball 37 (two fours and one six) via a catch by Hasan to finish with 2-30 in four overs.

Earlier in the day PTV had to overcome a sluggish start after Islamabad, predictably enough, chose to bowl first at the toss. Openers Nihal Mansoor and Ali Imran both perished for 18 apiece and when ex-Pakistan captain Moin Khan’s rotund son Azam Khan (7) became Hamza’s second victim PTV were in the mire at 45-3 in 10th over.

Ali Khan then joined Waqas to ease tension in the dressing-room where PTV coach Mohammad Wasim, yet another former international, looked quite perturbed. The fourth-wicket pair added 76 before Ali feel to Faizan’s off-spinners for a 51-balol 33 (four boundaries).

From then onwards PTV regained full control of the match as Waqas and Hasan remained together for 18 overs to share an excellent partnership of 140. Both went to the coveted landmark in their respective careers in contrasting styles.

The 31-year-old Waqas hit up 108 with his 110-ball knock featuring nine fours and three sixes when he fell to off-spinner Arsal Sheikh.

Hasan, on the other hand, produced a one-day innings of high calibre with deft shot-selection through his 70-ball stay during which he repeatedly pierced the field at will with an assortment of switch-hits, scoops over the area behind the wicket-keeper and some monstrous strikes in front of the wicket that fetched the slim 20-year-old from Karachi 13 fours and three sixes.

Being the televised match, the national selectors may have noticed another talent that well may be breaking into the senior side after having already played at the 2016 ICC Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh alongside Shadab Khan and company.

Mohammad Irfan played a good hand at the death with a nine-ball cameo of 27 in the unbroken stand of 58 with his captain.

Scoreboard

PTV:

Nihar Mansoor c Farmanullah b Hamza 18
Ali Imran c Faizan b M. Nadeem 18
Azam Khan c and b Hamza 7
M. Waqas c M. Nadeem b Arsal 108
Ali Khan c sub b Faizan 33
Hasan Mohsin not out 103
Abdul Razzaq c Sarmad b Shehzad 9
Mohammad Irfan not out 27

EXTRAS (LB-5, W-1) 6

TOTAL (for six wkts, 50 overs) 329

FALL OF WKTS: 1-31, 2-36, 3-45, 4-121, 5-261, 6-271.

DID NOT BAT: Samiullah, Azharullah, Raza Hasan.

BOWLING: Shehzad Azam Rana 10-0-72-1; Hamza Nadeem 9-0-57-2; Mohammad Nadeem 7-0-44-1 (1w); Arsal Sheikh 10-0-58-1; Farmanullah Khan 9-0-49-0; Faizan Riaz 2-0-10-1; Fahad Iqbal 3-0-34-0.

ISLAMABAD:

Rohail Nazir c Samiullah b Razzaq 100
Ashfaq Ali st Azam b Raza 21
Ali Sarfraz b Irfan 7
Fahad Iqbal c Hasan b Razzaq 37
Faizan Riaz c Azharullah b Ali Imran 80
Sarmad Bhatti c sub b Irfan 15
Farmanullah Khan st Azam b Samiullah 14
Shehzad Azam Rana not out 29
Hamza Nadeem not out 7

EXTRAS (LB-3, W-5, NB-2) 10

TOTAL (for seven wkts, 50 overs) 320

FALL OF WKTS: 1-61, 2-80, 3-162, 4-179, 5-222, 6-253, 7-307.

DID NOT BAT: Mohammad Nadeem, Arsal Sheikh.

BOWLING: Azharullah 10-0-65-0; Ali Imran 6-0-45-1 (1w); Raza Hasan 10-0-62-1; Mohammad Irfan 10-0-48-2 (1nb, 2w); Samiullah 7-0-46-1; Ali Khan 3-0-21-0; Abdul Razzaq 4-0-30-2 (1nb, 1w).

RESULT: PTV won by nine runs.

UMPIRES: Ahmed Shahab and Imran Javed.

TV UMPIRE: Tahir Shah.

MATCH REFEREE: Ali Naqvi.

OFFICIAL SCORER: Mohammad Arif.

FIRST SEMI-FINAL: Wapda vs KRL, Thursday (9:00am).

SECOND SEMI-FINAL: HBL vs PTV, Friday (9:00am).

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2018