KARACHI: Pakistan ace seamer Mohammad Abbas got decent practice on Friday with a bagful of wickets as holders Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) moved into a winning position against Wapda in their opening-round Super Eight tie of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship here on Friday.

Playing his first game since claiming a record 10 wicket-haul in series-clinching Abu Dhabi Test against Australia last month, the 28-year-old right-armer has so far taken nine wickets at the SBP Sports Complex.

Set a daunting 398 for victory, Wapda — the last season’s runners-up — were down in the mire at 120-4 with former Pakistan stumper Kamran Akmal waging a one-man battle on an undefeated 40 (off 46 balls, five boundaries) after Mohammad Akhlaq was cleaned up by Bilawal Bhatti for a 47-ball 44 featuring six hits to the fence.

Skipper Salman Butt is another key man SNGPL would want to dismiss as quickly as possible on Saturday’s final day of the four-day fixture. Salman, who demoted himself to No.6, was batting on 19.

Abbas picked up the remaining three wickets to fall in the second innings to end the day with 3-28 from seven overs.

Earlier in the morning, Abbas added the scalps of Waqas Maqsood (5) and Wahab Riaz (20) to return magnificent analysis of 6-42 in 15.5 overs as Wapda subsided to 160 all out after having resumed their overnight first innings at 121-6 in reply to the champions’ 371. Kamran could just add four before falling to young paceman Mohammad Musa Khan for exactly 50.

After Misbah-ul-Haq decided against enforcing the follow on despite enjoying a commanding lead of 211, SNGPL declared their second innings at 187-3. The obvious highlight from Pakistan’s perspective being Azhar Ali producing a substantial innings exactly a week before the first of three Tests against New Zealand begins in Abu Dhabi.

The right-handed opener, who was dismissed for only seven in the first innings, scored an enterprising 122-ball 72 embellished with five fours and one six. Hussain Talat, with whom Azhar shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 91, followed up his superb 76 in the first innings with an unbeaten 43 (45 balls, two fours and one six).

A second-innings collapse by Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) has left their Group-I clash with Peshawar intriguingly poised at the Southend Club. On Saturday, the regional side would start their quest for the 252-run chase.

After taking the four Peshawar wickets for the addition of 55 runs to the overnight tally of 248-6 and earning a lead of 73 on the first innings, SSGCL capitulated against the pace of Mohammad Ilyas (career-best 5-44) and Nasir Ahmed (3-34) to be bowled out for 178 in the second innings.

Barring captain Umar Amin, who was highest run-getter in both innings with 172 on Wednesday and 46 on Friday, the rest struggled again as only Mohammad Amir, who hit 33 apiece in each innings, and Asif Zakir (27), stayed long enough make useful contributions.

Ilyas, who took 4-69, returned match bag of 9-111 in another promising display in his third first-class appearance.

In the morning Amir, who spent a wicketless day two on Thursday, finally celebrated taking a brace as Peshawar were dismissed for 303.

Opener Jaahid Ali slammed an unconquered 123 (268 balls, 12 fours and one six) that enabled Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) to extend their overnight score of 10-0 to 287-7 for a 291-run lead against Lahore Blues at the NBP Sports Complex.

Skipper Usman Arshad also played a notable innings of 65 as he and Jaahid added 107 for the third wicket.

HBL, in the meantime, earned an unexpected two-day off after cantering to a nine-wicket victory over Karachi Whites in less than two days at the UBL Sports Complex on Thursday. Former Pakistan slow left-armer Abdur Rehman starred with a rich haul of 14-120 including a second-innings hat-trick.

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

Super Eight stage, first round:

Group-I:

At SBP Sports Complex, Karachi: SNGPL 371 in 140.1 overs (Hussain Talat 76, Asad Shafiq 50, Misbah-ul-Haq 50, Khurram Shehzad 48, Iftikhar Ahmed 38, Imran Khalid 30, Imran Butt 28; Mohammad Asif 4-65, Zulfiqar Babar 4-100) and 187-3 declared in 40.5 overs (Azhar Ali 72, Hussain Talat 43 not out, Imran Butt 28, Khurram Shehzad 28; Zulfiqar Babar 2-67); WAPDA 160 in 40.5 overs (Kamran Akmal 50, Wahab Riaz 20; Mohammad Abbas 6-42, Mohammad Musa Khan 3-39) and 120-4 in 28 overs (Mohammad Akhlaq 44, Kamran Akmal 40 not out; Mohammad Abbas 3-28).

At NBP Sports Complex, Karachi: KRL 207 in 93.4 overs (Junaid Ali 49, Usman Arshad 45, Mohammad Mohsin 42, Nayyar Abbas 34; Zafar Gohar 5-74, Aizaz Cheema 3-45) and 287-7 in 95 overs (Jaahid Ali 123 not out, Usman Arshad 65, Nauman Ali 28; Saad Nasim 2-52, Mohammad Rameez 2-58, Zafar Gohar 2-97); LAHORE BLUES 203 in 76.5 overs (Irfan Haider 96 not out, Rizwan Hussain 33, Jahangir Mirza 31; Nayyar Abbas 4-52, Nauman Ali 3-58).

Group-II:

At Southend Club, Karachi: SSGCL 376 in 100.4 overs (Umar Amin 172, Awais Zia 62, Mohammad Amir 33, Adil Amin 31; Mohammad Ilyas 4-69, Zahid Mahmood 2-102) and 178 in 54.2 overs (Umar Amin 46, Mohammad Amir 33, Asif Zakir 27; Mohammad Ilyas 5-44, Nasir Ahmed 3-34); PESHAWAR 303 in 103.2 overs (Gohar Ali 86, Akbar Badshah 48, Nabi Gul 47, Zahid Mahmood 34, Mohammad Mohsin 23; Mohammad Irfan 4-71, Ahmed Jamal 3-54, Mohammad Amir 2-47).

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2018