KARACHI: It took a sporting declaration from Azhar Ali on Wednesday to make the first-round Quaid-e-Azam Trophy clash between defending champions Central Punjab and Sindh result-oriented here at the National Stadium.

In the other match that concluded early on the fourth and final day, Balochistan trounced Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by a handsome margin of 186 runs half an hour before lunch at the UBL Sports Complex to claim 25 points.

Sindh, undeterred by having to bat last on a track that was a touch unreliable because of uneven bounce, made a dash for the 22 points in great style by achieving victory with 38 deliveries to spare as they made 214 for the loss of four wickets in 43.4 overs.

Central Punjab opted to close their second innings at 243-7, some 45 minutes into the afternoon session, while setting Sindh a target of 212 in exactly 50 overs on a pitch on which scoring quickly was becoming hazardous as game progressed.

But youngsters Omair Bin Yousuf (44) and Saud Shakeel (61 off 70 balls, seven boundaries) batted with aplomb after the experienced Khurram Manzoor was caught at mid-on off Ahmed Bashir for 18.

Test batsman Asad Shafiq, who scored only eight in the first innings, also played a major part by contributing an undefeated 45 off 39 balls featuring four fours and one six. Emerging all-rounder Hasan Mohsin (24 off 18 balls) played a good hand by helping Asad steer Sindh to victory.

Earlier, Usman Salahuddin and Mohammad Saad frustrated Sindh as the overnight pair shared a fifth-wicket partnership of 136 in 233 minutes. Saad followed up his 51 in the first innings with another fine knock of 59, while Usman was the top-scorer with 75 off 181 deliveries.

Captain Yasir Shah excelled for Balochistan with his second haul of four wickets in the match as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — who were set 413 for victory — were dismissed for 226 after resuming their second innings at 133-4. The Test leg-spinner grabbed 4-102 in 26 overs, giving him match figures of 8-196. He was ably supported by slow left-armer Kashif Bhatti who picked up 4-69 from 22.2 overs.

Adil Amin added only 11 more runs to his Tuesday’s score of 67, while wicket-keeper Rehan Afridi batted defiantly to make 44.

Southern Punjab, who are the early leaders with 28 points thanks to their innings victory against last season’s runners-up Northern on Tuesday, will take on Balochistan in the second-round fixture at the National Stadium from Saturday. Sindh play Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the UBL Sports Complex, while Central Punjab face Northern at the NBP Sports Complex.

Scores and results on Wednesday (final day of four):

First XI, first round:

At National Stadium: Sindh beat Central Punjab by six wickets.

CENTRAL PUNJAB 207 in 86.4 overs (Ahmed Shehzad 69, Mohammad Saad 51, Kamran Akmal 24; Tabish Khan 5-44) and 243-7 declared in 94 overs (Usman Salahuddin 75, Mohammad Saad 59, Azhar Ali 29, Qasim Akram 22 not out; Saud Shakeel 2-11, Mohammad Umar 2-44, Mohammad Asghar 2-62); SINDH 239 in 105.3 overs (Fawad Alam 115, Khurram Manzoor 35, Tabish Khan 24; Waqas Maqsood 4-56, Hasan Ali 3-40 , Ahmed Bashir 2-56) and 214-4 in 43.4 overs (Saud Shakeel 61, Asad Shafiq 45 not out, Omair Bin Yousuf 44, Hasan Mohsin 24 not out; Qasim Akram 2-22).

At UBL Sports Complex: Balochistan beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 186 runs.

BALOCHISTAN 362 in 110.2 overs (Bismillah Khan 118, Kashif Bhatti 98, Sami Aslam 56, Khurram Shehzad 37; Sajid Khan 3-96, Junaid Khan 2-53, Ahmed Jamal 2-70, Imran Khan 2-72) and 217-8 declared in 65.5 overs (Sami Aslam 48, Taimur Ali 41 not out, Yasir Shah 41; Sajid Khan 5-78); KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA 167 in 46.5 overs (Khalid Usman 57 not out, Kamran Ghulam 42, Sajid Khan 27; Khurram Shehzad 5-27, Yasir Shah 4-94) and 226 in 65.2 overs (Adil Amin 67, Kamran Ghulam 51, Rehan Afridi 44; Kashif Bhatti 4-69, Yasir Shah 4-102).

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2020