LAHORE: Owing to the influence of rain on the previous three days of play across the four venues of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, no definitive results could be produced on Thursday, the final day of round seven with all four games ending in draws.
Leading the table with 108 points, the Faheem Ashraf-led Faisalabad will face the Sarfaraz Ahmed-captained Karachi Whites, second with 100 points, in the final to be played from Oct 22 to 26 at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
In their seven matches of the trophy, Faisalabad won three, lost one while drew three, and Karachi Whites secured two victories and drew five.
Resuming from their overnight first-innings score of 146-6 against Karachi Whites, Lahore Blues posted 203 all out off 58.2 overs on the last day of round seven at the Gaddafi Stadium.
Hashim Ibrahim top-scored with 51 and was supported well by Qasim Akram (38). Pacer Mir Hamza returned with four wickets while left-arm spinner Noman Ali got three wickets.
Karachi Whites, who had totalled 161 in their first innings after being put in to bat on Monday, posted 213-6 in 54 overs in their second innings on Thursday.
Middle-order batter Omair Bin Yousuf (65) and opener Khurram Manzoor (48) were the main scorers. Usman Qadir and Asfand Mehran earned two wickets each.
Meanwhile, the match between Rawalpindi Region and Multan Region, which faced rain interruptions on the first three days, ended in a draw at the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi. Only one innings was possible due to the inclement weather that hampered play during the match.
Rawalpindi, after resuming from their overnight score of 150-2, amassed 501-4 thanks to centuries from Haider Ali (170 not out) and Umar Amin (153) while opener Zeeshan Malik struck 56.
The game between Lahore Whites and Faisalabad at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi also ended in a stalemate.
Faisalabad, who resumed their first innings from 238 for four, made 472 all out in 128.2 overs. Ali Waqas (151 not out), Mohammad Irfan Khan Niazi (99) and Mohammad Huraira (87) were the notable contributors. Aamer Jamal and Saad Naseem claimed three wickets each.
Lahore Whites, who had made 245 in their first innings after being invited to bat first, only batted for three overs in their second innings losing one wicket, after which the play ended.
At the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium in Abbottabad, the clash between Fata Region and Peshawar also ended in a draw due to rainy weather that washed out play on the first three days.
After being put in to bat on the final day, Peshawar in their first innings posted 360 for three as captain Sahibzada Farhan (140) and Kmran Ghulam (102 not out) smashed centuries. Mehran Ibrahim struck an unbeaten 50. Asif Afridi bagged two wickets.
Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2023
