RAWALPINDI, Jan 7: Peshawar gained a crucial 55-run lead on the first innings against hosts Rawalpindi on the second day of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy Gold League match at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Peshawar, resuming at the overnight score of 6-1, finished the day at 285-6 in 86 overs, in reply to Rawalpindi’s 230.

Shoaib Khan led the way for Peshawar with a stubborn 88 not out, consuming 197 balls and hitting eight boundaries.

Other useful contributions came from Riaz Afridi (37), Wajahatullah Wasti (34), Riffatullah Mohmand (24) and Zulfiqar Jan (22 not out).

For Rawalpindi, the main wicket takers were Rizwan Akbar and Najaf Shah with two wickets each.

Scoreboard

RAWALPINDI (1st Innings) 230 (Naveed Qureshi 97; Riaz Afridi 5-69).

PESHAWAR (1st Innings, overnight 6-1):

Riffatullah Mohmand c Asif b Yasir 24

Janisar Khan lbw b Najaf 0

Riaz Afridi c Najaf b Rizwan 37

Shoaib Khan not out 88

Akhtar Sarfraz c Usman b Rizwan 20

Wajahatullah Wasti c and b Najaf 34

Aftab Khan lbw b Sohail 18

Zulfiqar Jan not out 22

EXTRAS (B-7, LB-4, W-3, NB-28) 42

TOTAL (for six wkts, 86 overs) 285

FALL OF WKTS: 1-4, 2-54, 3-73, 4-111, 5-180, 6-221.

TO BAT: Arshad Khan, Shakeel-ur-Rehman, Fazle Akbar.

BOWLING (to-date): Yasir Arafat 10-1-45-1 (1w); Najaf Shah 21-2-83-2 (3nb, 2w); Rizwan Akbar 18-4-53-2 (9nb); Sohail Tanvir 21-3-68-1 (16nb); Babar Naeem 16-5-25-0.—Agencies

Opinion

Editorial

On press freedoms
Updated 03 May, 2026

On press freedoms

THE citizenry forgets, to its own peril, how important a free and independent media is in the preservation of their...
Inflation strain
03 May, 2026

Inflation strain

PAKISTAN’S return to double-digit inflation after 21 months signals renewed economic strain where external shocks...
Troubled waters
03 May, 2026

Troubled waters

PAKISTAN’S water crisis is often framed in terms of scarcity. Increasingly, it is also a crisis of contamination....
Iran stalemate
Updated 02 May, 2026

Iran stalemate

THE US and Iran are currently somewhere between war and peace. While a tenuous ceasefire — extended largely due to...
Tax shortfall
02 May, 2026

Tax shortfall

THE Rs684bn shortfall in tax collection during the first 10 months of the fiscal year is a continuation of a...
Teaching inclusion
02 May, 2026

Teaching inclusion

DISCRIMINATORY and exclusionary content in Punjab’s textbooks has been flagged in Inclusive Education for a United...