LAHORE, Feb 8: Multan added further misery to Islamabad’s depleted side as they amassed 514 for nine declared on second day of the five-day Quaid-i-Azam Trophy Silver League final at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday.
Multan owe their impregnable position to fine batting by Kamran Hussain and tail-ender Abdur Rauf after starting at 326 for four on a day when 16 overs were lost due to inclement weather.
When play was stopped at 3.56pm, Islamabad were 21 for no wicket.
Multan soon lost their overnight pair of Bilal Khilji (132) and Azhar Shafiq (15) after resumption of play this morning. Bilal Asad made the breakthrough when he sent back Azhar for 26.
The left-handed Bilal Khilji could add only five runs before he edged pacer Rauf Akbar to wicket-keeper Naeem Anjum. Bilal’s 214-ball innings contained 23 fours and one six while he batted for almost six hours
After debutant wicket-keeper Gulraiz Sadaf was trapped leg-before by Zohaib Ahmed for 15, Kamran (50) and Rauf (57) consolidated Multan’s innings by putting on 61 for the seventh-wicket in 94 minutes until Kamran was brilliantly caught by a diving Bilal Asad at extra-cover off leg-spinner Fayyaz Ahmed.
Kamran struck eight boundaries and faced 130 balls. Rauf, the leading wicket-taker in Silver League this season, used the long handle to good use as he hit eight fours and two huge sixes in his 83-ball 57
Azharullah (22) and Tahir Maqsood (14) were the crease when skipper Saeed Anwar Junior decided to declare the innings 32 minutes after tea break.
Zohaib finished with three for 103.
Islamabad, who are without the services of key players Shoaib Akhtar, Azhar Mahmood and Rao Iftikhar for different reasons, hope that the weather come to their rescue over the remaining three days.
Scoreboard
MULTAN (1st Innings, overnight 326-4):
Saeed Anwar Jr c Saad b Zohaib 28
Usman Tariq b Afaq 56
Yasir Arafat c Fayyaz b Zohaib 0
Bilal Khilji c Naeem b Rauf 137
Kashif Naved c Naeem b Rauf 76
Azhar Shafiq lbw b Bilal 26
Kamran Hussain c Bilal b Fayyaz 50
Gulraiz Sadaf lbw b Zohaib 15
Abdur Rauf c Saad b Fayyaz 57
Tahir Maqsood not out 14
Azharullah not out 22
EXTRAS (B-6, LB-5, W-3, NB-23) 37
TOTAL (for nine decl, 159 overs) 514
FALL OF WKTS: 1-43, 2-47, 3-144, 4-278, 5-341, 6-351, 7-396, 8-457, 9-483.
BOWLING: Rauf Akbar 39-9-116-2 (10nb); Saad Altaf 26-4-107-0 (11nb, 1w); Zohaib Ahmed 24-6-103-3 (2nb, 2w); Bilal Asad 18-10-29-1; Immad Wasim 22-6-69-0; Bazid Khan 2-0-6-0; Raheel Majeed 9-1-29-0; Afaq Raheem 10-2-30-1; Fayyaz Ahmed 9-3-14-2.
ISLAMABAD (1st Innings):
Afaq Raheem not out 6
Atif Ashraf not out 14
EXTRAS (LB-1) 1
TOTAL (for no wkt, three overs) 21
TO BAT: Raheel Majeed, Bilal Asad, Bazid Khan, Fayyaz Ahmed, Naeem Anjum, Immad Wasim, Saad Altaf, Rauf Akbar, Zohaib Ahmed.
BOWLING (to-date): Abdur Rauf 2-1-5-0; Tahir Maqsood 1-0-15-0.
