RAWALPINDI, Feb 20: Test all-rounder Azhar Mahmood bowled Islamabad to a sensational 48-run victory as he sent Sialkot crashing with a haul of seven wickets in their Quaid Trophy Grade-I match at KRL Stadium Wednesday.
Requiring 189 for victory, Sialkot were unable to cope with the teasing line and length of Azhar and were dismissed for 140 on the third day of this four-day match.
Azhar gave away 56 runs off the 17.3 overs he bowled to come good just when Islamabad needed him to deliver. His heroics helped the hosts score only their second victory in the tournament. Now Islamabad have a total of 18 points and are ahead of Rest of Punjab and Rest of NWFP, who both have 15 points each.
Islamabad who had resumed their second innings at the overnight 114 for five put on 243 with Asif Ali hitting a snail-paced 55 that came off 113 balls.
Paceman Tahir Mughal, who routed the home side in the first innings with six for 67 took another four in the second innings for match figures of 10 for 166. Ironically it was Tahir, who also did well with the bat, top-scoring with 30 coming in to bat at No. 7 but no other batsman could stick to the crease long enough.
ISLAMABAD (1st Innings) 206 (Tahir Mughal 6-67).
SIALKOT (1st Innings) 260 (Afan Rauf 56, Hafiz Majid 51).
ISLAMABAD (2nd Innings, overnight 114-5):
Raheel Majeed b Aamir 33
Farrukh Hayat c Khaleeq b Tahir 6
Bilal Asad lbw b Tahir 33
Mohammad Zahid c Khaleeq b Majid 22
Asif Ali Syed c Khaleeq b Tahir 55
Sajid Mahmood lbw b Aamir 0
Rashid Amin Butt lbw b Tahir 12
Azhar Mahmood c Majid b Ali Kamran 7
Irfan Bhatti run out 7
Saad Janjua st Khaleeq b Aamir 39
Stephen John not out 4
EXTRAS (B-8, LB-2, W-2, NB-13) 25
TOTAL (all out, 70.1 overs) 243
FALL OF WKTS: 1-33, 2-45, 3-101, 4-111, 5-113, 6-151, 7-158, 8-179, 9-216.
BOWLING: Tahir Mughal 28-4-99-4; Aamir Wasim 20.1-2-63-3; Sajjad-ul-Haq 8-3-14-0; Ali Kamran 11-1-42-1; Hafiz Majid 3-0-15-1.
SIALKOT (2nd Innings):
Basit Saeed lbw b Azhar 0
Khurram Hussain c Azhar b Saad 16
Hafiz Majid c Bilal b Azhar 24
Obaidullah c Sajid b Saad 11
Faisal Khan c Sajid b Azhar 3
Afan Rauf c Farrukh b Azhar 1
Tahir Mughal lbw b Raheel 30
Sajjad-ul-Haq lbw b Azhar 24
Aamir Wasim not out 5
Khaleeq Malik b Azhar 1
Ali Kamran c Sajid b Azhar 7
EXTRAS (B-4, LB-3, W-5, NB-6) 18
TOTAL (all out, 34.3 overs) 140
FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-28, 3-46, 4-55, 5-58, 6-69, 7-122, 8-122, 9-123.
BOWLING: Azhar Mahmood 17.3-4-56-7; Irfan Bhatti 1-0-10-0; Saad Janjua 8-1-28-2; Stephen John 3-0-26-0; Raheel Majeed 5-1-30-1.
UMPIRES: Mian Aslam and Rasheed Bhatti.
MATCH REFEREE: Javed Akhtar.
