KARACHI, Oct 23: A scintillating career-best knock of 127 by Bazid Khan enabled PWD to reach 390 for nine in their first innings in reply to Pakistan Customs’ 604 for seven declared on the third day of the four-day Patron’s Trophy Grade-I tie at UBL Sports Complex Tuesday.

Despite needing another 65 to avoid the follow-on with just one wicket left, PWD must feel confident of escaping defeat on the final day Wednesday against an injury-stricken bowling attack.

Mutahir Shah (21) and Nadeem Iqbal (15) thwarted Customs’ desperate attempt to ask PWD bat for the second time Tuesday by standing defiant for the last 40 minutes of the day.

With the pitch still full of runs and barely helping bowlers, Customs were hoping to utilize the wear and tear of a last day strip. But their plans received a blow Tuesday when slow left-armer Salman Fazal was forced off the field in the final session with a badly torn webbing between the index finger and the thumb.

Salman, whose injury necessitated three stitches, tried to field a ferocious straight hit by Riaz Shaikh off his own bowling to sustain a cut that puts him out for a week at least.

Customs’ woes had already compounded by then as part-timer Kashif Siddique, a purveyor of leg-spin, was restricted to just two overs with a badly swollen ankle injury.

In Salman’s absence, his spinning partner Tabish Nawab kept wheeling over after over from the Hockey Stadium End. The off-spinner was rewarded with a haul of five wickets.

Tabish’s 46 overs yielded 169 runs and none confronted him with more freedom and panache than Bazid Khan, son of the legendary Majid Khan, the former Pakistan captain.

The young right-hander completed his third century in first-class cricket with his 14th four off 161 balls in just over three fours.

Driving with authority, especially on the on-side, Bazid stroked 17 fours during his stay of four hours and 11 minutes and negotiated exactly 200 deliveries. His dismissal at 309 came when he tried a wild swish to an almost wide short-pitched delivery from medium-pacer Azhar Shafiq but only succeeded in getting a bottom edge to wicket-keeper Aamir Iqbal.

A crestfallen Bazid took a while to come off the field, so upset he was that he almost exchanged a few hot words with a couple of fielders. But umpires Feroz Butt and Riazuddin intervened in nick of time to diffuse a potential alarming situation.

Otherwise, it was day when PWD had nothing on their minds except to bat all day. Apart from Bazid, other notable contributions came from seasoned campaigner Iqbal Imam and Riaz Shaikh.

The left-handed Iqbal Imam was one batsman who fell victim to a good delivery when he played back to medium-pacer Tariq Haroon and was trapped right in front of the stumps. That was the solitary wicket PWD lost in the afternoon session.

Iqbal, who struck seven boundaries in well-compiled 44 off 84 balls, and Bazid shared the biggest partnership in the innings — 90 at run-a-minute for the sixth wicket.

Riaz perished after making 43 off 74 balls in 117 minutes with the help of eight fours.