KARACHI: Aizaz Cheema finished with a career-best match haul of 14-110 on Saturday as PIA moved into the Division One final of Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship with a clinical rout of outgoing champions Karachi Blues at the National Stadium.
Aizaz, the 31-year-old paceman who is among the 30-man Pakistan World Cup probables, bettered his seven-wicket bag of the first innings, when he took 7-65, by claiming seven for 45 in 14 overs. On the way he crossed the 50-wicket mark in just seven games of the ongoing season.
PIA, who won with more than five sessions to spare, required only 14 overs on the penultimate day of the four-day fixture to send Karachi Blues packing for exactly 100 in the their second innings.
As expected, opener Rameez Raja was unable to bat after fracturing his thumb on Thursday.
PIA will now take on Habib Bank in the five-day final at the same venue from Thursday (Jan 13) after both teams finished with 57 points in the final standings.
Scoreboard
KARACHI BLUES (1st Innings) 146 (Rameez Raja 54 retired hurt; Akbar-ur-Rehman 30; Aizaz Cheema 7-65).
PIA (1st Innings) 262 (Agha Sabir 77, Faisal Iqbal 54, Shaharyar Ghani 48; Tabish Khan 5-77).
KARACHI BLUES (2nd Innings, overnight 49-3):
Hafiz Asad Baig c Anwar b Najaf 11
Murtaza Majeed b Najaf 25
Atif Ali Zaidi c Tahir b Aizaz 0
Saeed bin Nasir c Sarfraz b Aizaz 0
Akbar-ur-Rehman b Aizaz 23
Mohammad Bilal c Agha b Aizaz 18
Owais Ahmed Rehmani b Aizaz 4
Babar Rehman c Sarfraz b Aizaz 16
Tabish Khan not out 0
Malik Aftab lbw b Aizaz 0
Rameez Raja absent hurt -
EXTRAS (NB-3) 3
TOTAL (all out, 39 overs) 100
FALL OF WKTS: 1-20, 2-27, 3-31, 4-57, 5-75, 6-79, 7-91, 8-100, 9-100
BOWLING: Najaf Shah 12-2-29-2; Anwar Ali 7-1-15-0 (1nb); Aizaz Cheema 14-2-45-7 (2nb);Kamran Sajid 3-2-4-0; Tahir Khan 1-0-1-0; Shoaib Malik 2-0-6-0.
RESULT: PIA won by an innings and 16 runs.
UMPIRES: Ahmed Shahab and Anis-ur-Rehman.
MATCH REFEREE: Naeem Ahmed.