The fifth round of the Quaid-e-Azam trophy saw all three games ending in a draw. Defending champions Central Punjab held their nerve to dig out a draw in the Punjab derby at the National Stadium Karachi while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s tailenders frustrated Northerners. Sindh’s batsmen ensured a comfortable draw in their game against spirited Balochistan.
Balochistan versus Sindh
Balochistan posted a formidable 458-9 in the first innings on the back of centuries from Ayaz Tassawer and Akbar ur Rehman. The duo scored 164 and 138 respectively as they added 192 runs for the fourth wicket. Shahnawaz Dhani continued his good form from the last game and picked up four wickets.
In reply, Sindh started really well with Omair Bin Yusuf and Saud Shakeel coming together for a 206 runs partnership for the third wicket. Omair made 109 while Saud scored 142. But the batsmen who came after them couldn’t capitalise on the advantage as Sindh slumped from 251-2 to 351-7. Saad Ali’s timely 56 ensured that Sindh didn’t concede a big lead.
With a 51-run lead, Balochistan added 231 runs in the second innings before declaring. This gave Sindh a target of 283 in 42 overs while Sindh were 97 for 3 when both the captains decided to shake hands and call it a day. Both teams got five points with Sindh currently occupying the fifth position on the table. Balochistan is at fourth.
Muhammad Wasim’s 74-minute vigil denies Northern a likely win
Northern and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa played out a thrilling draw at the National Stadium Karachi. Northern declared their first innings on 460-9. Faizan Riaz was the top scorer with 146 while Muhammad Nawaz made a brisk 121 off just 146, his second ton in back to back games. KPK kept losing wickets from the start. Captain, Khalid Usman scored a fighting 113 and remained not out. Only valuable support came from Kamran Ghulam who made 67. KPK were bundled out for 318 runs with a 142-run deficit.
Northern declared their second innings on 247-4 giving KPK a daunting task of chasing 390 with almost four sessions to bat it out for a draw. Israrullah and Musadiq Ahmed gave a spirited start to KPK. Not only they scored runs but also negated the new ball effect. In partnership, hey made 155 runs. After that KPK started losing wickets at regular interval. Northern were looking to seal the game but a late 74-minute vigil from Muhammad Wasim denied them. Wasim made 18 off 59. Arshad Iqbal also played his hand and survived for 18 balls.
Central Punjab hold their nerve against table toppers
Southern Punjab posted a mammoth 527 on the back of Agha Salman’s 169 and Muhammad Imran’s 100. Captain Umer Siddiq made 94 while opener Zain Abbas scored 69. It was tough for the Central Punjab’s bowler as they toiled hard. Waqas Maqsood, Hasan Ali and Ahmed Saif picked up two wickets each.
Central Punjab, unlike their last outing, batted pretty well and ended on 459. Usman Salahuddin top scored with 76. Hasan Ali, Ali Zaryab and Saad Nasim also notched up half-centuries. Central Punjab was in a spot of bother when they were reduced to 365-9 but a 95-run partnership between Hasan Ali and Waqas Maqsood somewhat rescued the situation.
Southern declared their second innings on 190 for 5 and gave Central a target of 259 runs. Central were looking good at 90 for 1 but a brilliant spell of bowling from Zahid Mahmood turned the game around and reduced the opposition to 9 for 162. With fading light
The sixth round will start from December 2.
