Saeed saves the day for Federal Area

KARACHI - Usman Saeed saved Federal Area from total collapse with a timely unbeaten 103 after the visitors were sent into take first strike against Sindh on the opening day of the four day RBS Petangular Cup here Saturday at the National Stadium.
Federal Area were 270 for nine at the close of the day's play after Sindh skipper Shahid Afridi winning the toss and sent the visitors in.
If Usman was hero for the Federal Area, bowler Tanveer Ahmed was for Sindh with his five-wicket haul for 53. Sohail Khan and Anwer Ali took two wickets each.
Usman Saeed hauled back his team to comparative safety after it had collapsed to five down for 88.
Afridi read the wicket correctly and his pacers proved him right. Sohail made an early breakthrough and later Anwer Ali and Taveer Ahmed grabbed wickets to pile agony on the visitors.
Saeed with a courageous 186 ball knock lifted back his team, hitting 14 fours in his unbeaten knock.
Other major contributors for the Federal Area were Umar Amin who hit 48 in 93 balls hitting six fours and Sohail Tanveer who made 45 in 75 balls with four fours.
Without these knocks Federal Area would have been in dire straits. Shoaib Akhtar was unbeaten one at the close of the days play.
If Sindh managed to make an early breakthrough in the morning on Sunday both Akhtar and Tanveer would get an opportunity to have a go at the young Sindh batting which have some brilliant talent in Fawad Alam, Khurram Manzoor, Khalid Latif and Faisal Iqbal.