LAHORE - Unbeaten centuries from Asad Shafiq and Sarfaraz Ahmed placed Karachi Whites comfortably after the first innings on day three of round two of the ongoing QeAT 2023-2024.
Karachi Whites as well as Lahore Whites both declare innings after posting scores over 400, in their games respectively. In the fifth match of the QeAT 2023-2024, only 10.3 overs were bowled on the second day after which play was called off owing to rain and the wet conditions of the ground. The side was 407-3, at the time of stumps.
Saad Nasim declared the innings on the third day, without adding more runs to their overnight score as the play was not possible in the first session of day three due to a wet outfield. Rawalpindi had a steady start to their innings. A partnership of 107 runs between the openers placed them comfortably.
Even after Hasan Raza got out, Abdul Faseeh and Ashfaq Ahmed remained steady on the crease, getting a century and a half-century respectively. Rawalpindi ended the day at 232-1.
Meanwhile, in the seventh game of the ongoing QeAt between Karachi Whites and Faisalabad, veteran Asad Shafiq was joined on the crease by Sarfaraz Ahmed at the end of day two. Thereafter, Karachi started day three with their two most experienced batters on the crease, as the scorecard read 203-5.
Asad and Sarfaraz, who scored 108* and 128* respectively, took their side from 203 to 434. The brilliant 234-run stand between the two most experienced batters of the side ensured that the side was considerably ahead of their opponents. Faisalabad bowlers had no luck on day three, as they could not get either of the two set batters out.
Trailing by a mammoth 434, Faisalabad batters had a task ahead of them. Falling victim to the pressure of the scorecard, Faisalabad batters could not stick to the crease. They ended their day deep in trouble, at 63-6.
Peshawar on the other hand ended the first day of the sixth game of the ongoing QeAT season at 43-2 after batting 17 overs. The second day of play was called off due to rain and ground conditions. Thus, Peshawar started the third day at 43-2. Sahibzada Farhan-led side struggled to sustain a long partnership for most of the day. Eventually, 73 runs produced between Kamran Ghulam and Abbas Ali helped bring some relief. However, Mohammad Imran broke the partnership by removing Abbas.
Kamran’s knock reeked of reliability as his 117 runs helped Peshawar get to 263, before they were bowled out. Medium pacer Sirajuddin got a four-wicket haul to his name while Majid Ali bagged three wickets. Multan will begin their batting today.
In the eighth game of QeAT, Lahore Blues began their day at 83-3, with Qasim Akram and Hussain Talat at the crease. While Hussain was removed shortly after, Qasim’s half-century helped his side’s cause. A half-century by Waqas Ahmed and a 49 by Junaid Ali further helped Imran Butt’s men to post 314 on the board, getting a lead of 174 runs.
