LAHORE - Peshawar Region recorded their first victory of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QeAT) 2023/24 season, trouncing Rawalpindi Region by an innings and a resounding 93 runs on Day 3 of their contest. 

Waqar Ahmed Snr and Abbas Ali, the stalwarts of Peshawar, resumed their partnership on the third day. Their formidable partnership yielded a remarkable 111 runs. Waqar’s brilliant 184 proved to be a pivotal contribution as Peshawar posted a total of 317 runs. Despite this, Kashif Ali’s five-wicket haul provided Rawalpindi with a glim­mer of hope amidst their otherwise beleaguered bowling performance. 

Rawalpindi faced a shaky start in their second inning. They lost three crucial wickets in quick succession, courtesy of Mohammad Ilyas, who removed Abdul Faseeh and Umer Waheed in consecutive deliveries, piling on the pressure for Rawalpindi’s batting lineup. Ilyas himself secured a five-wicket haul. Ultimately, Rawalpindi were dismissed for a mere 87 runs, sealing a convincing 93 runs and an innings win for Peshawar. 

Meanwhile at Gaddafi Stadium, Multan contin­ued their batting prowess after the rain-marred Day 2 of the ninth match. Sharoon Siraj and Hama­yun Altaf both notched up half-centuries and their substantial 95-run partnership showcased Mul­tan’s dominance in the match. M Naveed and M Irfan managed to pick up two wickets each, offer­ing some resistance against the rampant Multan batting. Multan concluded the day comfortably at 329-6, with the experienced Aamer Yamin and Ali Usman at the crease. 

In another third-round fixture, Faisalabad be­gan the day at 211-8. Despite Captain Imran Butt’s valiant efforts to provide Faisalabad a sturdy start, forming successive partnerships of 25 runs each with Umar Siddiq and Rizwan Hussain, and later a 45-run partnership with Usman Salahuddin, the Blues’ batting lineup experienced periodic setbacks. 

Lahore managed to scrape together 201 runs, largely thanks to Nisar Ahmed’s contribution of 44 runs. Faisalabad’s bowling strength shone through with three wickets each from skipper Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Ali, and Khurram Shahzad. Faisalabad, however, had a shaky start in their sec­ond innings, posting a mere 34 runs on the board before stumps were called. 

Meanwhile, in the 12th game of the QeAT season, Karachi resumed their batting on the third day at 64-4. Superb performances by Rameesh Aziz, Dan­ish Aziz, and M Hassan helped Asad Shafiq’s Kara­chi side reach a total of 144 before being bowled out. Irfanullah Shah claimed four wickets, while Sameen Gul and M Sarwar Afridi secured two wickets each for FATA. Throughout their innings, FATA side sought stability, but a series of wickets fell consistently, preventing any substantial part­nerships. M Nisar Afridi top-scored with 24. At the close of play, FATA stood at 110-6 after 41 overs.