LAHORE-Southern Punjab found themselves in a spot of bother against Northern at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, as they trailed by 117 - after asked to follow-on - at the close of the third day of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23.
According to PCB press release, Southern Punjab could manage only 269 in 86.2 overs after Northern posted a mammoth 529-5 yesterday as no batter, except Zain Abbas, who made a gutsy 120 in 229 balls, put up a fight. Northern captain Nauman Ali – who took 4-73 in the Southern Punjab’s first innings - removed Zain. Youngsters Musa Khan and Mehran Mumtaz took two wickets each. Southern Punjab, 143-2, will resume second innings with Usman Salahuddin and Imran Rafiq unbeaten on 40 and 34. All-rounder Mubasir Khan accounted for both openers - Umar Siddiq (35) and Zain (32). Northern have now accumulated nine points in the match.
At the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Fawad Alam scored his 42nd first-class century, returning unbeaten on 127 as Sindh mustered 368 all out in reply of Central Punjab’s 428. The left-handed batter smashed 14 fours in his 186-ball innings. Sarfaraz Ahmed scored 78 off 124 with 8 fours and was dismissed by Mohammad Ali. Central Punjab, 170-4 in the second innings, had stretched their lead to 230 with double-centurion of the previous innings Abdullah Shafique (72* off 151) on song. Abdullah had the company of Tayyab Tahir, who is unbeaten on 61. The two added 111 runs for the fifth wicket.
Balochistan added four more points to make it eight after bowling out Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for 291 in 85.4 overs at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. Kamran Ghulam, undefeated overnight, scored 102 off 171 and Khalid Usman, KP captain, made 43 off 87. Balochistan’s Khurram Shahzad picked up 4-67. Balochistan had an imposing lead of 289 as they closed the day on 107-4. Hussain Talat and Ali Waqas batted at 27 and 12.
SCORES IN BRIEF
NORTHERN 529-5d, 133 overs (Mubasir Khan 170*, Abdul Faseeh 151, Umar Amin 89; Hassan Khan 3-94, Ali Usman 2-143) vs SOUTHERN PUNJAB 269 all out, 86.2 overs (Zain Abbas 120; Nauman Ali 4-73, Musa Khan 2-51, Mehran Mumtaz 2-63) and 143-2, 45 overs (Usman Salahuddin 40*; Mubasir Khan 2-40)
CENTRAL PUNJAB 428 all out, 102.2 overs (Abdullah Shafique 232, Aamer Yamin 70; Mir Hamza 3-72, Asif Mehmood 3-128) and 170-4, 62 overs (Abdullah Shafique 72*, Tayyab Tahir 61*; Asif Mehmood 3-31) vs SINDH 368 all out, 85.5 overs (Fawad Alam 127*, Sarfaraz Ahmed 78, Saim Ayub 71; M Ali 4-84, Aamer Yamin 3-80)
BALOCHISTAN 473 all out, 123 overs (Azeem Ghumman 78, Kashif Bhatti 71; Arshad Iqbal 4-114, M Sarwar Afridi 2-55, Ihsanullah 2-104) and 107-4, 38 overs (Azeem Ghumman 28; Arshad Iqbal 2-19) vs KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA 291 all out, 85.4 overs (Kamran Ghulam 102; Khurram Shahzad 4-67, Kashif Bhatti 2-43, Akif Javed 2-87).