Alam century gives Sind edge
Round-up of the second day's play in the fifth round of matches of the Faysal Bank Pentangular Cup
ESPNcricinfo staff
10-Mar-2011
Fawad Alam's 174 helped Sind finish the second day 321 runs ahead of Federal Areas • PA Photos
Fawad Alam scored 174 not out off 176 balls to give Sind the advantage against Federal Areas at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, helping them finish the second day 321 runs ahead with two wickets in hand. Alam's knock led Sind to a score of 359 for 8 after Federal Areas had managed a 38-run first-innings lead.
Sind, who had been bowled out for 202 on the first day, were in trouble early in their innings, finding themselves 16 for 2. When Alam came in, the score was 74 for 3. He hit 12 boundaries and two sixes in his unbeaten innings, and was given company by his captain Khalid Latif, who scored 94 off 103 balls. Sind kept up the first day's trend of scoring quickly, maintaining a run-rate of 4.78 runs an over. After Latif was out, there was not much support for Alam until the No. 10 Anwar Ali came in and added 138 runs with him. Anwar finished the day unbeaten on 39.
Federal Areas had started the day at 216 for 7 with Hammad Azam batting on 60. Azam could only add another 10 to his score, and Federal Areas folded for 240, with Mohammad Sami taking two more wickets on Thursday to finish with 6 for 67 in the innings.
A team batting effort helped Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province go past Punjab's first-innings score of 354, and finish with a 65-run first innings lead on the second day at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. There were no centurions in Khyber's 419, but half-centuries from Rafatullah Mohmand, Adnan Raees and Akbar Badshah were supported by other contributions, with only three players in the line-up failing to get to double figures. Rafatullah got 59 and shared a 107-run opening partnership with Waqar Orakzai, who scored 43. Raees was the innings' top scorer with 86 off 101 balls, and Badshah got 72.
The tail wagged as well, with Khalid Usman getting 45 at No. 8. Khyber scored at 5.14 runs per over in their innings, which meant Punjab, who added just 14 runs to their overnight score of 340 for 9 in the morning, were already back in to bat by the end of the day. Their openers played out an over to finish 8 for 0.
