Taufeeq century lifts Habib Bank

Pakistan discard Taufeeq Umar's 131 helped Habib Bank Limited (HBL) to 340 for 8 on day one of their third-round Quaid-e-Azam match against Sialkot at the Lahore Country Club.

Together with Imran Farhat (41 off 47 balls), Taufeeq added 84 for the first wicket after HBL decided to bat. After Farhat's dismissal Taufeeq and Rafatullah Mohmand combined for an invaluable 176-run stand. Rafatullah's 85 took 156 balls with just four boundaries. Taufeeq picked up his 11th hundred in his 98 first-class game, batting for two minutes short of four hours and facing 179 balls with 18 fours and a six.

However, seven wickets fell for 92 runs as opening bowler Mohammad Wasim picked up 4 for 96.

Hosts Karachi Whites restricted Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) to 193 for 7 at the National Stadium.

The second-wicket partnership of 107 between left-handed opener Mohtashim Ali and Imran Abbas, a former Pakistan ODI player, was the highest of the day after Mohammad Sami, the Whites captain, put SSGC in to bat first. Sami, overlooked for the tour of India, trapped opening batsman Asif Zakir lbw for just four.

Mohtashim then scored a valuable 69 off 169 balls with 10 fours while Imran's 39 came off 124 deliveries in about three and a quarter hours and included four boundaries. But when their stand had been broken and Saeed Bin Nasir, the SSGC captain, edged his second ball to the 'keeper the score read 122 for 4. This forced Ali Hussain to buckle down for two hours and 85 balls for his unbeaten 27 but the Whites had the upper hand by the draw of stumps. Sami and offspinner Tabish Nawab picked up two wickets each.

Making their first-class debut in the previous round, SSGC had started with a convincing 126-run victory over Pakistan Customs. After taking three points from a drawn match against Hyderabad, the Whites suffered an innings-and-118-run defeat to Lahore Ravi.

A flying opening stand of 151 helped Karachi Blues to 265 for 2 against Peshawar at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex Stadium in Karachi.

After having been asked to bat first, Shadab Kabir and Ali Asad, the Blues left-handed openers, cashed in. Kabir, a former Pakistan player, hit 11 fours in his 70 off 131 balls. Asad, who turns 19 next month and in only his third first-class match, posted his maiden hundred. His 117 came off 236 balls in a little over four and a half hours with 15 boundaries. Asad has starred for the Pakistan Under-19s team this year, especially on the tour summer tour of England, making runs in abundance and keeping wicket impeccably after having been asked to fulfill that role also. Aariz Kamal was one short of his half-century at the day's close.

Both the Blues and Peshawar have collected three points each in Group B. While Peshawar drew their only previous match, the Blues have lost and drawn one of their two so far.

Seventeen wickets fell in one day as the honours were shared between Quetta and Lahore Shalimar at the Bugti Stadium in Quetta. Opting to bat first, Quetta were bowled out for just 130 in the 48th over. But their bowlers hit back to restrict Lahore Shalimar to 118 for 7, still 13 runs behind.

Right-arm medium-fast bowler Mohammad Shahzad took 5 for 47 and was ably supported by Mohammad Saeed's 3 for 10. For Quetta, 19-year-old left-arm medium-fast Nazar Hussain captured 5 for 44 in only his second first-class match.

At the Multan Cricket Stadium, Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) bowled out Multan for 238 and finished the day on 20 for 1. Kashif Naved top-scored with 89 off 169 balls and captain Abdur Rauf made 47 from No. 9. 23-year-old Azharullah, a right-arm fast-medium bowler, did the most damage with 5 for 64. In replay, wicketkeeper-batsman Zulqarnain Haider fell for 11 but WAPDA took the day's honours.

Table-leaders Islamabad dismissed second-placed Rawalpindi for 246 and finished day one on 34 for no loss at the Diamond Cricket Club Ground in Islamabad. Shehzad Azam picked up 4 for 94 and Saad Altaf 3 for 55. Middle-order batsman Adnan Mufti top-scored with 83 off 143 deliveries before the lower order combusted.

Bottom-of-the-table Pakistan Customs were dismissed for a modest 182 by hosts Faisalabad, who then replied with 50 for 2 by stumps at the Iqbal Stadium. Opening bowlers Ahmed Hayat (5 for 48) and Mohammad Talha (4 for 56) shared nine wickets and debutant Saadat Munir dismissed Customs captain and former Pakistan batsman Zahoor Elahi, top-scorer with 60 off 94 balls. From a precarious 6 for 2 in reply, Faisalabad were boosted by a 44-run stand between Ammar Mahmood and Usman Arshad.

Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), lying at the bottom of Group B, batted carefully to make 210 for 5 in 83 overs on day one of their match against Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) at the Sheikhupura Stadium. Opener Afaq Raheem top-scored with a patient 74 from 147 deliveries and after a top-order wobble was supported by Wajahatullah Wasti, the former Pakistan batsman, who was unbeaten on a 150-ball 61.

A string of decent contributions got Lahore Ravi to 250 for 8 against National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) at the Gaddafi Stadium. There were no hundreds, but half-centuries from Kashif Siddiq (60) and Ashraf Ali (53) and smaller contributions from the main batsman was the story of the day. The wickets were shared by the NBP bowlers, with Tahir Mughal's 3 for 32 the best figures, as the visitors turned in a good display.