PIA stay top of Group A, Rawalpindi thrash Sialkot
A round-up of the fourth day of the fifth-round matches in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy
Group A
Pakistan International Airlines continued their supremacy at the top of the table with a comprehensive win against Sui Southern Gas Corporation(SSGC) at the Quaid-e-Azam Park. SSGC began the final day on 14 for 1, trailing by 195, and Tahir Khan ran through the opposition, picking up 4 for 63. Wajid Ali and Haaris Ayaz battled bravely to put on 79 for the seventh wicket, but it was not enough as SSGC collapsed to 191.Samiullah Khan and Imran Ali set up victory for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) against Lahore Shalimar at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. While Yasir Shah starred the previous day with his three-wicket haul, Samiullah and Imran helped themselves to Lahore's lower order on the last day, finishing with three apiece. Lahore were shot out for 199 after resuming on 115 for 4, with the last six wickets falling for 84 runs. Unbeaten half-centuries from Ali Waqas and Umar Akmal then helped SNGPL reach the target of 119 in 26.4 overs.
It was a complete turnaround from their first-innings display as Habib Bank Limited (HBL) drew their match against Karachi Whites at the Southend Club Cricket Stadium. Precariously placed on 63 for 3 overnight, and trailing by 259, the not-out batsmen Ahmed Shehzad and Aftab Alam completed a 105-run stand for the fourth wicket. Shehzad went on to reach his century and put on 142 for the fifth wicket with wicketkeeper Farhan Iqbal. Shehzad finally finished on 175, hitting 28 fours and a six, and by the time Farhan brought up his fifty, the visitors had reached safety.
Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited had to be content with the three points by virtue of their first-innings lead as they failed to reach the target of 291 set by Water and Power Development Authority(WAPDA) at the Shiekhupura Stadium. WAPDA declared on 333 for 8, as Bilal Khilji remained unbeaten on 137 and Imranullah Aslam brought up his half-century. Azhar Attari was ZTBL's most successful bowler with 4 for 77, but it was a little too late as his team ended the final day on 139 for 4.
Group B
The Rawalpindi pacemen, Rizwan Akbar and Mohammad Rameez, shared eight wickets to hand their team a 218-run win against Sialkot in Islamabad. Needing another 329 more to win on the final day, the overnight opening partnership of 53 was broken with just four runs added. What ensued was a total collapse, with Sialkot losing wickets at regular intervals. Rameez ended with a five-for and Rizwan picked up 3 for 62 to give Rawalpindi the nine points.Forced to follow-on, the Faisalabad batsmen put up a better show second time round to hold on for a draw against Multan in Okara. They declared at 400 for 8, setting Multan a target of 174 for victory, but the hosts could only reach 137 for 3 in the 16 overs. Resuming on 187 for 1, Imran Ali brought up his century and was well supported by captain Ijaz Ahmed jnr, who made 60 off 104 balls. While Imran hit 21 boundaries in his 310-ball effort, Ijaz managed eight fours and a six. Sajjad Hussain and Mohammad Irshad picked up three wickets apiece before the Multan batsmen had a dip at their target. The opening stand of 53 set the tone with Ansar Javed joining in towards the end with a 28-ball 43, but the hosts had to settle for just the three points as time ran out.
Lahore Ravi ran into a resolute partnership between Mohammad Aslam and Ata-ur-Rehman as they failed to pick up an outright win against Quetta at Muridke. Both batsmen hit fifties but after their partnership of 110 none of the other batsmen offered resistance as the visitors were bowled out for 214. Waqas Ahmed picked up 5 for 41 to end with an eight-wicket match haul.
Fifties from Mahfooz Sabri and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan guaranteed first-innings points for Peshawar against Hyderabad at the Niaz Stadium. Replying to Hyderabad's 292, Peshawar ended on 360 after Sajjad Ali had brought up his half-century earlier in the day. Sabri (52) and Rizwan (68 not out) then added 51 for the sixth wicket, as they neared the Hyderabad score. At stumps, Hyderabad's first-innings hero Azeem Ghumon and Faisal Athar had taken them to 67 for 1.
Hyderabad v Peshawar final day
Peshawar's bowlers triggered a collapse to set their team up for a six-wicket win - their first in the tournament - at the Niaz Stadium. Having already conceded first-innings points, Hyderabad failed to bat out for a draw on the fourth day. Azeem Ghumon, the first-innings centurion, top scored with 46, with overnight partner Faisal Athar the next-best with 32. Opening bowlers Waqar Ahmed and Nauman Habib took three wickets each for the visitors, while the young legspinner Hidayatullah Khan finished with 2 for 43 off his 19 overs. Hyderabad added 125 to their overnight score of 67 for 1 in 52.3 overs, leaving Peshawar with a target of 125. Naeem-ur-Rehman struck thrice, but Mohammad Rizwan's unbeaten 50 saw them home.
| Team | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | Draw | Aban | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIA | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 |
| National Bnk | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 27 |
| Habib Bank | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| Khan RL | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 |
| Sui Gas | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| Sui Sthn Gas | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
| Zarai TBL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9 |
| Karachi Whites | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Lahore Shalimar | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Pakistan Customs | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| WAPDA | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Team | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | Draw | Aban | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sialkot | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
| Rawalpindi | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 24 |
| Abbottabad | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| Faisalabad | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 18 |
| Karachi Blues | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 |
| Islamabad | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 |
| Lahore Ravi | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9 |
| Multan | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
| Peshawar | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| Hyd (Pakstn) | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Quetta | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
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