Yasir’s unbeaten ton puts Abbottabad in control against Islamabad
ISLAMABAD: Right-handed opener Yasir Khan scored an unbeaten century to put Abbottabad in a commanding position on the opening day of the third-round Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT) match here at the Marghzar Cricket Ground on Saturday.
After being put into bat first by Islamabad captain Faizan Riaz, Abbottabad concluded the opening day at 375/5 in 90 overs with Yasir and wicketkeeper batter Khayam Khan unbeaten in the middle.
Yasir remained the top-scorer with an unbeaten 173 off 245 deliveries, studded with 22 fours and three sixes. He was also involved in an important 102-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Ahmed Khan, who made 55 off 73 deliveries with the help of six fours and three sixes before putting together an unbeaten 63 with Khayam, who was unbeaten on 42 at the end of the first day’s play.
For Islamabad, Jawad Ali took two wickets on the opening day, followed by Kaleem Dil, Mohammad Nadeem and skipper Faizan with one apiece. At the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Test cricketer Aamer Yamin’s six-wicket haul helped Multan book Faisalabad for a modest total on the opening day.
Put into bat first, Faisalabad could score 212 before getting bowled out in 61.2 overs despite wicketkeeper batter Ali Shan’s gutsy half-century. Ali top-scored with 95 off 156 deliveries, laced with 14 fours and three sixes, while Atiq-ur-Rehman chipped in with an 81-ball 46.
For Multan, Yamin picked up six wickets for just 37 runs in 15 overs, followed by Mohammad Shan with two, while Mohammad Jamshed and Ali Usman bagged one apiece. In response, Multan could score 85/1 in 18 overs before the stumps were drawn. Waqar Hussain (36 not out) and skipper Zain Abbas (28 not out), who recovered Multan from 13/1, will resume their response on the subsequent day with a 127-run deficit to counter.
Shahid Ali took the solitary Multan wicket to fall on the opening day, dismissing Imran Butt, who made four. At the Diamond Cricket Ground here, Haseeb-ur-Rehman’s four-wicket haul helped Lahore Whites skittle Sialkot for just 222 runs in 70.5 overs. Haseeb returned brilliant bowling figures of 4/47 in 9.5 overs. He was supported by Mohammad Abbas, who took two, while Ahmed Bashir, Ubaid Shah and Saad Nasim shared three between them.
Mohsin Riaz remained the top-scorer for Sialkot with 76 off 138 deliveries, laced with five fours and three sixes, while his fellow middle-order batter Ayaz Tasawar made a 68-ball 52. In response, Lahore Whites had been reduced to 38/2 in nine overs, courtesy of Mohammad Ali and Hasnain Khan’s strikes, dismissing Ali Zaryab (six) and Umar Siddiq (13). Opening batter Abid Ali and nightwatchman Ubaid, unbeaten on 14 and four, respectively, will resume Lahore Whites’ response on the second day.
In another third-round QEAT match, three wickets each from Mohammad Asghar, Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqib Khan helped Karachi Blues to bowl out FATA for 312 in 77.1 overs at the Imran Khan Stadium in Peshawar. Opening batter Mohammad Farooq remained the top-scorer for FATA with a brisk 75 off 92 deliveries, featuring eight fours and three sixes. Middle-order batter Mohammad Sarwar Afridi also made handy contributions with the cautious half-century, scoring 54 off 104 deliveries, comprising four fours and two sixes.
In response, Karachi Blues could only face one ball before the stumps were drawn. Their openers, Saad Baig and Abdullah Fazal, both unbeaten on zero, will resume the innings on day two. At the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi, a collective bowling effort, coupled with Waqar Ahmed’s unbeaten half-century on the opening day, moved Peshawar just six runs away from amassing the lead over Bahawalpur. Put into bat first, Bahawalpur’s batting unit could yield 131 runs before being bowled out in 54 overs.
Middle-order batter Mubasir Khan waged a lone battle, top-scoring with 48 off 88 deliveries. Besides him, only Saad Khan (29), Muhammad Imran (20) and Mohammad Alamgir (18) could amass double figures. In response to Bahawalpur’s 131 all out, Peshawar had been reduced to 59/5 before captain Mohammad Haris joined Waqar in the middle to stabilise their innings. The duo put together an unbeaten 66 to move Peshawar to the brink of the first-innings lead.
Waqar and Haris, unbeaten on 65 and 33, respectively, will resume the former champions’ innings on the second day. Muhammad Imran was the solitary wicket-taker for Bahawalpur on day one, accounting for four dismissals by conceding just 41 runs in four overs. Staff Report
