Central Punjab secure second consecutive innings win

KARACHI: Central Punjab secured their second consecutive win by an innings margin as the Azhar Ali-led side crushed Balochistan by an innings and 12 runs in the four-day first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy fixture at Quetta’s Bugti Stadium.

Off-spinner Bilal Asif picked 4-33 on the last day of the match as the hosts were skittled out for 239 in the morning session after resuming their innings at 141-5. For Balochistan, Bismillah Khan once again put up a fight, scoring 70 from 106 balls. Following up his first innings’ 143-ball 71, the wicket-keeper batsman hit seven fours and three sixes in his 140-minute stay at the crease before Bilal’s catch off his own bowling sent him back to the pavilion. He had resumed the day on 37. Abu Bakar, the other not out batsman, added only 11 runs to his overnight score to register 44 off 120 balls.

With their second win of the tournament, Central Punjab consolidated their position at the top of the points table, picking up 24 points, 16 for an outright win and five and three for scoring more than 400 runs and for bowling the opposition out in 110 overs in the first and second innings of the match.

Balochistan bagged three points from the match, one for taking five Central Punjab wickets within the first 110 overs and two for crossing the 250-run mark in their first innings. That Central Punjab scored 521-6 declared after being put into bat by the hosts was due to Salman Butt’s 237 off 376 balls. His 549-minute stay at the wicket was studded with 35 fours.

He scored 237 runs with Azhar, who scored 165-ball 123, his second century on the trot. Central Punjab now travel to Abbottabad to play Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the round four which commences from October 5. Balochistan face Northern in Rawalpindi at the KRL Stadium which will be live-streamed.

Meanwhile, the final day of the Southern Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa contest at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium was called-off at 1:40pm due to overnight rain.

Only 86 overs were possible in which Khyber Pakhtunkhwa scored 295 for four. Openers Sahibzada Farhan and Israrullah, hitting 12 fours each, put up a solid 167-run stand, despite rain interrupting the play. Farhan scored 78 from 138 balls and Israrullah top-scored with a 180-ball 89.

Ashfaq Ahmed, who came to bat at number three, was unbeaten on 61 off 113 balls, which was laced with five fours and two sixes. With him at the crease was Zohaib Khan at 20. At the KRL Stadium in Rawalpindi, the play was called-off at 3:15pm. Sindh were 257 for four with captain Asad Shafiq, who hit 10 fours, not out on 77.

Saad Ali and Khurram Manzoor were the other notable contributors with 63 and 54, respectively. Earlier in the match, Northern scored 271 all-out on the back of fifties by Rohail Nazir and Hammad Azam. Rohail, the Pakistan Under-19 captain, hit 67 runs from 120 balls, smashing 12 fours. Hammad’s 58, which had five fours and two sixes, came from 117 balls.