Faisalabad, 9 November 2023: Abbottabad, Hyderabad, Islamabad and AJK have qualified for the Super Four stage of the Hanif Mohammad Cup following the conclusion of the group stage. The fifth round of the tournament saw victories for Hyderabad, Karachi Blues, Sialkot and Islamabad in the matches that took place across four venues in Faisalabad, Rahim Yar Khan and Multan.
Group A
Bahawalpur v Karachi Blues at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad:
Karachi Blues romped to a dominant nine-wicket win over Bahawalpur at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad. The pair of Kashif Ali and Jahanzaib Sultan made it a comfortable chase of the 180-run target for Karachi Blues as the duo stitched an unbroken 172-run partnership and got over the line in 23.3 overs.
Kashif Ali scored a brilliant hundred, making 126 not out off 86 deliveries, hammering a total of eight sixes and 14 boundaries. Opening batter Jahanzaib contributed with an unbeaten 48 off 51 deliveries while Khawaja Mohammad Nafay was the only batter dismissed for four by Shayan Khalil.
Earlier, Karachi Blues had won the toss and put Bahawalpur in to bat first, skittling them for 179 in 42.4 overs. Mohammad Sheharyar (55, 63b, 5x4s, 2x6s) and Abdul Hadi (42, 61b, 2x4s, 2x6s) offered some resistance to the relentless Karachi Blues bowling. Mohammad Taha was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets while Afaq Khan and Syed Waleed Azeem took two wickets each.
Hyderabad v Abbottabad at Bohranwali Ground, Faisalabad:
Hyderabad rode on Rizwan Mehmood’s unbeaten century to post a match-winning total of 233-5 in their 45 overs against Abbottabad at Bohranwali Ground, Faisalabad. Making full use of Abbottabad’s invitation to bat first, Rizwan, who came into bat at the loss of two wickets, hit 101 not out in 122 deliveries with the help of 14 fours and one maximum.
Rizwan was ably supported by Sher Afzal (48, 62b, 6x4s, 1x6) and Mohammad Suleman (46, 49b, 6x4s). Four Abbottabad bowlers – Mohammad Ibraheem, Ahmed Khan, Khalid Usman and Afaq Khan – registered a wicket each.
In reply, Abbottabad were troubled by a frequent fall of wickets with the duo of Majid Asghar and Jawad Ali sharing seven wickets between them. Majid had figures of 4-43 while Jawad picked up 3-25. Ahmed Khan (53 not out, 62b, 4x4s, 2x6s) and Khayam Khan (46, 39b, 4x4s, 2x6s) were the top scorers for Abbottabad as they were all out for 191 in 41.5 overs.
Group B
Islamabad v AJK at Sheikh Khalifa Sports Complex, Rahim Yar Khan:
In the rain-reduced 30-overs-a-side contest, AJK won the toss and decided to field first. Islamabad reached a competitive score of 193-7 in their allotted overs, with most batters getting starts. Sudais Ulfat provided stability with his well-crafted 51-ball 44 featuring five fours and one six. Islamabad skipper Rohail Nazir contributed with 34 off 37 balls with two boundaries and a solitary maximum.
Faizan Saleem, Basit Ali and Mohammad Shehzad each had two wickets to their names while Naveed Malik registered one scalp.
AJK’s chase was soon beset by a batting collapse following the 41-run opening partnership. Javed Khan (36, 56b, 3x4s, 1x6) and Raja Farhan Khan (30, 35b, 2x6s) were their leading run-scorers. That Islamabad were able to bundle out AJK for 161 in 28.3 overs was down to the efforts of Farmanullah Khan (3-18 in six overs), Faizan Riaz (3-22 in three overs) and Sudais Ulfat (2-32 in six overs)
Larkana v Sialkot at Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan:
A 113-run stand for the first wicket saw Sialkot off to a superb start after they decided to bat first against Larkana at Multan Cricket Stadium. Mirza Tahir Baig hit 13 fours in his 78-ball 69 while Ashir Mehmood slammed seven boundaries and a six in his 69-ball 60. Sialkot posted 283-5 in their 45 overs with Anas Amjad (39 not out, 38b, 4x4s) and Hamza Nazar (41 not out, 18b, 7x4s, 1x6) finishing off the innings well.
For Larkana, Mushtaq Ahmed and Aamir Ali Taheem took two wickets each whereas Kamran Ali claimed one wicket.
Larkana failed to get their chase on-track and succumbed to 195 all out in 34.5 overs. Ghulam Raza was their highest scorer with 47 from 58 deliveries. Sialkot’s Asad Ali Jnr picked up the first five-wicket haul of the tournament, returning figures of 6-42 to outfox the Larkana batters.
Scores in brief:
Group A
Karachi Blues beat Bahawalpur by nine wickets
Bahawalpur 179 all out, 42.4 overs (Mohammad Sheharyar 55, Abdul Hadi 42, Mohammad Wasim 23; Mohammad Taha 3-33, Syed Waleed Azeem 2-36, Afnan Khan 2-37)
Karachi Blues 183-1, 23.3 overs (Kashif Ali 126 not out, Jahanzaib Sultan 48 not out; Shayan Khalil 1-23)
Hyderabad beat Abbottabad by 42 runs
Hyderabad 233-5, 45 overs (Rizwan Mehmood 101 not out, Sher Afzal 48, Mohammad Suleman 46; Afaq Khan 1-10, Khalid Usman 1-32, Mohammad Ibraheem 1-33)
Abbottabad 191 all out, 41.5 overs (Ahmed Khan 53 not out, Khayam Khan 46, Afaq Khan 34; Majid Asghar 4-43, Jawad Ali 3-25)
Group B
Islamabad beat AJK by 32 runs
Islamabad 193-7, 30 overs (Sudais Ulfat 44, Rohail Nazir 34, Arsal Sheikh 27 not out; Faizan Saleem 2-37, Mohammad Shehzad 2-39, Basit Ali 2-42)
AJK 161 all out, 28.3 overs (Javed Khan 36, Raja Farhan Khan 30, Mohammad Sadiq 28; Farmanullah Khan 3-18, Faizan Riaz 3-22, Sudais Ulfat 2-32)
Sialkot beat Larkana by 88 runs
Sialkot 283-5, 45 overs (Mirza Tahir Baig 69, Ashir Mehmood 60, Hamza Nazar 41 not out, Anas Amjad 39 not out; Mushtaq Ahmed 2-61, Aamir Ali Taheem 2-61)
Larkana 195 all out, 34.5 overs (Ghulam Raza 47, Umar Khalid 33, Imtiaz Legari 29; Asad Ali Jnr 6-42, Mohammad Waleed 1-24, Shakib Ali 1-30)
