Lahore, 4 October 2023: The fifth round of the Quaid-e-AzamTrophy 2023-2024, being played in four venues across Lahore, Rawalpindi and Abbottabad, commenced today. Centuries by Ali Zaryab and Ahmed Shehzad took Lahore Whites to 375 for two in 90 overs, while unbeaten centuries by Hussain Talat and Junaid Ali helped Lahore Blues get to 359 for four in 88 overs. Multan scored 220 runs owing to three half-centuries in the innings. Faheem Ashraf, the Faisalabad skipper, scored a half-century to rescue his side from a certain collapse after the side had an unstable start with the bat on the first day of play of the fifth round of the QeAT 2023-2024.
Lahore Whites v Peshawar at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore:
Saad Naseem opted to bat first after winning the toss for Lahore Whites at Gaddafi Stadium on the first day of play in the fifth round of the Quaid-e-AzamTrophy 2023-2024.
Lahore Whites scored 375 runs in the day, only losing two wickets in the process. Ali Zaryab, the opener, gave his side a solid head-start, which was furthered by veteran Ahmed Shehzad. The former scored 141 runs in 213 balls, hitting 21 boundaries. The latter remained unbeaten at 163 (243b, 22x4s).
Maaz Sadaqat and Mohammad Amir Khan had a wicket each, on a day that otherwise brought little respite to the Peshawar bowlers.
Multan v Karachi Whites at Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi:
Karachi Whites were asked to field first after Multan won the toss at Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on the first day of the fifth round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Multan had a rough start to the innings, losing five wickets cheaply.
Mohammad Basit (60, 75b, 10x4s) and Aamer Yamin (44, 59b, 5x4s) recovered well for their side building a partnership of 83 runs. Muhammad Imran (31, 48b, 3x4s, 1x6) and Ali Usman (57, 47b, 4x4s, 4x6s) furthered the efforts of their teammates by adding 86 more runs together. Mir Hamza and Tabish Khan got three wickets each as Multan were bowled out for 220 runs.
Karachi Whites too struggled to get going; at stumps, the scorecard read 86 for five. Saim Ayub (40, 62b, 9x4s) was the highest scorer for his side. Ali Usman grabbed three wickets while experienced spinner Zahid Mehmood got two wickets.
Rawalpindi v Lahore Blues at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi:
Rawalpindi opted to take the field first after winning the toss at the PindiCricket Stadium, Rawalpindi. Lahore Blues had a convincing outing with the bat. On the back of half century by Hashim Ibrahim (69, 89b, 8x4s, 3x6s) and unbeaten centuries by Hussain Talat (100, 172b, 11x4s, 1x6) and Junaid Ali (102, 184b, 14x4s), they got to 359 for four in 88 overs before stumps were called.
Pacer Mohammad Awais Anwar got two wickets, becoming the pick of the bowlers for Rawalpindi on a day which mostly went in Lahore Blues’ favour.
FATA v Faisalabad at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium:
At Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Rehan Afridi-led FATA won the toss and elected to field first. FATA banked on their decision to bowl first and kept the Faisalabad batters on their toes. Skipper Faheem Ashraf was the highest scorer of the innings, hitting 76 on 110 balls, including 12 boundaries.
Mohammad Huraira (37, 59b, 6x4s) was the other contributor with the bat as the side was restricted 215 runs in the first innings. Pacer Asif Afridi bagged three wickets. He was supported by Arshad Ullah and Aimal Khan, both of whom got two wickets apiece.
At stumps, FATA scored only nine runs while losing a wicket in the process courtesy of Khurram Shahzad in five overs.
Scores in brief
Lahore Whites v Peshawar:
Lahore Whites 375-2 in 90 overs (Ahmed Shahzad 163 not out, Ali Zaryab Asif 141; Maaz Sadaqat 1-37, Mohammad Amir Khan 1-64)
Multan v Karachi Whites:
Multan 220 all out in 50.2 overs (Mohammad Basit 60, Ali Usman 57; Tabish Khan 3-40, Mir Hamza 3-54, Noman Ali 2-29, Ghulam Mudassar 2-37)
Karachi Whites 86-5 in 35 overs (Saim Ayub 40, Khurram Manzoor 26; Ali Usman 3-11, Zahid Mehmood 2-22)
Rawalpindi v Lahore Blues:
Lahore Blues 359-4 in 88 overs (Junaid Ali 102 not out, Hussain Talat 100 not out, Hashim Ibraheem; Mohammad Awais Anwar 2-86)
FATA v Faisalabad:
Faisalabad 215 all out in 79.5 overs (Faheem Ashraf 76, Mohammad Huraira 37; Asif Afridi 3-37, Aimal Khan 2-54, Arshad Ullah 2-57)
FATA 9-1 in 5 overs (Khurram Shahzad 1-4)
