- Scorecards of all three matches are available here; action photos available here, please credit @PCB
- Post-match virtual media conferences (NSK – Balochistan v Central Punjab) of Shahid Anwar and Imran Butt available here
- More details available on PCB’s corporate website www.pcb.com.pk; event hashtags are #QeA20 and #HarHaalMainCricket; for session by session updates, please follow @TheRealPCB_Live
- Urdu version of the round-up attached here
Karachi, 9 November 2020: Northern captain Nauman Ali bowled his side to a dominating 128-run win over Sindh on the final day of round three of the first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy at the UBL Sports Complex.
The left-arm orthodox took five wickets for 95 runs to record his second five-wicket haul of the match and 15th of his first-class career. He finished the match with 10 for 157.
Nauman, who had the most wickets in the 2019-20 edition of the first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, now has the most scalps in the ongoing tournament with 25 wickets at 16.72 runs per wicket.
Mohammad Nawaz, also a left-arm orthodox, took two wickets for 48 runs.
Saud Shakeel’s gallant 174 went in vain after Sindh resumed their innings on 77 for three. The 25-year-old had begun the day at 46 not out before stroking his way to his ninth century at this level. Saud faced 296 balls in total of which 27 were hit for boundaries.
Fawad Alam, with 36, was the only other notable run-getter in the innings.
This was Northern’s second consecutive win in the tournament, following an innings and 96-run drubbing against Southern Punjab in the opening round of the tournament.
Northern pocketed 24 points – 16 for outright win, three for batting and five for bowling – from the win. With one batting point and three bowling points, Sindh added four points to their tally.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s points tally received a massive boost as they rolled over Southern Punjab by 75 runs at the National Bank Sports Complex. This is Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s first win of the tournament.
Southern Punjab resumed the day at 13 for no loss in their pursuit of 263. Spinners Khalid Usman and Sajid Khan shared seven wickets as Southern Punjab, who had won both of their previous matches, were bowled out for 187.
Khalid’s four wickets cost 50 runs, while Sajid followed up his career’s fifth five-wicket haul (six for 71 in the first innings) with three for 63. Pacer Usman Shinwari took two wickets for 30 runs.
With a 130-ball 56, wicketkeeper-batsman Umar Siddiq was the top-run getter for his team in the second innings, while opener Mukhtar Ahmed, who was not out on eight overnight, scored 38.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa gained 22 points from the match (16 for outright win, two for batting and four for bowling). Table-toppers Southern Punjab could add only five points (two for batting and three for bowling).
Central Punjab captain Azhar Ali helped his side secure a draw against Balochistan at the National Stadium.
Set a target of 269, Central Punjab had lost both their openers – Ahmed Shehzad (15) and Abid Ali (10) – by the end of the first session with the scorecard reading 31 after Balochistan added 43 runs to their overnight score of 170 for seven to post 213 all out.
Azhar anchored Central Punjab’s innings with an undefeated 184-ball 95, which included 11 fours.
Over the course of his stay at the crease, Azhar crafted solid partnerships of 59 and 82 with Usman Salahuddin (27) and Mohammad Saad (47) for the third and fifth wickets. Central Punjab were 225 for seven in 66 overs when the match was called off due to bad light
Pacers Khurram Shahzad and Amad Butt, who had recorded his career’s best figures of six for 57 in the first innings, took two wickets each.
Central Punjab, who continue to remain at the bottom of the points table, added 10 points (five for draw, three for batting and two for bowling), while Balochistan, ranked third, bagged 12 points (five for draw, three for batting and four for bowling).
The first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy takes an 11-day break during which HBL Pakistan Super League 2020 playoffs and final will be staged at the Karachi’s National Stadium. The first-class action will resume from 20 November in Karachi.
Scores in brief:
Northern beat Sindh by 128 runs at UBL Sports Complex:
Northern 328 all out, 91 overs (Mohammad Nawaz 73, Hammad Azam 64, Umar Amin 62; Aamer Jamal 24, Nauman Ali 23; Sohail Khan 4-52, Tabish Khan 3-41, Fawad Alam 2-24) and 311-6, 88.1 overs (Sarmad Bhatti 108, Hammad Azam 100 not out, Mohammad Nawaz 36, Asif Ali 22, Umar Amin 20; Mohammad Asghar 2-87)
Sindh 217 all out, 57.3 overs (Sharjeel Khan 48, Fawad Alam 39, Asad Shafiq 35, Saud Shakeel 25, Sohail Khan 23; Nauman Ali 5-62, Waqas Ahmed 4-78) and 294 all out, 91.2 overs (Saud Shakeel 174, Fawad Alam 36; Nauman Ali 5-95, Mohammad Nawaz 2-48)
Match points: Northern 24, Sindh 4
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beat Southern Punjab by 75 runs at National Bank Sports Complex:
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 304 all out, 108.3 overs (Adil Amin 90, Kamran Ghulam 64, Musadiq Ahmed 41, Zohaib Khan 23, Usman Shinwari 22; Mohammad Abbas 6-33, Zahid Mehmood 2-91) and 246 all out, 72.3 overs (Musadiq Ahmed 86, Rehan Afridi 51, Zohaib Khan 40, Khalid Usman 22, Kamran Ghulam 20; Mohammad Abbas 4-39, Mohammad Imran 2-8)
Southern Punjab 288 all out, 79.3 overs (Hussain Talat 131, Mohammad Irfan 73; Sajid Khan 6-71, Khalid Usman 2-66) and 187 all out, 71.1 overs (Umar Siddiq 56, Mukhtar Ahmed 38, Salman Ali Agha 25, Mohammad Ilyas 22; Khalid Usman 4-50, Sajid Khan 3-63, Usman Shinwari 2-30)
Match points: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 22, Southern Punjab 5
Match drawn between Balochistan and Central Punjab at National Stadium:
Balochistan 306 all out, 102 overs (Ali Waqas 75, Taimur Ali 63, Imran Butt 53, Kashif Bhatti 51 not out; Ahmed Safi Abdullah 3-56, Waqas Maqsood 3-66, Bilawal Iqbal 3-66) and 170-7, 62 overs (Ali Waqas 39, Taimur Ali 34, Amad Butt 26, Adnan Akmal 25; Waqas Maqsood 2-41, Ehsan Adil 2-45)
Central Punjab 251 all out, 75 overs (Azhar Ali 63, Usman Salahuddin 44, Bilawal Iqbal 28, Ahmed Safi Abdullah 22, Waqas Maqsood 20 not out; Amad Butt 6-57, Taj Wali 2-67) and 225-7, 66 overs (Azhar Ali 95 not out, Mohammad Saad 47, Usman Salahuddin 27, Kamran Akmal 22; Amad Butt 2-45, Khurram Shahzad 2-49)
Match points: Balochistan 12, Central Punjab 10
Fourth round fixtures (20-23 Nov), Karachi:
Central Punjab v Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – UBL Sports Complex
Balochistan v Northern – National Bank Sports Complex
Southern Punjab v Sindh – National Stadium
