Lahore, 5 October 2023: Quetta batters inflicted heavy damage on the Larkana bowling unit, posting a solid 400 on the board at the Mirpur Cricket Stadium on the second day of the fifth round of Hanif Mohammad Trophy. Similarly, Islamabad batters displayed a convincing performance, effectively dominating the Sialkot bowlers at Muzaffarabad Cricket Stadium. Jawad Ali’s six-fer brought Hyderabad back in the game after their underwhelming performance with the bat in the first innings the previous day. Half centuries by Saifullah Bangash and Akbar ur Rehman allowed Karachi Blues to put up an improved batting performance in their second attempt in the game.
Larkana v Quetta at Mirpur Cricket Stadium:
Quetta resumed their innings at the Mirpur Cricket Stadium from 142 runs, without having lost any wicket. Bismillah Khan hit a century (109, 131b, 13x4s). He was supported by Mohammad Ibrahim (82, 129b, 7x4s, 1x6) and Hazrat Wali (72, 116b, 7x4s, 1x6), allowing the side to post 400 on the board. Faraz Aziz and Amir Ali got three wickets apiece, making them the pick of the bowlers for Larkana.
At stumps, Larkana posted 37 runs, while losing two wickets in the process. Najeebullah got both wickets for Quetta.
Sialkot v Islamabad at Muzaffarabad Cricket Stadium:
At Muzaffarabad Cricket Stadium, Sialkot started the day at 233 for eight. They got to 251 before losing the remaining two wickets. Naveed Sarwar (69, 160b, 11x4s) and Mohammad Waleed (66, 178b, 5x4s) were the high scorers for Sialkot. Mohammad Shayan Sheikh was the pick of the bowlers, grabbing seven wickets in the innings.
In return, on the back of a magnificent century by Hassan Nawaz (120, 225b, 13x4s, 2x6s), Islamabad got to 274, while losing three wickets. Sarmad Bhatti, getting an undefeated 86 (203b, 11x4s) was the other contributor with the bat. Bilal Asif, who got two wickets, was the most successful bowler for Sialkot.
Hyderabad v Abbottabad at Multan Cricket Stadium:
Abbottabad resumed their innings from 159 runs for the loss of five wickets at Multan Cricket Stadium. On the back of a half-century by Ahmed Khan (74, 136b, 6x4s, 2x4s) and a solid supporting knock by Khalid Usman (49, 73, 6x4s), they got to 269 before they were bowled out. Jawad Ali, who picked up a six-fer, was the pick of the bowlers for Hyderabad.
Hyderabad posted 130 runs for two lost wickets in the second batting innings. Haris Khan (68 not out, 163b, 7x4s, 1x6) and Mohammad Suleman (37 not out, 127b, 6x4s) were at the crease at the close of play. Yasir Shah got both the wickets for Abbottabad.
Bahawalpur v Karachi Blues at Sheikh Khalifa Sports Complex Rahim Yar Khan:
At Sheikh Khalifa Sports Complex in Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur started the day at 110 for two. Aun Shahzad (62, 116b, 8x4s, 2x6s), who was the highest scorer for the side, was dismissed on the second ball bowled in the morning. Mohammad Ammar’s (39, 88b, 4x4s) helped the side post 192 on the board before getting bowled out. For Karachi Blues, Ashiq Ali got five wickets while Saqib bagged three wickets.
Karachi Blues improved on their first innings performance and got to 213 runs in their second attempt, on the backs of half-centuries by Saifullah Bangash (56, 105b, 7x4) and Akbar ur Rehman (55, 140b, 4x4s, 1x6). Out of the eights wickets that fell in the innings, Gulfam Aziz got five of them.
Scores in brief:
Larkana v Quetta:
Larkana 89 in 40 overs (Sabit Ali 21; Najeeb Ullah 5-29, Gohar Faiz 2-15, Mohammad Ghous 2-30) and 37-2 in 11.4 overs (Sabit Ali 13 not out; Najeeb Ullah Jr 2-12)
Quetta 400 all out in 96 overs (Bismillah Khan 109, Mohammad Ibrahim 82, Hazrat Wali 72; Faraz Aziz 3-41, Amir Ali 3-97, Imtiaz Leghari 2-64)
Sialkot v Islamabad:
Sialkot 251 all out in 106.5 overs (Naveed Sarwar 69; Mohammad Waleed 66; Mohammad Shayan Sheikh 7-57)
Islamabad 274-3 in 88 overs (Hassan Nawaz 120, Sarmad Bhatti 86 not out; Bilal Asif 2-87)
Hyderabad v Abbottabad:
Hyderabad 77 all out in 37.5 overs (Daniyal Hussain Rajput 33 not out; Israr Hussain 5-14, Adil Naz 4-23) and 130-2 in 55 overs (Haris Khan 68 not out, Mohammad Suleman 37 not out; Yasir Shah 2-35)
Abbottabad 269 all out 73 overs (Ahmed Khan 74, Khalid Usman 49; Jawad Ali 6-96, Asim Ali 2-62)
Bahawalpur v Karachi Blues:
Karachi Blues 178 all out in 50.4 overs (Saifullah Bangash 82; Shayan Khalil 3-48, Gulfam Aziz 3-49) and 213-8 in 64 overs (Saifullah Bangash 56, Akbar Ur Rehman 55; Gulfam Aziz 5-31, Shayan Khalil 2-45)
Bahawalpur 192 all out in 62.3 overs (Aun Shahzad 62 not out, Mohammad Ammar 39; Ashiq Ali 5-56, Saqib 3-50)
