- Sialkot’s fast bowlers Amad Butt, Ali Raza and Shoaib Akhtar Jnr combined for 9-173 to put pressure on Peshawar
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Karachi, 2 January 2025: Amad Butt led Sialkot from the front as he snapped four wickets to bundle out Peshawar for 258 in 80.1 overs on the first day of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2024-25 final at the UBL Sports Complex, Karachi. In turn, Sialkot only faced two overs jotting eight runs before stumps were drawn.
Sialkot opted to bowl first and vindicated their decision by reducing Peshawar to 145-5 and then 258 all out, with none of their batters reaching half-century. Amad, who bagged 4-51 in 19.1 overs, was helped by young pacers Ali Raza (3-62) and Shoaib Akhtar Jnr (2-60) as the trio accounted for nine wickets in 60.1 overs giving away 173 runs.
Earlier, opening batter Maaz Sadaqat struck four fours in his 61-ball 32-run stay at the crease while his partner Sahibzada Farhan returned for a mere six off 13 balls. No.4 batter, Nabi Gul faced 72 balls for his 44 runs with the help of seven fours before falling in the 34th over with 106 runs on the board.
For Peshawar, No.6 batter Zubair Khan top-scored with 47 off 126 balls including six fours after having walked in at 106-4 in 33.2 overs. He stitched a 39-run fifth-wicket stand with Mehran Ibrahim (31, 65b, 3x4s) and a 48-run sixth-wicket stand with Abuzar Tariq (15, 59b, 2x4s).
Skipper Sajid Khan (23, 26b, 4x4s), batting at No. 8 and Niaz Khan (31, 31b, 5x4s), in at No. 9, chipped in with valuable contributions lower down the order to push their team past the 250-run mark. Sialkot will begin the day two, trailing by 250 runs with ten wickets in hand.
Scores in brief:
Final - Day 1 of 5 – Peshawar Region vs Sialkot Region at the UBL Sports Complex, Karachi
Peshawar 258 all out, 80.1 overs (Zubair Khan 47, Nabi Gul 44, Maaz Sadaqat 32, Mehran Ibrahim 31, Niaz Khan 31, Sajid Khan 23; Amad Butt 4-51, Ali Raza 3-62, Shoaib Akhtar Jr 2-60)
Sialkot 8-0, 2 overs
