Lahore(Sports Reporter):-Southern Punjab pocketed 16 crucial points with a thumping 10-wicket win over Northern at Multan Cricket Stadium on the final day of round four of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22. With the win, Southern Punjab are now positioned at the top of the points table.
Northern, batting for the second time in the match, had a 56-run deficit with only four wickets in hand when the final day’s play began and Southern Punjab bowlers rolled them out for 231. Across the innings, Imran Rafiq took four wickets and Mohammad Abbas and Zia-ul-Haq bagged three wickets each.
The only resistance Southern Punjab faced on Saturday was from Mubasir Khan, who made 50 off 97.
Southern Punjab needed only one run to win, which was scored by Ali Usman.
The total points Southern Punjab bagged from this match are 25 with nine points for batting and bowling.
At Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium, Nabi Gul and Khalid Usman struck centuries, while Raza-ul-Hasan took five for 160 as the match between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan ended in a draw.
Nabi Gul was on 88 at the start of day and he made 101 off 198, while Khalid struck an unbeaten 110 off 148.
Down the order, Asif Afridi made an electric 62 off 35 as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa made 557 all out in 139.1 overs. Adil Amin, unbeaten on 37 yesterday, made 83.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also bagged five batting points for breaching the 400-run mark in 100 overs.
Balochistan were 58 for none in 23 overs when stumps were drawn.
Both teams got five points each for securing draw.
Scores in brief:
Toss Uncontested – Southern Punjab choose to field against Northern at Multan Cricket Stadium
Northern 163 all out, 56.1 overs (Nasir Nawaz 58, Umar Amin 29, Umar Waheed 21; Ali Usman 3-39, Mohammad Abbas 2-32, Zia-ul-Haq 2-32, Mohammad Ilyas 2-41) and 231 all out, 79.4 overs (Faizan Riaz 51, Mubasir Khan 50, Muhammad Huraira 43; Ali Usman 4-50, Mohammad Abbas 3-36, Zia-ul-Haq 3-61)
Southern Punjab 394 all out, 97.4 overs (Yousuf Babar 138, Azam Khan 70, Ali Usman 37, Imran Rafiq 34, Tayyab Tahir 22; Aamir Jamal 5-111, Musa Khan 3-99) and 1-0, 5 overs (Ali Usman 1 not out)
Match points – Northern 3, Southern Punjab 25
Balochistan elect to bat against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after winning the toss at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad
Balochistan 463-5, 137.5 overs (Imam-ul-Haq 202 not out, Imran Butt 140, Haris Sohail 79; Asif Afridi 2-139) and 58-0, 23 overs (Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 32 not out, Imran Butt 19 not out)
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 557 all out, 139.1 overs (Khalid Usman 110 not out, Nabi Gul 101, Sahibzada Farhan 75, Musadiq Ahmed 70, Adil Amin 83, Asif Afridi 62; Raza ul Hasan 5-160, Najeebullah Khan 2-108)
Match points – Balochistan 10, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 12
