Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report Christchurch (October 13, 2022): Pakistan geared up for Friday’s final against New Zealand with an impressive seven wickets victory over Bangladesh in the final league match of the T20I tri-series in Christchurch on Thursday. Mohammad Wasim Junior bowled a splendid last over to pick up two wickets conceding just three runs to restrict Bangladesh to 173 for six. Afterwards, Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam produced their eighth century partnership before Mohammad Nawaz sealed the match with a 20-ball cameo as Pakistan romped home for the loss of three wickets with one ball remaining. Wasim finished with two for 33 though Naseem Shah was the most successful bowler with two for 33. Nawaz picked up one wicket for 27 runs. Litton Das (69, 42b, 6x4, 2x6) and Shakib Al Hasan (68, 42b, 7x4, 6x3) put on 88 runs in 55 balls for the third wicket after Bangladesh were reduced to 41 for two. Bangladesh collected 41 runs in the four overs between 16-19 before Wasim pulled things in the last over as the Asian neighbours scored 44 runs in the final five overs. In the run-chase, Mohammad Rizwan scored a 56-ball 69 with four fours, his 22nd career half-century, while Babar Azam struck nine fours in a 40-ball 55, his 29th career half-century. But it was Nawaz who closed the match with a 20-ball 45 that included five fours and a six. Rizwan and Babar added 101 runs for the first wicket in 76 balls, Rizwan and Nawaz put on 64 runs for the third wicket from 36 balls. Mohammad Rizwan was adjudged player of the match, his ninth award since February 2021 and ninth overall in 71 matches. While Pakistan will be content with their third victory in four matches in Christchurch, they must be worried with the continued failure of Haider Ali. Haider had the platform to perform following a century first-wicket partnership, but was dismissed for a second-ball duck. Haider has managed only 24 runs in four matches with 10 not out against New Zealand being his highest. Scores in brief: Pakistan beat Bangladesh by seven wickets Bangladesh 173-6, 20 overs (Litton Das 69, Shakib Al Hasan 68; Naseem Shah 2-27, Mohammad Wasim 2-33) Pakistan 177-3, 19.5 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 69, Babar Azam 55, Mohammad Nawaz 45 not out; Hasan Mahmud 2-27) Player of the match – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan) Friday fixture – Pakistan v New Zealand

Salman Khan Multan: Hosts Multan, Sheikhopura, Faisalabad and Abbottabad moved into the semifinals of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) T-20 Blind Cricket Trophy 2022 Grade-2 after winning their respective matches at two different venues of Multan city on Wednesday. On Thursday, 1st semifinal will be played between Multan and Sheikhopura while 2nd Semifinal will be played between Abbottabad and Faisalabad at Sports Complex Stadium, Multan. Multan beat Sargodha by 8 wickets at Sports Complex Stadium In the morning, Multan won the toss and asked Sargodha to take guard. Sargodha set the competitive total of 228 runs on the board for the loss of 3 wickets in stipulated 20 overs. Gul Sher was the top scorer with 130 runs and Zain Ashraf made 56 runs. Abubakar took 2 wickets while Safdar claimed 1 wicket.   In reply, Multan chased down the target in 15.3 overs by losing their 2 wickets. Mohammad Safdar played a superb innings of 127 runs. He was the highest scorer and Ahsan Razzaq made 45 runs. Gul Sher took 1 wicket.  Result: Multan won by 8 wickets Man of the Match: Mohammad Safdar Sheikhopura beat Karachi by 10 wickets at M C Cricket Ground Karachi won the toss and decided to bowl first. Sheikhopura scored 198 runs in allotted 20 overs for the loss of 8 wickets. Aftab Hussain was the highest scorer with 77 runs. Rasheed Akbar took 2 wickets. In reply Karachi was restricted to 188 runs for All out in 16.5 overs. Jandal Khan was their leading scorer with 44 runs. Ahmed claimed 2 wickets while Sanwal fetched 1 wicket. Result: Sheikhopura won by 10 runs Man of the Match: Aftab Hussain  Quetta vs Abbottabad beat Quetta by 40 runs Sports Complex Stadium Quetta won the toss and put Abbottabad in to bat first. Abbottabad set the huge target of 264 runs for Quetta by losing their 3 wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Naeem Ullah was the top scorer with 119 runs. In reply, Quetta scored 224 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in allotted 20 overs.  Niamt Ullah was the leading scorer with 125 runs. Result: Abbottabad won by 40 runs Man of the Match: Naeem Ullah Faisalabad beat Hyderabad by 4 wickets at M C Cricket Ground Faisalabad won the toss and decided to bowl first. Hyderabad made 146 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in stipulated 20 overs. Imran Sarwar was the top scorer with 42 runs while Amjad Mugheri made 41 runs. Usman Bilal Ali and Ejaz Hussian took 1 wicket each. In Reply Faisalabad achieved the target of 147 runs in 18.3 overs for the loss of 6 wickets.  Ejaz Hussain was the star batsman, he scored 49 runs and Bilal Ali made 28 runs for Faisalabad. Imran Sarwar fetched 1 wicket for Hyderabad.  Result: Faisalabad won by 4 wickets Man of the Match: Ejaz Hussain

Sports Bulletin Report Islamabad: England Men's selection panel have named a 15-strong squad for the three-match Test tour of Pakistan starting in December. Surrey all-rounder Will Jacks is called up to the Test squad for the first time after an impressive summer saw him play an integral part with bat and off-spin, helping Surrey win the LV= Insurance County Championship Division One title. Lancashire all-rounder Liam Livingstone will be looking to make his Test debut, having been called up to a Test squad for the first time since England's tour of New Zealand in the spring of 2018. Lancashire opening batter Keaton Jennings returns to the Test squad for the first time since February 2019 after a stellar summer with the red rose county, where he was the top run-scorer in Division One of the LV= Insurance County Championship, scoring1233 runs at an average of 72.52 with five centuries. Nottinghamshire batter Ben Duckett could be in line to return to Test cricket for the first time since November 2016 after impressing in the County Championship and the England Lions across the summer. Durham fast bowler Mark Wood, who is currently playing in Australia in England's campaign for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, returns to the Test squad for the first time since March, and Surrey quick Jamie Overton is included after making his Test debut earlier in the summer against New Zealand at Headingley. Nottinghamshire seam bowler Stuart Broad was not considered for selection, with his partner expecting their first child towards the end of November. ECB Managing Director Rob Key, said: "We are looking forward to touring Pakistan as a Test team for the first time since 2005. It will be a historic tour and a compelling series against a good side. "The selectors have picked a squad for the conditions we can expect in Pakistan. There is a strong blend of youth and experience and players who will adapt well to the types of pitches we are likely to get across the three-match series. "I wish the players every success, especially those new to the squad and those returning after a period of time away." England Men's Test squad: Ben Stokes (Durham-captain), James Anderson (Lancashire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Will Jacks (Surrey), Keaton Jennings (Lancashire), Jack Leach (Somerset), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Mark Wood (Durham) England Men's Test Tour of Pakistan Schedule: Three-day warm-up: England v Lions, 23-25 November, Zayed Cricket Complex, Abu Dhabi First Test: Pakistan v England, 1-5 December, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi Second Test: Pakistan v England, 9-13 December, Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan Third Test: Pakistan v England, 17-21 December, National Stadium, Karachi

Sports Bulletin Report Rawalpindi:-Northern defeated Balochistan by 10 wickets, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa versus Central Punjab and ATF Southern Punjab versus Sindh matches ended in draws in the third round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, which ended on Wednesday. Hussain Talat stroked his fourth century in 51 matches as Balochistan, who resumed their second innings at 136 for five and required another 168 runs to make Northern bat again, added 200 runs on the final day to be dismissed for 336 at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. Northern took just 43 balls to race to the 33-run target for their second victory in three matches. Hussain, who had yet to open his account when play ended on Tuesday, scored an unbeaten 115 from 178 balls with 15 fours and two sixes. He added 93 runs for the sixth wicket with Khurram Shahzad (59 from 89 balls with 11 fours) as the last four Balochistan wickets added 107 runs with Hussain dominating the scoring. For Northern, 20-year-old Mubasir Khan, who was adjudged player of the 2021-22 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, followed up his three for 18 with three for 50 for match haul of six wickets for 68 runs. At the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Omair Bin Yousuf scored an unconquered 110 – his sixth career century in 31st match – and young Saim Ayub missed his maiden century by five runs as Sindh held AFT Southern Punjab for a draw. Set a 381-run target and resuming the last day at 57 for no loss, Sindh finished at 326 for seven. Omair’s 110 came off 192 balls and contained 15 fours, while Saim’s 138-ball 95 included 12 fours and two sixes. For AFT Southern Punjab, Mohammad Abbas picked up three for 55, while Ahmed Bashir snapped up two for 53. At the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, defending champion Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Central Punjab match ended in a draw after one-and-a-half day’s play was lost due to rain and wet outfield. After there was no play on the third day, Central Punjab resumed their first innings at 173 for four in reply to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s 220 and the entire side was dismissed for 274. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Khalid Usman and Test off-spinner Sajid Khan snapped up six for 86 and four for 100, respectively. When the match ended, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were 174 for three in their second innings. Sahibzada Farhan raced to his fourth first-class century in 44th match and remained undefeated on 100 that came off 121 balls and included 13 fours and a six. Together with Rehan Afridi (54 not out), Sahibzada Farhan put on 142 runs for the unfinished fourth wicket after Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had slipped to 32 for three. Scores in brief (3rd round, day 4 of 4): AFT Southern Punjab-Sindh match ended in a draw at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi AFT Southern Punjab (overnight 259-7) 278 all-out, 94.3 overs (Usman Salahuddin 89, Umar Siddiq 47, Ali Usman 42, Mohammad Ilyas 39; Abrar Ahmed 5-94, Mohammad Umar 2-51, Mir Hamza 2-52) and (overnight 77-3) 283 all-out, 85.5 overs (Zain Abbas 138, Umar Siddiq 42, Ali Usman 26 not out; Abrar Ahmed 6-100, Ghulam Mudassar 2-59, Mir Hamza 2-64) Sindh 181 all-out, 50.2 overs (Mohammad Umar 59, Saad Khan 36, Fawad Alam 32; Mohammad Ilyas 5-50, Ahmed Bashir 3-31, Mohammad Abbas 2-41) and (overnight 57-0) 326-7 (Omair Bin Yousuf 110 not out, Saim Ayub 95, Saad Khan 44, Saud Shakeel 24, Fawad Alam 22; Mohammad Abbas 3-55, Ahmed Bashir 2-53) Match points: AFT Southern Punjab 13, Sindh 9 Northern beat Balochistan by 10 wickets at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Abbottabad Northern (1st innings) (overnight 347-3) 520-8d, 116 overs (Faizan Riaz 201 not out, Mohammad Huraira 169, Abdul Faseeh 34, Umar Amin 22; Taj Wali 5-91) and 34-0 Balochistan (overnight 108-4) 216 all out, 81.1 overs (Asad Shafiq 53, Hussain Talat 48, Yasir Shah 31, Haris Sohail 26; Mubasir Khan 3-18, Athar Mehmood 2-45, Kashif Ali 2-55, Aamir Jamal 2-67) and (overnight 136-5) 336 (Hussain Talat 115, Khurram Shahzad 59, Ali Waqas 41, Imran Butt 38; Mubasir Khan 3-50) Match points: Northern 26, Balochistan 2 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa v Central Punjab match ended in a draw at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad (no play) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 220 all out, 77.4 overs (Waqar Ahmed 58, Sahibzada Farhan 44, Nabi Gul 40; Usama Mir 6-91, Ahmed Daniyal 3-33) and 174-3 (Sahibzada Farhan 100 not out, Rehan Afridi 54 not out) Central Punjab (overnight 173-4) 274 (Abid Ali 66, Abdullah Shafique 51, Mohammad Saad 37, Tayyab Tahir 33, Ali Shan 22; Khalid Usman 6-86, Sajid Khan 4-100) Match points: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 9, Central Punjab 12

Salman Khan MULTAN: Shiekhpura, Sargodha, Karachi and Multan posted victories in the ongoing National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) T-20 Blind Cricket Trophy 2022 Grade-2in Multan. Shiekhopura beat Quetta by 8 wickets:  (Venue: Sports Complex Stadium) In the morning, Quetta won the toss and elected to bat first. Quetta set the competitive total of 217 runs on the board for the loss of 5 wickets in stipulated 18 overs. Niamat ullah was the top scorer with 110 runs and Shaharyar made 21 runs. Sanwal took 1 wicket for Sheikhopura.  In reply, Shieikhopura chased down the target of 218 runs with ease in 17.1 overs by losing their 2 wickets. Sanwal Shahzada played a superb innings of unbeaten 114* runs.  He was the highest scorer and Mohsin remained not out on 30* runs. Talib and Shahid fetched 1 wicket each for Quetta. Result: Sheikhopura won by 8 wickets Man of the Match: Sanwal Shahzada Sargodha beat Hyderabad by 4 wickets (Venue: M C Cricket Ground) Hyderabad won the toss and decided to bat first. Sargodha’s bowlers bowled outstandingly well and didn’t allow Hyderabad batsmen to set a good target. Hyderabad scored only 125 runs in allotted 20 overs for the loss of 9 wickets. Imran Barohi was the highest scorer with 40 runs. Abdul Maalik claimed 2 wickets while Abdullah and Tanweer shared a wicket apiece. Sargodha in reply reached the small target of 126 runs in 17.1 overs by losing their 6 wickets. Zain Ashraf was the star batsman for Sargodha he scored 50 runs and Tanweer chipped in with 24 runs. Imran, Mohsin and Qadeer took 1 wicket each for Hyderabad.  Result: Sargodha won by 4 wickets Man of the Match: Zain Ashraf Karachi beat Abbottabad by 6 wickets: (Venue: Sports Complex Stadium) Karachi won the toss and asked Abbottabad to take guard. Abbottabad set the competitive target of 185 runs for Karachi by losing their 2 wickets in the allotted 18 overs. Riasat Khan was the top scorer with 74 runs and Naeem Ullah made 66 runs Abbottabad. Rasheed Akbar took 1 wicket. In reply, Karachi achieved the target of 186 runs rapidly in 16 overs for the loss of 4 wickets.  Abdul Wahab Khan was the star batsman, he scored 54 runs and Jandal khan made unbeaten 52* runs for Karachi. Naeem Ullah fetched 1 wicket for Abbottabad  Result: Karachi won by 6 wickets Man of the Match: Abdul Wahab Khan Multan beat Faisalabad by 31 runs: (Venue: Venue: M C Cricket Ground) Faisalabad won the toss and put Multan in to bat first. Multan set a reasonable total of 198 runs on the board for the loss of 4 wickets in stipulated 20 overs. Muhammad Safdar once again shined with the bat and he scored excellent 115 runs while Abdul Razzaq made 36 runs. Ejaz Hussian took 2 wickets. In Reply Faisalabad scored 167 runs in 20 overs for the loss of 8 wickets. Zahid Abbas was the top scorer with 35 runs. Muhammad Safdar, Yousaf, Abdul Razzaq and Saleem claimed 1 wicket each for Multan. Result: Multan won by 31 runs Man of the Match: Muhammad Safdar

Sports Bulletin Report Sylhet (Bangladesh) Omaima Sohail’s maiden five-wicket haul led Pakistan to a five-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the 21st fixture of the ACC Women’s Asia Cup at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium (SICS) on Tuesday afternoon. This was Pakistan’s fifth win from six outings in the tournament. The win also confirms Pakistan finished second on the points table with 10 points. They will now take on Sri Lanka – who finished the table on third position in the second semi-final, which will take place on Thursday, 13 October. The match will be broadcast live on PTV Sports. The toss will take place at 1200 PKT and first ball will be bowled at 1230 PKT. The first semi-final will be played between India and Thailand on the same day in the morning. Earlier, in today’s encounter, the toss was won by Sri Lanka and opted to bat first, after the toss was delayed and match begun after an hour from scheduled time due to rain and wet outfield. The right-arm off-spinner Omaima – who had taken seven wickets from 36 T20Is before today’s match was introduced in the bowling by the captain as a fifth bowler and came into bowl in the eighth over of the innings. She got the wicket in her first over, getting Nilakshi de Silva for naught. In her next two overs, she bagged two wickets each in an over and ended up with match figures of 4-0-13-5. The spin twin of Nida Dar and Tuba Hasan shared three wickets between them, Sri Lanka were dismissed for 112 in the 19th over. For Sri Lanka, their captain Chamari Athapaththu top-scored with a 26-ball 41, which included nine fours. In reply, the opening pair of Muneeba Ali and Sidra Amin provided a 28-run start in 4.1 overs. After the departure of Sidra for run-a-ball 13 which included two fours, Pakistan batters continue to return back to the hut as Pakistan at one point were struggling at 51 for four in 9.2 overs. Nida was joined by Aliya Riaz and the pair added a crucial 45-run partnership for the fifth wicket. After the departure of Aliya (20, 26b, three fours), Ayesha Naseem joined Nida in the middle and helped Pakistan achieved the target on the penultimate ball of the 19th over. The right-handed batter Ayesha scored an unbeaten 16 off five balls, which included two sixes struck in the 19th over to finish the match. Nida returned undefeated on 26 off 28, hitting one four, and knitted 17 runs for the sixth wicket with Ayesha. Scores in brief: Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by five wickets Sri Lanka 112 all out, 18.5 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 41, Oshadi Ranasinghe 26; Omaima Sohail 5-13) Pakistan 113-5, 18.5 overs (Nida Dar 26 not out, Aliya Riaz 20, Ayesha Naseem 16 not out; Kavisha Dilhari 2-16) Player of the match – Omaima Sohail (Pakistan)

Sports Bulletin Report Rawalpindi: AFT Southern Punjab opener Zain Abbas scored his seventh career century and mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed recorded his second 10-wicket haul in a match for Sindh as their Quaid-e-Azam Trophy encounter entered into an exciting stage at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. Zain, playing his 74th first-class match and starting the day at 48 in AFT Southern Punjab’s 77 for three, was dismissed after scoring 138 as his side collected 283 after having already secured a 97-run first innings lead. When stumps were drawn for the third day, Sindh, chasing 381 for victory, were 57 for no wicket. Saim Ayub (43 not out) and Khurram Manzoor (14 not out) will resume their innings on Wednesday morning, with their side needing another 324 for an outright win. Zain batted for just under six hours during which he received 195 balls out of which 13 were converted into fours and two into sixes. Zain added 85 runs for the fifth wicket with Umar Siddiq (42) after AFT Southern Punjab had slipped to 114 for four. Sindh’s Abrar Ahmed continued his top form when he followed up his first innings figures of 37.3-10-94-5 with 31.5-3-100-6 for match figures of 11 for 194. The 23-year-old’s career-best remains 11 for 63 against Balochistan at the UBL Sports Complex in Karachi in November 2021. Abrar, whose overnight figures were one for 29 in his eighth first-class match, accounted for Zain Abbas, Salman Ali Agha (13), Sharoon Siraj (17), Muhammad Imran Randhawa (11), Mohammad Abbas (16) and Ahmed Bashir (0). At the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium in Abbottabad, Northern were sensing a massive victory against Balochistan. Balochistan, resuming their first innings on the penultimate day at 108 for four in reply to Northern’s 520 for eight declared, were bundled out for 216 with Hussain Talat (48) and Yasir Shah (31) notable scorers on Tuesday. Wickets were evenly shared between Mubasir Khan (three for 18), Athar Mehmood (two for 45), Kashif Ali (two for 55) and Aamir Jamal (two for 67). After being forced to follow-on and trailing by 304 runs, Balochistan finished the third day’s play at 136 for five with Khurram Shahzad and Hussain Talat at the crease but yet to get off the mark. Ali Waqas (41) and Imran Butt (38) had provided Balochistan a 59-run start before they slipped to 104 for three and then lost two wickets at the score of 136. Balochistan require another 168 runs to make Northern bat again. Due to wet outfield, there was no play between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Central Punjab at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. Scores in brief (3rd round, day 3 of 4) At the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi AFT Southern Punjab (overnight 259-7) 278 all-out, 94.3 overs (Usman Salahuddin 89, Umar Siddiq 47, Ali Usman 42, Mohammad Ilyas 39; Abrar Ahmed 5-94, Mohammad Umar 2-51, Mir Hamza 2-52) and (overnight 77-3) 283 all-out, 85.5 overs (Zain Abbas 138, Umar Siddiq 42, Ali Usman 26 not out; Abrar Ahmed 6-100, Ghulam Mudassar 2-59, Mir Hamza 2-64) Sindh 181 all-out, 50.2 overs (Mohammad Umar 59, Saad Khan 36, Fawad Alam 32; Mohammad Ilyas 5-50, Ahmed Bashir 3-31, Mohammad Abbas 2-41) and 57-0, 17 overs (Saim Ayub 43 not out, Khurram Manzoor 14 not out) First innings points – AFT Southern Punjab 8 (2 batting points, 3 bowling, extra bowling bonus points 3); Sindh 4 (3 bowling points, extra bowling bonus point 1) At the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Abbottabad Northern (1st innings) (overnight 347-3) 520-8d, 116 overs (Faizan Riaz 201 not out, Mohammad Huraira 169, Abdul Faseeh 34, Umar Amin 22; Taj Wali 5-91) Balochistan (overnight 108-4) 216 all out, 81.1 overs (Asad Shafiq 53, Hussain Talat 48, Yasir Shah 31, Haris Sohail 26; Mubasir Khan 3-18, Athar Mehmood 2-45, Kashif Ali 2-55, Aamir Jamal 2-67) and 136-5, 32 overs (Ali Waqas 41, Imran Butt 38) First innings points – Northern 10 (5 batting points, 3 bowling point, 2 extra bowling bonus points); Balochistan 2 (1 batting point, 1 bowling point) At the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad (no play) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 220 all out, 77.4 overs (Waqar Ahmed 58, Sahibzada Farhan 44, Nabi Gul 40; Usama Mir 6-91, Ahmed Daniyal 3-33) Central Punjab (overnight 24-0) 173-4, 65 overs ((Abid Ali 66, Abdullah Shafique 51, Ali Shan 22; Khalid Usman 3-52) First innings points (to date) – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 2 (1 batting point, 1 bowling point); Central Punjab 5 (3 bowling points, 2 extra bowling bonus points)

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI:-Faizan Riaz did one better than the previous innings as he put Northern in a commanding position against Balochistan on the second day of the third round Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium in Abbottabad. 34-year-old Faizan, who had scored 119 in his only innings in the second round match against Sindh, scored an unconquered 201 after starting the day at 100 in Northern’s overnight score of 347 for three. Faizan’s over six hours of batting during which he faced 216 balls and hit 27 fours and a six, meant Northern were able to declare their first innings at 520 for eight. When play ended, Balochistan were tottering at 108 for four with Haris Sohail (26) and Hussain Hussain (9) at the crease. Captain Asad Shafiq scored 53 before becoming one of the two victims of Kashif Ali (two for 35). Balochistan had something to cheer on Monday when their 31-year-old fast bowler Taj Wali completed a five-wicket haul for the 19th time in his 71-match career. Taj, who yesterday had figures of three for 60, finished with figures of 23-2-91-5. AFT Southern Punjab fast bowler Mohammad Ilyas recorded figures of 15-5-50-5, Ahmed Bashir picked up three for 31 and Mohammad Abbas snapped up two for 41 to send Sindh tumbling out for 181 at the Pindi Cricket Stadium. Sindh were replying to AFT Southern Punjab’s 278, who managed to add 19 runs to their overnight score of 259 for seven. Mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed picked up two of the last three AFT Southern Punjab wickets to finish with impressive figures of 37.3-10-94-5, third time the 23-year-old had taken a five-fer in his eight-match career. Sindh’s Mohammad Umar (59), Saad Khan (36) and Fawad Alam (32) offered some resistance against Ilyas, Ahmed and Abbas as the three ATF Southern Punjab bowlers fully exploited conditions that suited fast bowlers. AFT Southern Punjab now lead Sindh by 174 runs with seven second innings wickets intact. Early afternoon rain spoilt what was shaping into an exciting contest at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. Central Punjab, resuming their first innings at 24 for no loss in reply to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s 220, were 173 for four when rain forced an early closure to the day’s play. Abid Ali top-scored with 66, while Abdullah Shafique scored 51. For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Khalid Usman took three for 52. Scores in brief (3rd round, day 2 of 4) Toss uncontested – Sindh decided to field v AFT Southern Punjab at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi AFT Southern Punjab (overnight 259-7) 278 all out, 94.3 overs (Usman Salahuddin 89, Umar Siddiq 47, Ali Usman 42, Mohammad Ilyas 39; Abrar Ahmed 5-94, Mohammad Umar 2-51, Mir Hamza 2-58) and 77-3, 20 overs (Zain Abbas 48 not out; Ghulam Mudassar 2-17) Sindh 181 all out, 50.2 overs (Mohammad Umar 59, Saad Khan 36, Fawad Alam 32; Mohammad Ilyas 5-50, Ahmed Bashir 3-31, Mohammad Abbas 2-41) First innings points – AFT Southern Punjab 8 (2 batting points, 3 bowling, extra bowling bonus points 3); Sindh 4 (3 bowling points, extra bowling bonus point 1) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa won the toss and elected to bat v Central Punjab at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 220 all out, 77.4 overs (Waqar Ahmed 58, Sahibzada Farhan 44, Nabi Gul 40; Usama Mir 6-91, Ahmed Daniyal 3-33) Central Punjab (overnight 24-0) 173-4, 65 overs (Abid Ali 66, Abdullah Shafique 51, Ali Shan 22; Khalid Usman 3-52) First innings points (to date) – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 2 (1 batting point, 1 bowling point); Central Punjab 5 (3 bowling points, 2 extra bowling bonus points) Toss uncontested –Balochistan decided to field v Northern at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Abbottabad Northern (1st innings) (overnight 347-3) 520-8d, 116 overs (Faizan Riaz 201 not out, Mohammad Huraira 169, Sarmad Bhatti 39, Abdul Faseeh 34, Umar Amin 22; Taj Wali 5-91, Akif Javed 3-146) Balochistan 108-4, 34.4 overs (Asad Shafiq 53, Haris Sohail 26 not out; Kashif Ali 2-35) First innings points (to date) – Northern 6 (5 batting points, 1 bowling point); Balochistan 1 (1 bowling point)

Salman Khan MULTAN: Faisalabad, Abbottabad, Multan and Quetta have won their matches on the opening day of the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) T-20 Blind Cricket Trophy Grade-2 at two different venues of Multan. Sail Abbas Business Head NBP, Sail Abbas inaugurated the event. Syed Sultan Shah, Chairman PBCC, Syed Salman Tariq Bukhari Director PBCC were also the other dignitaries present on the occasion. Faisalabad beat Sargodha by 42 runs: (Venue: Sports Complex Stadium) In the morning, Sargodha won the toss and put Faisalabad in to bat first. Faisalabad set the competitive total of 202 runs on the board for the loss of 9 wickets in stipulated 20 overs. Ejaz Hussain was the top scorer with unbeaten 72 not out runs and Bilal Ali made brisk 57 runs. Abdul Maalik and Abdullah took 1 wicket each for Sargodha.  In reply, Sargodha chasing 203 was able to score 160 runs in the allocated 20 overs for the loss of 7 wickets. Gul Sher was their top scorer with 54 runs and Mohammad Tanweer made 39 runs. Hamza Mehboob took 2 wickets while Ejaz Hussain fetched 1 wicket for Faisalabad. Result: Faisalabad won by 42 runs Man of the Match: Bilal Ali Abbottabad beat Sheikhopura by 5 wickets (Venue: M C Cricket Ground) Abbottabad won the toss and decided to bowl first. Sheikhopura made 177 runs in allotted 20 overs for the loss of 7 wickets. Sanwal Shahzada was the top scorer with 60 runs and Mohsin made 28 runs. Riasat, Arslan and Adeel claimed a wicket apiece. Abbottabad in reply chased down the target of 178 runs with ease in just 18.1 overs by losing their 5 wickets. Riasat Khan was the highest scorer with unbeaten 50 not out runs. Sanwal and Ahmed took 1 wicket each for Sheikhopura.  Result: Abbottabad won by 5 wickets Man of the Match: Riasat Khan Multan beat Hyderabad by 5 wickets: (Venue: Sports Complex Stadium) Mohammad Safdar’s superb innings of unbeaten 125 not out runs helped Multan to rout Hyderabad by 5 wickets. Multan won the toss and put Hyderabad into bat first. Hyderabad set the target of 194 runs for Multan by losing their 2 wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Amjad Hussain was their top scorer with 73 runs and Imran Barohi chipped in with 42 runs. In reply, Multan reached the target of 194 rapidly in 17 overs for the loss of 5 wickets.  Mohammad Safdar shined with the bat, he scored unbeaten 125 not out runs. Mohsin, Hussain Bax and Ubaidullah shared 1 wicket each. Result: Multan won by 5 wickets Man of the Match: Mohammad Safdar Quetta beat Karachi by 7 runs: (Venue: Venue: M C Cricket Ground) Quetta won the toss and elected to bat first. Quetta set a reasonable total of 198 runs on the board without any loss in stipulated 20 overs. Niamat Ullah’s bat swung wildly and he scored unbeaten 96 not out runs while Mohammad Saleem made 66 not out runs. In Reply Karachi scored 191 runs in 20 overs for the loss of 8 wickets. Jandal Khan was the top scorer with 81 runs. Shahid took 2 wickets and Saleem claimed 1 wicket. Result: Quetta won by 7 runs Man of the Match: Niamat Ullah

BIPIN DANI Sri Lankan team won the Asia Cup in the UAE last month and the felicitation of the team members will also continue in Australia, where the team is now to participate in the T-20I World Cup. The Champions of Asia will be felicitated on October 11.      "It is an official function of the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and hosted by the Sri Lanka Cricket Melbourne Association, Roshan D'Cruz, one of the committee members of the association said over the telephone. "Malik Zaveer, who is SLC's representative in Australia has invited the entire Sri Lankan team here and a Gala Dinner is hosted". "It will be an opportunity for the Sri Lankans living in Australia to interact with the Champions and seek their autographs", D'Cruz added. "We have also invited Mahela Jayawarndene, who is the consultant for the team and also Lasith Malinga, the former fast bowler, who has been working with the promising fast bowlers". Malinga is believed to have his second home in Australia and has just returned from Sri Lanka. The invitees have been asked to come in formal dress code. Felicitating the Sri Lankan team is the only official function for the team before and during the World Cup.  There was also a special plan to felicitate Maheesh Theekshana on last Thursday (October 6). The past students of Colombo's St. Benedict's College, who are now living in Australia had organised a felicitation function for Maheesh Theekshana, who also studied in the saame college. However, the ceremony had to be cancelled at the last minute, it is learnt.