Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: The sixth round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23 brought Balochistan their second win in the ongoing edition, thanks to Yasir Shah’s spellbinding display of leg-spin bowling which garnered him his fifth match haul of 10 wickets as title defenders Khyber Pakhtunkhwa crashed to a seven-wicket defeat. This was Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s fourth defeat in six matches, meaning their hopes of winning the third title in a row are almost extinguished. They are at the bottom of the points table, as they have been for the majority of the season, and their other two contests have ended in draws. Fourth-ranked Balochistan, on the other hand, closed the gap with second-placed Sindh. Eleven points separate the two sides with Central Punjab, whose all six matches have ended in draws, placed third. Northern, meanwhile, after being rescued by Rohail Nazir’s superlative 149 are the only team to have gathered more than 100 points and are placed first with 101 points. In their match against Southern Punjab, Northern faced a real possibility of being forced to follow-on, but the former Pakistan U19 captain batted his team out of trouble. Southern Punjab, placed fifth, had three centurions in the match. While Umer Siddiq and Salman Ali Agha made centuries in the first innings, Usman Salahuddin scored tons in both innings. Their teammate Mohammad Abbas breached the 600-first-class-wicket mark during his first five-wicket haul in the tournament. Aamer Yamin displayed his all-round credentials for Central Punjab against Sindh, as he begun the match with a five-wicket haul and topped it up with four more scalps in the second, scoring a half-century in between. Sindh’s Saad Khan smashed his first century of the season, making 161. His teammate, Abrar Ahmed, continued to bamboozle the batters with his mystery spin. He took four wickets in the first innings and bowled 10 overs in the second, which lasted 37. In the seventh round, which commences Wednesday, Sindh stay at the Pindi Cricket Stadium to host Southern Punjab at the Pindi Cricket Stadium. The contest will be beamed through PCB’s YouTube channel. Balochistan travel to Abbottabad from Multan to play Northern. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Central Punjab lock horns at the LCCA Ground in Lahore. Top performers: Experienced Test batter Azhar Ali now has the most runs for the tournament with 580 at a handsome average of 96.67 and is followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Sahibzada Farhan who is second on the list with 558 runs at 50.73 after his second-innings half-century against Balochistan. Southern Punjab’s Usman Salahuddin’s twin hundreds against Northern in Abbottabad has lifted him to third spot with 545 runs at an average of 60.56. The other two batters with more than 500 runs are Abdullah Shafique (537 at 67.13) and Hussain Talat (511 at 51.10). There are no points for guessing the bowler with most wickets in the tournament as Abrar Ahmed’s sensational run has him 10 wickets clear of the joint second best bowlers on the list. The 24-year-old Sindh bowler has now accumulated 32 wickets at 19.06 despite playing only four matches. He has two four-fers, one of them coming in the last match, and four five-wicket hauls. Central Punjab’s Mohammad Ali and Northern’s Mubasir Khan are locked on the second spot with 22 wickets each. Ali has recorded two five-fers, while Mubasir’s only five-wicket haul of the tournament came against Southern Punjab in the last round. Right-arm medium fast bowlers Mohammad Umar of Sindh and Ihsanullah of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are fourth and fifth on the list with 18 and 17 scalps.

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: Yasir Shah’s fifth 10-wicket haul for the match handed Balochistan their second win of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23 as they defeated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by seven wicket at the Multan Cricket Stadium on the fourth and final day of round six. The Test leg-spinner recorded his second five-wicket haul in the match by adding three more scalps to his tally on Sunday. He returned five for 115 as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - after fighting 92 and 61 from Kamran Ghulam and Sahibzada Farhan - were bowled out for 324, setting 53-run target. In the first innings, Yasir had taken five wickets for 57. Balochistan overhauled the target in 4.2 overs as Haseebullah made 16-ball 23 and Abdul Wahid Bangalzai smashed two fours and a six in his unbeaten 12-ball 16. The other two contests in the round ended in draw. Wicketkeeper Rohail Nazir’s fascinating 149 helped Northern avoid a follow-on. Northern began the day with only one wicket in hand and had to score 33 more runs to avoid being asked to bat for the second time in the match. Rohail, yesterday, had scored this third first-class century and was unbeaten on 100. He added 49 to his score. Overall, he hit 23 fours and two sixes in his 297-ball innings and with his dismissal, Northern’s innings ended at the score of 388. Another Northern youngster outshone in the match as Mubasir Khan – the player of the tournament in the last edition of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy – picked up five wickets for 115 as Southern Punjab ended the day and match on 261 for seven. Mubasir now has joint second most wickets (22 with Mohammad Ali of Central Punjab) in the tournament and is the leading bowler for Northern. Usman Salahuddin made his second century of the match – his 26th overall – as he returned unbeaten on 100 off 154 (10 fours and a six), while Hasan Ali’s bat continued to smash boundaries. The Southern Punjab captain spanked 57 off 39 – in which he hit five sixes and four fours. He had smashed 38-ball 52 (again five sixes and four fours) in the first innings. Aamir Yamin topped up his first innings five-wicket haul with four for 73 as the contest between Central Punjab and Sindh at the Pindi Cricket Stadium also ended in a draw. Saad Khan converted his overnight 139 into 161 as Sindh were bowled out for 219 in 113.3 overs. Central Punjab batted for 37 overs in which they lost two wickets for 90. Abid Ali made 42 and Azhar Ali was unbeaten on 29. Scores in brief: Balochistan beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by seven wickets at the Multan Cricket Stadium Balochistan 487-7d, 142.3 overs (Hussain Talat 112, Haseebullah 100 not out, Asad Shafiq 88, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 59, Haris Sohail 42, Imam-ul-Haq 33; Sajid Khan 3-155) and 53-3, 4.2 overs (Haseebullah 23, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 16 not out; Ihsanullah 2-35) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 215 all out, 64.1 overs (Sajid Khan 68, Sahibzada Farhan 62, Waqar Ahmed 24; Yasir Shah 5-54, Akif Javed 3-59) and 324 all out, 106.1 overs (Kamran Ghulam 92, Sahibzada Farhan 61, Mohammad Sarwar Afridi 43 not out, Waqar Ahmed 36, Rehan Afridi 36, Israrullah 31; Yasir Shah 5-105, Kashif Bhatti 3-59, Akif Javed 2-64) Match drawn between Northern and Southern Punjab at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium Southern Punjab 566-7d, 122 overs (Usman Salahuddin 126, Umar Siddiq 117, Salman Ali Agha 103 not out, Hasan Ali 53, Ali Usman 38 not out, Muhammad Imran 29; Kashif Ali 2-110, Athar Mehmood 2-158) and 261-7, 58.4 overs (Usman Salahuddin 100 not out, Hasan Ali 57, Muhammad Imran 43, Sharoon Siraj 32; Mubasir Khan 5-115, Kashif Ali 2-30) Northern 338 all out, 117 overs (Rohail Nazir 149, Mohammad Huraira 39, Nauman Ali 38, Aamir Jamal 28; Mohammad Abbas 5-85, Sameen Gul 3-56) Match drawn between Central Punjab and Sindh at the Pindi Cricket Stadium Sindh 188 all out, 56 overs (Saad Khan 29, Saim Ayub 26, Zahid Mehmood 24, Muhammad Umar 23, Sarfaraz Ahmed 22; Aamer Yamin 5-54) and 419 all out, 113.3 overs (Saad Khan 161, Fawad Alam 83, Faraz Ali 34, Sarfaraz Ahmed 33, Mir Hamza 24, Abrar Ahmed 20; Aamer Yamin 4-73, Qasim Akram 2-51, Ahmed Daniyal 2-88) Central Punjab 305 all out, 95.5 overs (Aamer Yamin 63, Ali Shan 55 not out, Azhar Ali 48, Qasim Akram 47, Abid Ali 44; Abrar Ahmed 4-82, Muhammad Umar 3-63, Mir Hamza 2-69) and 90-2, 37 overs (Abid Ali 42, Azhar Ali 29 not out)

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: At the halfway stage of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23, Sindh, who sit at the second spot with 74 points from five matches, have their eyes set on what would be their first final since the introduction of a better and more competitive domestic cricket structure in 2019. On Monday, they recorded their second win on the bounce as they rolled over Balochistan in a commanding 10-wicket win, thanks to outstanding spells from fast bowler Ghulam Mudassar and mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed – the two registered five-wicket hauls in the first and second innings respectively. That Abrar – who stretched his blistering form to the third match with his fourth five-fer in six innings – had runs on the board to play with was because of his captain. Sindh were struggling at 61 for three in reply of Balochistan’s 269 and seemed on course for a below-par score, before Saud Shakeel pushed back the opposition with a defiant century that eventually put his side 121 runs ahead and paved way for a comfortable chase of 70 on the final day. Sindh made 390 and Saud scored almost 50 per cent of those runs on his way to his career-best first-class score of 187 not out. This was his second successive hundred while he scored the first of his three tons this season against Northern in Faisalabad three weeks back with a gritty 158. The left-hander had scored 13 centuries before this game in his brief 53-match first-class career, but what turned this innings into one of his best works was how he anchored his team back into the match. Saud soaks pressure amidst collapses and he is the only batter in the ongoing edition of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy to have faced more than a thousand balls (1,077 to be precise). Realising the need to wear out the opposition as he rebuild the innings, Saud batted for 387 balls, stitching partnerships worth 99 with Fawad Alam (51), 107 with Muhammad Umar (44) and 70 with Ghulam. The latter half of his magnificent innings stands out the most as he added 186 runs with the tail (batters from nine till 11) that lay an emphasis on how he can command an innings despite lack of support from the other end, something integral for middle-order batters. “The key is to stick with the process and have faith,” said Saud, 27, after his side’s victory yesterday. “I follow a set process and have belief in my hard work. Rather than focusing on the uncontrollable, I focus on my process and that is reaping rewards.” He is the best batter amongst non-Test players this edition with 486 runs at an average of almost 70. Overall, he is third on the list of the batters with most runs behind Central Punjab’s duo of Abdullah Shafique (531) and Azhar Ali (503). He is one of the three players – Azhar and Tayyab Tahir being the other two – to have smashed three centuries this season. Being a part of the national squad over the past few seasons has provided him access to plethora of batting knowledge with Mohammad Yousuf as the batting coach of the men’s side and over the national side’s assignments, Saud has made sure he makes the most of it. “There’s always room for fine-tuning and the presence of Mohammad Yousuf has helped me in that regard. He is one of the greatest batters this country has ever produced and he provides me guidelines on how I can continue to excel as a batter.” Saud made his first-class debut for Karachi Region Whites in October 2015 and is an ardent proponent of the format. When asked to reflect on the impact of longer-format on his career, Saud spoke how it provides a 360-degree evolution to a cricketer. “First-class cricket has played an integral role in my development as a cricketer and I believe every youngster should play first-class cricket,” he said. “This format tests you. You are challenged every day – physically and mentally every session. My suggestion to every youngster is to attach the same level of importance with first-class cricket that you attach with T20.   Sindh missed out securing a berth in the final of the previous Quaid-e-Azam Trophy edition by seven points to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This edition,  they have defeated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and have emerged as one of the contenders to play the final as their brilliant run in the 2022-23 season continues that started by bagging the National T20. Saud credits his bowling unit for his side’s strong showing. “This bowling attack is making my life easy as a captain,” he said. “The most important bit in winning a first-class match is the ability to take all 20 opposition wickets and that is something which we had been lacking in the last seasons. This year, I have a solid bowling line-up. “Abrar Ahmed has been good in the three matches he has played and he is the leading wicket-taker. Mir Hamza is also amongst the top wicket-takers. Ghulam Mudassar, playing his first [second] game, chipped in. Muhammad Umar continues to improve day by day and Asif is providing us breakthroughs at crucial moments.” While his bowlers have stepped up this season, Sindh will continue to look at their captain to deliver with the bat at crunch situations as he did in Rawalpindi over the weekend as they aim for a maiden Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final under the competitive six-team structure.

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: A spellbinding performance by Abrar Ahmed handed Sindh their second consecutive win in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23 as they defeated Balochistan by 10 wickets at the Pindi Cricket Stadium. The mystery spinner took four wickets on the last day of the fifth round to record his fourth five-wicket haul in six innings after he had dismissed Abdul Wahid Bangalzai on Sunday. Abrar returned five for 49. With 28 wickets at a brilliant average of 17.68, Abrar continues to be the leading wicket-taker this season as his extraordinary first-class run continues. Balochistan, who trailed Sindh by 121 runs at the start of their second innings yesterday, were bowled out for 190 after beginning the proceedings on 56 for three. Kashif Bhatti, who batted at number eight, top-scored with 37 and his captain Asad Shafiq was the next best performer with the bat with 67-ball 31. Openers Omair Bin Yousuf and Saim Ayub steered Sindh to the 70-run target safely, scoring 22 not out and 48 not out respectively. The Punjab Derby ended in a draw at the Multan Cricket Stadium following a remarkable fightback by centurion Salman Ali Agha and Azam Khan, who made 73. Southern Punjab began the final day on 80 for two and had a second innings trail of 42 to surmount. Salman and Azam struck a 169-run partnership for the fifth wicket that brought Southern Punjab back in the game. Salman made 103 off 169 and Azam made 78 off 130 as Southern Punjab made 330 for eight before stumps were drawn. Mohammad Ali will remember the Multan Cricket Stadium for a long time as the right-arm pacer recorded his second fiver-fer of the match, returning five for 71. Scores in brief: Sindh beat Balochistan by 10 wickets at the Pindi Cricket Stadium Balochistan 269 all out, 90.5 overs (Haseebullah 67, Imran Butt 60, Hussain Talat 55, Haris Sohail 50, Asad Shafiq 27; Ghulam Mudassar 5-73, Abrar Ahmed 3-93, Muhammad Umar 2-36) and 190 all out, 64.3 overs (Kashif Bhatti 37, Asad Shafiq 31, Haris Sohail 26, Haseebullah 26, Imran Butt 24; Abrar Ahmed 5-49, Asif Mehmood 3-30) Sindh 390 all out, 123 overs (Saud Shakeel 187 not out, Fawad Alam 51, Muhammad Umar 44; Asad Shafiq 2-37, Kashif Bhatti 2-48, Khurram Shahzad 2-92) and 74-0, 10.3 overs (Saim Ayub 48 not out, Omair Bin Yousuf 22 not out) Match drawn between Southern Punjab and Central Punjab at the Multan Cricket Stadium Central Punjab 302 all out, 92.5 overs (Faheem Ashraf 87, Azhar Ali 61, Mohammad Saad 44; Sameen Gul 4-67, Mohammad Sadaqat 3-67, Mohammad Ilyas 2-61) and 274-3, 57 overs (Abdullah Shafique 114 not out, Azhar Ali 108, Tayyab Tahir 22) Southern Punjab 200 all out, 50 overs (Muhammad Imran 71, Zain Abbas 46, Ali Usman 43; Mohammad Ali 6-59, Faheem Ashraf 2-37, Umaid Asif 2-57) and 330-8, 103 overs (Salman Ali Agha 103, Azam Khan 78, Umar Siddiq 36, Usman Salahuddin 28, Muhammad Imran 20; Mohammad Ali 5-71, Umaid Asif 2-100)

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: Athar Mehmood’s splendid figures of six for 40 engineered Northern’s dominating nine-wicket win over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on day three of what was the fifth-round encounter of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23 at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. This was Northern’s third win of the season and has furthered consolidated their position at the top of the six-team points table. After Northern scored 249 in reply of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s 175 yesterday, the latter began the day with a trail of 56 with nine wickets in hand. But a brilliant display of fast bowling from Athar bowled out Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for just 121 runs as the right-armer accounted for Sajid Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Sarwar Afridi, Imran Khan Snr and Ihsanullah after he had sent back Waqar Ahmed in the closing moments of day two. This was Athar’s maiden five-wicket haul. Northern – set 48 to win - chased the target in 20.1 overs. Sindh captain Saud Shakeel converted his overnight 30 into his third century of the season. The left-hander was unbeaten on 187 off 387 balls and smashed 20 fours as Sindh scored 390 in 123 overs. The innings handed Sindh a 121-run lead over Balochistan, who find themselves in a precarious situation after losing three wickets for just 56 runs in 22 overs. Southern Punjab were stuttering in their pursuit of 377 as they had lost two wickets for 80. Usman Salahuddin and Sharoon Siraj batted at 20 and 12 after opening pair of Umar Siddiq (36) and Zain Abbas (11) was dismissed by Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Ali, who recorded his fifth first-class five-fer yesterday. Splendid centuries from Abdullah Shafique and Azhar Ali saw Central Punjab post 274 for three at a run rate of nearly five in 57 overs after the day began with the batting side on four for none. Abdullah smashed 15 fours in his unbeaten 168-ball 114 and Azhar struck 12 fours and a six in his 126-ball 108. Scores in brief: Northern beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by nine wickets at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 175, 38.5 overs (Waqar Ahmed 35, Sajid Khan 27, Imran Khan Snr 25, Sahibzada Farhan 21, Mohammad Sarwar Afridi 20; Aamir Jamal 5-38, Athar Mehmood 3-95) and 121 all out, 37 overs (Rehan Afridi 29, Sajid Khan 21; Athar Mehmood 6-40, Mehran Mumtaz 2-20, Kashif Ali 2-40) Northern 249 all out, 61.2 overs (Sarmad Bhatti 114, Faizan Riaz 22; Ihsanullah 5-70, Imran Khan Snr 3-70) and 48-1, 20.1 overs (Mohammad Huraira 23, Abdul Faseeh 21 not out) Toss uncontested – Sindh opt to field against Balochistan at the Pindi Cricket Stadium Balochistan 269 all out, 90.5 overs (Haseebullah 67, Imran Butt 60, Hussain Talat 55, Haris Sohail 50, Asad Shafiq 27; Ghulam Mudassar 5-73, Abrar Ahmed 3-93, Mohammad Umar 2-36) and 56-3, 22 overs (Imran Butt 24) Sindh 390 all out, 123 overs (Saud Shakeel 187 not out, Fawad Alam 51, Mohammad Umar 44; Asad Shafiq 2-37, Kashif Bhatti 2-48, Khurram Shahzad 2-92) Toss uncontested – Southern Punjab opt to field against Central Punjab at the Multan Cricket Stadium Central Punjab 302 all out, 92.5 overs (Faheem Ashraf 87, Azhar Ali 61, Mohammad Saad 44; Sameen Gul 4-67, Mohammad Sadaqat 3-67, Mohammad Ilyas 2-61) and 274-3, 57 overs (Abdullah Shafique 114 not out, Azhar Ali 108, Tayyab Tahir 22) Southern Punjab 200 all out, 50 overs (Mohammad Imran 71, Zain Abbas 46, Ali Usman 43; Mohammad Ali 6-59, Faheem Ashraf 2-37, Umaid Asif 2-57) and 80-2, 27 overs (Umar Siddiq 36, Usman Salahuddin 20 not out)

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: All-rounder Aamir Jamal recorded his first-class career’s second five-wicket haul on the first day of the fifth round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23 returning five for 38 for Northern against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. The right-armer accounted for Kamran Ghulam, Adil Amin, Mohammad Sarwar Afridi, Imran Khan Snr and Irfanullah Shah as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were bowled out for 175 in just 38.5 overs. Northern captain’s decision to not to contest the toss and opt for bowling paid dividends as the top-score in the innings was only 35 from opener Waqar Ahmed. Northern’s Athar Mehmood took three wickets for 95. Northern, who already dominate the six-team points table, bagged six points (three for bowling out the opposition inside 100 overs and other three for restricting them under 200). At the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Balochistan were 256 for five in 83.3 overs against Sindh as Imran Butt (60), Haseebullah (57 not out), Hussain Talat (54 not out) and Haris Sohail (50) scored half-centuries. The pair of Haseebullah and Hussain had put together 108-run stand for the sixth wicket by stumps. Mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed was amongst the wicket-takers once again. He took three wickets for 93 and Ghulam Mudassar had taken two wickets for 69. The first day of the Punjab Derby at the Multan Cricket Stadium saw Faheem Ashraf and Azhar Ali score half-centuries after Southern Punjab elected to bowl. Faheem Ashraf was unbeaten on 67, while Azhar made 61 before he was dismissed by Mohammad Sadaqat. Sadaqat and Mohammad Ilyas took two wickets each as Central Punjab were 244 for six after 79 overs. Scores in brief: Toss uncontested – Northern opt to field against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 175, 38.5 overs (Waqar Ahmed 35, Sajid Khan 27, Imran Khan Snr 25, Sahibzada Farhan 21, Mohammad Sarwar Afridi 20; Aamir Jamal 5-38, Athar Mehmood 3-95) Toss uncontested – Sindh elect to opt against Balochistan at the Pindi Cricket Stadium Balochistan 256-5, 83.3 overs (Imran Butt 60, Haseebullah 57 not out, Hussain Talat 54 not out, Haris Sohail 50; Abrar Ahmed 3-93, Ghulam Mudassar 2-69) Toss uncontested – Southern Punjab opt to field against Central Punjab at the Multan Cricket Stadium Central Punjab 244-6, 79 overs (Faheem Ashraf 67 not out, Azhar Ali 61, Mohammad Saad 44; Mohammad Ilyas 2-41, Mohammad Sadaqat 2-52)

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: The fifth round action of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23 will commence from tomorrow, 21 October, at three different venues of the country with Northern leading the table with 68 points. Defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are sitting at the bottom with 26 points. In the fifth round, Northern will take on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. At the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi, fourth-placed Balochistan will take on second-placed Sindh. This match will be live-streamed on PCB YouTube channel. The third fixture of the round will be a Punjab derby, Central Punjab – who occupy the third spot – will take on fifth-placed Southern Punjab. Central Punjab’s right-handed batter Tayyab Tahir leads the batting chart with 449 runs from four matches at an average of 112.25. Tayyab has struck three centuries, which included 39 fours and 11 sixes. Tayyab’s teammate Abdullah Shafique, who has represented Pakistan in 11 international matches, is second on the batting chart, scoring 412 runs from four outings in the tournament at an average of 82.40. Abdullah has till date struck one century and two half-centuries in the tournament. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Sahibzada Farhan and Northern’s Faizan Riaz are the other two batters to score 400 runs in the competition so far. In the bowling chart, Sindh’s mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed leads the roster with 20 scalps from two matches. He has one four-fer and three five-fers from the four innings with six for 100 being his best figures in an innings this season. He was the standout bowler for Sindh in their comprehensive 10-wicket win over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the fourth round match at the Pindi Cricket Stadium. Abrar’s teammate left-arm fast Mir Hamza occupies the third spot with 13 wickets from three matches. Between Abrar and Hamza is Northern’s right-arm off-spinner Mubasir Khan, who has taken 17 wickets from four games including a four-fer. Meanwhile, three matches in the fifth round of Cricket Associations Championship will also be played from tomorrow at three different venues in Karachi. Central Punjab continue to lead the points table with 75 points, bagging three wins from four outings. They will take on fourth-placed Southern Punjab at the NBP Sports Complex. Second-placed Sindh (59 points) will square off against third-placed Balochistan (55 points) at the KCCA Stadium. The two sides ranked at the bottom – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Northern will play against each other at the UBL Sports Complex. Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (fifth round matches, 21-24 October): Khyber Pakhtunkhwa v Northern, Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Abbottabad Central Punjab v Southern Punjab, Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan Balochistan v Sindh, Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: Mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed continued to make headlines when he bowled Sindh to a sensational 10-wicket victory over defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) on the fourth and last day of the fourth round Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23 in front of PCB cameras. Abrar, the bespectacled 24-year-old Karachi-born spinner, followed up his first innings figures of 39.2-9-130-4 with 19-9-29-5 as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were mesmerised and spun out for a paltry 108 in 46.2 overs at the Pindi Cricket Stadium. Sindh achieved the three-run victory target in the first over to notched up their first victory of the season. Earlier, Sindh, replying to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s first innings score of 384, were dismissed after adding one run to their overnight score of 489 for nine to earn a 106-run first innings lead. But as the match appeared to head for a draw, Abrar demonstrated why he is one of the finest and highly-rated spinner in the circuit when he bamboozled the middle-order that slipped from 38 for one to 108 all-out. Abrar accounted for Sahibzada Farhan (12), Kamran Ghulam (0), Nabi Gul (4), Arshadullah (6) and Imran Khan Snr (4). This was Abrar’s second match of the season. In his opening match against ATF Southern Punjab, Abrar had recorded match figures of 11 for 194. Abrar now has 20 wickets in two matches, with Sindh’s fifth round match against Balochistan at the Pindi Cricket Stadium. Overall, Abrar has claimed 53 wickets in nine first-class matches. Abrar was well supported by Mohammad Umar, who claimed three wickets for 17 runs to finish the match with seven for 104. At the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, Central Punjab’s Ahmad Safi Abdullah returned figures of 50-12-132-6 but his side’ match against Northern ended into a high-scoring draw. Northern, replying to Central Punjab’s 509 for nine declared and resuming at 425 for four, were 651 for nine when match ended. Northern’s Sarmad Bhatti, who had started the day at 102, was dismissed after scoring 140 (345 balls, 15x4), while Mubasir Khan, who was 70 overnight, scored 79 (127 balls, 10x4, 1x6). On Tuesday, Aamir Jamal scored 80 not out (146 balls, 11x4, 1x6) and Nauman Ali contributed 69 (102 balls, 11x4) as the two batters added 120 runs for the eighth wicket. At the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, the match between Balochistan and ATF Southern Punjab also ended in a draw. After securing a 16-run first innings lead and resuming the day at 36 for one, Balochistan were 295 for six when play ended. Haris Sohail was 133 not out, his 14th first-class century, and added 106 runs for the fifth wicket with Husain Talat (31). Haris, who faced 188 balls and struck 16 fours and four sixes, also put on 47 runs for the fourth wicket with Abdul Wahid Bangalzai (65). Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (fourth round, day four): Sindh beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 10 wickets at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 384, 115.2 overs (Mohammad Sarwar Afridi 148, Kamran Ghulam 93, Sahibzada Farhan 53, Rehan Afridi 47; Mohammad Umar 4-87, Abrar Ahmed 4-130, Mir Hamza 2-51) and 108 all-out (Ashfaq Ahmed 37, Rehan Afridi 28; Abrar Ahmed 5-29, Mohammad Umar 3-17) Sindh (overnight 489-9) 490 all-out, 138 overs (Khurram Manzoor 116, Saud Shakeel 105, Omair Bin Yousuf 105, Mohammad Hasan 47 not out, Saim Ayub 42, Asif Mahmood 31; Ihsanullah 3-109, Sajid Khan 3-127) and 4-0 Match points: Sindh 21 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 4 Central Punjab drew with Northern at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad Central Punjab 509-9d, 140 overs (Azhar Ali 219, Tayyab Tahir 114, Ali Shan 55, Abdullah Shafique 32, Mohammad Saad 27; Mehran Mumtaz 3-111, Nauman Ali 3-173, Mubasir Khan 2-76) Northern (overnight 425-4) 651-9d, 197.1 overs (Sarmad Bhatti 140, Aamir Jamal 80 not out, Mubasir Khan 79, Faizan Riaz 74, Nauman Ali 69, Umar Amin 68, Mohammad Huraira 62; Ahmed Safi Abdullah 6-132) Match points: Central Punjab 10 Northern 9 ATF Southern Punjab drew with Balochistan at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium Balochistan 346, 127 overs (Asad Shafiq 106, Ali Waqas 45, Haris Sohail 37, Haseebullah 33, Imran Butt 30, Khurram Shahzad 26 not out; Sameen Gul 5-84, Muhammad Imran Randhawa 3-75) and 295-6 (Haris Sohail 133 not out, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 65, Husain Talat 31, Imran Butt 24, Mohammad Imran Randhawa 2-43, Sameen Gul 2-46) ATF Southern Punjab 330, 96.5 overs (Usman Salahuddin 88, Sharoon Siraj 73, Mohammad Imran Randhawa 53, Salman Ali Agha 44; Najeebullah Achakzai 5-90, Kashif Bhatti 2-78, Khurram Shehzad 2-83) Match points: Balochistan 10 ATF Southern Punjab 9

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: Najeebullah Achakzai took a five-fer for the first time in his career to help Balochistan grab a 16-run first innings lead against ATF Southern Punjab, while Saud Shakeel and Omair Bin Yousuf stroked their second centuries of the tournament to help Sindh earn first-innings lead points against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on day three of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy on Monday. At the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, 31-year-old Najeebullah, who played four matches in his maiden season last year, recorded figures of 23.5-0-90-5 in his first game of this season to skittle out ATF Southern Punjab for 330 after they had resumed this morning at 109 for two in reply to Balochistan’s 346. When play ended, Balochistan had reached 36 for one. Najeebullah accounted for Umar Siddiq (17), Sharoon Siraj (73), Mohammad Imran Randhawa (53), Ali Usman (8) and Ahmed Bashir (0). While Sharoon’s 132-ball 73 included 12 fours, Usman Salahuddin was the innings’ top scorer with 88 (184 balls, 10x4). Usman had started the day at 32, while Sharoon began at 46. At the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Sindh secured a 105-run first innings lead over defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following centuries by captain Saud Shakeel and Omair Bin Yousuf. On Sunday, opener Khurram Manzoor had hit a rapid 130-ball 116 to provide his side a solid start. Saud, who started the day at 43 and Omair, who began at 5, scored 105 runs apiece and put on 144 runs for the third wicket after Sindh had resumed their innings at 214 for two in reply to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s 384. Saud faced 251 balls and hit 13 fours in his second century of the season and 13th overall, while Omair hit eight fours and a six in his 216 innings. It was also Omair’s second successive century of this year’s Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and seventh in 32nd match. Later in the innings, Mohammad Hasan (47) and Asif Mahmood (31) added 60 runs for the seventh wicket to help Sindh finish the day at 489 for nine. For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Test off-spinner Sajid Khan picked up three for 127, while Ihsanullah added one more wicket to his overnight tally to finish with three for 108. At the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, an unbeaten century by Sarmad Bhatti and half-centuries by Faizan Riaz, Mubasir Khan and Umar Amin took Northern to 425 for four in reply to Central Punjab’s 509 for nine declared. Northern had commenced their day at 107 for one. Sarmad was batting on 102, his seventh career century and first of the season, and with him was Mubasir Khan, who was 70 not out. Sarmad has faced 217 balls and hit 11 fours, while Mubasir’s 97-ball innings includes 10 fours and a six as the two batters have put on 124 runs for the unfinished fifth wicket. Huraira added nine more runs to his overnight score and was dismissed for 62, while Umar scored 68 after beginning the day at 35. Faizan Riaz, who had stroked a double-century in the previous match, was out after scoring a 167-ball 74 with nine fours. Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (fourth round, day three): Central Punjab vs Northern at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad Central Punjab 509-9d, 140 overs (Azhar Ali 219, Tayyab Tahir 114, Ali Shan 55, Abdullah Shafique 32, Mohammad Saad 27; Mehran Mumtaz 3-111, Nauman Ali 3-173, Mubasir Khan 2-76) Northern 425-4 (overnight 107-1) (Sarmad Bhatti 102 not out, Faizan Riaz 74, Mubasir Khan 70 not out, Umar Amin 68, Mohammad Huraira 62; Ahmed Safi Abdullah 2-95) Sindh vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 384, 115.2 overs (Mohammad Sarwar Afridi 148, Kamran Ghulam 93, Sahibzada Farhan 53, Rehan Afridi 47; Mohammad Umar 4-87, Abrar Ahmed 4-130, Mir Hamza 2-51) Sindh (overnight 214-2) 489-9, 137 overs (Khurram Manzoor 116, Saud Shakeel 105, Omair Bin Yousuf 105, Mohammad Hasan 47, Saim Ayub 42, Asif Mahmood 31; Ihsanullah 3-108, Sajid Khan 3-127) ATF Southern Punjab vs Balochistan at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium Balochistan 346, 127 overs (Asad Shafiq 106, Ali Waqas 45, Haris Sohail 37, Haseebullah 33, Imran Butt 30, Khurram Shahzad 26 not out; Sameen Gul 5-84, Mohammad Imran Randhawa 3-75) and 36 for one ATF Southern Punjab (overnight 109-2) 330, 96.5 overs (Usman Salahuddin 88, Sharoon Siraj 73, Mohammad Imran Randhawa 53, Salman Ali Agha 44; Najeebullah Achakzai 5-90, Kashif Bhatti 2-78, Khurram Shehzad 2-83)

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI (October 16, 2022): Tayyab Tahir stroked his third century of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23, Azhar Ali registered third double-century of the event, Mohammad Sarwar Afridi reached three figures for the first time in his career and, Asad Shafiq and Khurram Manzoor scored their first hundreds of the season on day two of the PCB’s premier competition at various grounds of the country. While the batters had smiles all-round, the bowlers also had something to cheer about when Sameen Gul picked up his sixth career five-fer, Abrar Ahmed and Mohammad Umar picked up four wickets apiece, and Mehran Mumtaz, Nauman Ali and Mohammad Imran Randhawa claimed three wickets each. At the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa resumed their first innings at the overnight score of 291 for five against Sindh and were bowled out for 384 after adding 93 runs this morning. Mohammad Sarwar Afridi, playing his 14th match and starting the day at 79, was dismissed after scoring 148. His 201-ball innings included 20 fours and three sixes. Kamran Ghulam added four runs to his overnight score of 89 to miss his 11th first-class century by seven runs. His 93 came off 205 balls and included nine fours and two sixes. Off Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s five wickets to fall on the second day, three were picked up by mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed who finished with figures of 39.2-9-130-4. The bespectacled spinner now has 15 wickets in three innings. Fast bowler Mohammad Umar picked up the remaining two wickets to finish with figures of 26-3-87-4. In reply, Khurram Manzoor led Sindh’s strong and positive response with a brisk 130-ball 116 – his 31st century in 191 matches – to take his side to 214 for two in 51 overs at close. Together with Saim Ayub (42), Khurram, who hit 16 fours, put on 84 runs for the first wicket, while he added 113 runs for the second wicket with Saud Shakeel. Saud (43) and Omair Bin Yousuf (5) will resume Sindh’s first innings on Monday. At the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, Central Punjab started the second day at 300 for three and declared their first innings at 509 for nine against Northern. Test batter Azhar Ali, who commenced his innings at 130, was dismissed after scoring 219, while Tayyab Tahir ended up with 114 after starting the day at 82. Azhar’s 323-ball innings was studded with 20 fours and six sixes, while 29-year-old Tayyab, who is the leading run-getter of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy to date with 449 runs, struck six fours and six sixes in a 178-ball 114. The two batters added 224 runs for the fourth wicket. Wicketkeeper-batter Ali Shan, batting at No.8, scored a 99-ball 55 with three fours and a six. For Northern, Mehran Mumtaz (three for 111), Nauman Ali (three for 173) and Mubasir Khan (two for 76) shared wickets. When play ended, Northern had reached 107 for one. Mohammad Huraira (53) and Umar Amin (35) who have added 86 runs for the unfinished second wicket, will resume Northern’s reply on Monday. At the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Test batter Asad Shafiq scored his first century of the season and 26th overall, to help Balochistan score 346 against ATF Southern Punjab. Balochistan had started the day at 225-4 with Asad Shafiq batting on 70. Asad struck 16 fours in a 183-ball innings. Other notable lower-order batters were Haseebullah (33) and Khurram Shahzad (26). For ATF Southern Punjab, fast bowler Sameen Gul bowled impressively and finished with figures of 30-8-84-5. He was well supported by Mohammad Imran Randhawa, who added a wicket to his yesterday’s tally to finish with figures of three for 75. In reply, ATF Southern Punjab had reached 109 for two in 32.4 overs when bad light forced an early closure, Sharoon Siraj (46) and Usman Salahuddin (32) will resume ATF Southern Punjab’s response on Monday. Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (fourth round, day two): Central Punjab vs Northern at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad Central Punjab (overnight 300-3) 509-9d, 140 overs (Azhar Ali 219, Tayyab Tahir 114, Ali Shan 55, Abdullah Shafique 32, Mohammad Saad 27; Mehran Mumtaz 3-111, Nauman Ali 3-173, Mubasir Khan 2-76) Northern 107-1, 34 overs (Mohammad Huraira 53 not out, Umar Amin 35 not out) Sindh vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (overnight 291-5) 384, 115.2 overs (Mohammad Sarwar Afridi 148, Kamran Ghulam 93, Sahibzada Farhan 53, Rehan Afridi 47; Mohammad Umar 4-87, Abrar Ahmed 4-130, Mir Hamza 2-51) Sindh 214-2, 51 overs (Khurram Manzoor 116, Saud Shakeel 43 not out, Saim Ayub 42; Ihsanullah 2-54) ATF Southern Punjab vs Balochistan at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium Balochistan (overnight 225-4) 346, 127 overs (Asad Shafiq 106, Ali Waqas 45, Haris Sohail 37, Haseebullah 33, Imran Butt 30, Khurram Shahzad 26 not out; Sameen Gul 5-84, Muhammad Imran Randhawa 3-75) ATF Southern Punjab 109-2, 32.4 overs (Sharoon Siraj 46 not out, Usman Salahuddin 32 not out)