Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI: Azhar Ali stroked his 45th first-class century as Central Punjab justified their decision of batting first against Northern by reaching 300 for three at stumps on day one of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy fourth round fixture at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on Saturday. The 37-year-old veteran of 95 Tests was batting on 130 and with him was Tayyab Tahir on 82 as the two batters have put on 168 runs for the unfinished fourth wicket. The two had joined hands after Nauman Ali had picked up two of the three wickets to reduce Central Punjab to 132 for three. Azhar Ali’s 209-ball innings includes 15 fours and four sixes, while Tayyab has struck six fours and four sixes in a 130-ball knock. Abid Ali (11), Abdullah Shafique (32) and Mohammad Saad (27) were the batters to return back to the pavilion. Sindh and ATF Southern Punjab let Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan off the hook, respectively in the other two matches. At the Pindi Cricket Stadium in a match that is being live-streamed, Sindh’s decision to field first appeared to be spot-on after Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had slipped to 128-5 after being 111 for two. However, Kamran Ghulam and Mohammad Sarwar Afridi rescued their side from complete collapse by stitching an unfinished 163-run sixth wicket partnership to take their side to 291 for five at stumps. Kamran Ghulam was batting on 89, an innings that has come from 186 balls and includes nine fours and two sixes, while Sarwar’s 118-ball 79 contains 11 fours and two sixes. Earlier, Sahibzada Farhan (53) and Rehan Afridi (47) had added 98 runs for the third wicket to lift the defending championship to 111 for two after Sindh fast bowler Mir Hamza had removed both the openers with the scoreboard reading 13. Fast bowler Mohammad Umar, in the second session, picked up two wickets after Arbab Ahmed had ended the third wicket partnership by accounting for Rehan. The story was not too different at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium where Balochistan recovered from 102 for three to finish the day at 225 for four in 83 overs against ATF Southern Punjab. Former Test batter Asad Shafiq saved his side’s blushes when he returned undefeated on 70 from 111 balls with 10 fours. Asad added 112 runs for the fourth wicket with Haris Sohail, who contributed 37, after openers Ali Waqas (45) and Imran Butt (30) had provided Balochistan a 73-run start before they lost three wickets for 29 runs. For ATF Southern Punjab, Mohammad Imran Randhawa has bagged two wickets for 34 runs. Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (fourth round, day one): Toss – Uncontested, Sindh decided to field vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 291-5, 90 overs (Kamran Ghulam 89 not out, Mohammad Sarwar Afridi 79 not out, Sahibzada Farhan 53, Rehan Afridi 47; Mir Hamza 2-38, Mohammad Umar 2-45) v Sindh Toss – Uncontested, ATF Southern Punjab decided to field vs Balochistan at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium Balochistan 225-4, 83 overs (Asad Shafiq 70 not out, Ali Waqas 45, Haris Sohail 37, Imran Butt 30; Mohammad Imran Randhawa 2-34) v ATF Southern Punjab Toss – Central Punjab won the toss and elected to bat first vs Northern at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad Central Punjab 300-3, 86 overs (Azhar Ali 130 not out, Tayyab Tahir 82 not out, Abdullah Shafique 32, Mohammad Saad 27; Nauman Ali 2-93) v Northern

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

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)

Sports Bulletin Report RAWALPINDI:-Northern batters Mohammad Huraira and Faizan Riaz struck sparkling centuries against Balochistan to help their side reach 347 for three on the first day of the third round of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy fixture at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium on Sunday. The 20-year-old Huraira struck his fourth career century in 14th match when he was dismissed after scoring 169, while 34-year-old Faizan was batting on 100 – his 15th century in 89 matches – as the two batters added 172 runs for the third wicket. Huraira struck 23 fours and a six in a 223-ball innings, while Faizan has faced 119 balls off which 14 have been converted into fours. Huraira had earlier added 109 runs for the first wicket with Abdul Faseeh (34) and 34 runs for the second wicket with Umar Amin (22). For Balochistan, left-arm fast bowler Taj Wali took three wickets for 60 runs. Central Punjab’s right-arm spinner Usama Mir recorded career best figures of 28.4-8-91-6 to spin out Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for 220 in 77.4 overs at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. The defending champions were cruising nicely at 93 for no loss, before the introduction of the 26-year-old turned the innings on its head as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lost their all 10 wickets for 127 runs. Openers Waqar Ahmed (58) and Sahibzada Farhan (44) had provided a flying start to their side, but the top and middle-order collapsed like a house of cards against Usama. Only No.3 batter Nabi Gul (40) and No.8 batter Sajid Khan (21) offered some resistance. When play ended on day one, Central Punjab were 24 for no loss. Abid Ali (20) and Ali Shan (4) will resume their innings on Monday. At the Pindi Cricket Stadium, ATF Southern Punjab recovered from 178 for six to finished the day at 259 for seven. Ali Usman (35) and Mohammad Ilyas (28) were the two not out batters. No.3 batter Usman Salahuddin was the top-scorer with 89, that came off 214 balls and included 12 fours. Together with Umar Siddiq (47), Usman added 56 runs for the second wicket, while he put on 47 runs for the seventh wicket with Ali Usman. For Sindh, spinner Abrar Ahmed finished with figures of 35-9-77-3, while Mohammad Umar took two for 51. Scores in brief (3rd round, day 1 of 4) Toss uncontested – Sindh decided to field v AFT Southern Punjab at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi AFT Southern Punjab (1st innings) 259-7, 90 overs (Usman Salahuddin 89, Umar Siddiq 47, Ali Usman 35 not out, Mohammad Ilyas 28 not out; Abrar Ahmed 3-77, Mohammad Umar 2-51) v Sindh Khyber Pakhtunkhwa won the toss and elected to bat v Central Punjab at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (1st innings) 220 all out, 77.4 overs (Waqar Ahmed 58, Sahibzada Farhan 44, Nabi Gul 40; Usama Mir 6-91, Ahmed Daniyal 3-33) v Central Punjab 24-0, 6 overs Toss uncontested –Balochistan decided to field v Northern at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Abbottabad Northern (1st innings) 347-3, 78.2 overs (Mohammad Huraira 169, Faizan Riaz 100 not out, Abdul Faseeh 34, Umar Amin 22; Taj Wali 3-60) v Balochistan

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Rawalpindi:-Valiant knocks by Imam-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq helped Balochistan secure a draw against Central Punjab at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on the fourth and final day of the second round of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23. The other two matches between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Southern Punjab at Abbottabad and Sindh and Northern at Faisalabad also ended in draws. Northern – with 33 points – are at the top of the table, followed by Balochistan (30). Central Punjab have 28 points, Sindh 21, Southern Punjab 16 and the title defenders Khyber Pakhtunkhwa find themselves at the bottom with 13. Balochistan began the day at 137 for one and were 213 runs behind Central Punjab’s mammoth 535 for six with Imam not out on 72. The left-handed opener converted his overnight score into his 10th first-class century before he was run out for 108. The 26-year-old smashed 13 fours in his 231-ball innings. Following Imam’s dismissal, Asad, the Balochistan captain, took the lead role in the fightback and added 63 runs for the fifth wicket with Ali Waqas (25 off 64), depriving Central Punjab bowlers any further inroads. Asad was unbeaten on 62 off 140 balls and had dragged Balochistan to 303 for six in 118 overs at the close of play. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kamran Ghulam missed what could have been his second century in as many matches by 14 runs. The right-handed middle-order batter made 86 off 175 (10 fours and two sixes) before Ahmed Bashir curtailed his stay at the crease. Kamran began the fourth and final morning of the match at 41 not out. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were 275 for seven at the start of the day and were all out for 334. Southern Punjab were 101 for two in 44 over with opener Zain Abbas top-scoring with 32 off 51. Pakistan Test teammates Nauman Ali, captain of Northern, and Fawad Alam, Sindh’s middle-order batter, scored half-centuries at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad. Northern began the day on 363 for six and were all out on 417 with the highlight of the day being Nauman’s 123-ball 65 (nine fours and two sixes). Starting the second innings with a 40-run lead, Sindh made 160 for four. They had their first three wickets down for 23, but Saad Khan and Fawad Alam, with 72 and 60 not out, respectively, ensured there were no further dramas and Sindh finish the match as a draw. Scores in brief: Balochistan v Central Punjab at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi: Balochistan 185 all out, 47.2 overs (Hussain Talat 43, Asad Shafiq 34, Haseebullah 25, Azeem Ghumman 21; Ahmed Daniyal 3-41, Mohammad Ali 3-49, Umaid Asif 2-39) and 303-6, 118 overs (Imam-ul-Haq 108, Asad Shafiq 62 not out, Ali Waqas 25; Ahmed Daniyal 3-73) Central Punjab 535-6d, 143.3 overs (Tayyab Tahir 137, Azhar Ali 107, Qasim Akram 92, Aamer Yamin 50 not out, Mohammad Saad 38, Abdullah Shafique 36, Abid Ali 30; Hussain Talat 2-75, Akif Javed 2-116) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa v Southern Punjab at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Abbottabad: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 240 all out, 69.2 overs (Waqar Ahmed 134 not out, Sahibzada Farhan 44; Mohammad Ilyas 4-76, Ahmed Bashir 3-31, Hasan Ali 2-42) and 334 all out, 108.5 overs (Kamran Ghulam 86, Sahibzada Farhan 83, Waqar Ahmed 75, Khalid Usman 22; Hasan Ali 4-82, Ali Usman 3-83, Ahmed Bashir 2-76) Southern Punjab 308 all out, 91.2 overs (Umar Siddiq 112, Salman Ali Agha 64, Yousuf Babar 23; Ihsanullah 3-45, Arshadullah 2-73, Arshad Iqbal 2-87) and 101-2, 44 overs (Zain Abbas 32, Usman Salahuddin 31 not out, Salman Ali Agha 26 not out) Sindh v Northern at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad: Sindh 457-8d, 138.5 overs (Saud Shakeel 158, Sarfaraz Ahmed 70 not out, Khurram Manzoor 58, Omair Bin Yousuf 36, Saim Ayub 35, Mohammad Asghar 29 not out, Asif Mehmood 21; Mubasir Khan 4-140) and 160-4, 56 overs (Saad Khan 72, Fawad Alam 60 not out; Mubasir Khan 2-57, Mehran Mumtaz 2-84) Northern 417 all out, 143.3 overs (Faizan Riaz 119, Umar Amin 105, Nauman Ali 65, Sarmad Bhatti 46, Mohammad Huraira 42; Mohammad Asghar 4-138, Zahid Mehmood 4-138)

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Rawalpindi:-Faizan Riaz stroked his 14th first-class century while Umar Amin registered his 25th career century to steer Northern to 363 for six against Sindh on day three of the four-day Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. Faizan was batting on 106 when stumps were drawn for the day after Umar Amin, who had started the day at 60, was dismissed after scoring 105 as Northern were still 97 runs behind Sindh’s 457 for eight declared. Faizan’s 252-ball innings included eight fours and a six, while Umar belted 14 fours and a six in a 209-ball knock. After resuming the third day at 129 for two, Umar added 85 runs for the third wicket with Faizan, who has put on 71 runs for the unbroken seventh wicket with skipper Nauman Ali (36 not out). For Sindh, Mohammad Asghar added the scalp of Umar Amin to finish the day with figures of three for 109. At the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Test opener Imam-ul-Haq was leading Balochistan’s fightback against Central Punjab. The left-hander was batting on 72 as Balochistan ended the day at 137 for one after Central Punjab had declared their first innings at 545 for six to secure a 350-run lead. Imam has hit eight fours in a 157-ball innings and provided his side a 132-run first wicket start with Imran Butt (53). Earlier, Central Punjab commenced their first innings at 417 for four in reply to Balochistan’s 185 with Tayyab Tahir on 118 not out and Qasim Akram batting on 59. Tayyab was dismissed after scoring 137 (244 balls, 12x4, 1x6), while Qasim Akram was unfortunate to missed his maiden first-class century when he fell to Amad Butt at the score of 92. Qasim’s 136-ball innings included 13 fours and a six. Aamer Yamin was the other Central Punjab batter amongst runs, when he scored 50 not out from 30 balls with seven fours and a six. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Southern Punjab match was heading for an exciting finish after Khyber Pakhtunkhwa led by 207 runs with seven wickets standing. After conceding 68 runs first innings lead and resuming at four for one, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa saw off the third day’s play at 275 for seven with Kamran Ghulam (41) and Sajid Khan (12) at the crease. Sahibzada Farhan was the top-scorer to date with 83 (147 balls, 12x4, 1x6) and Waqar Ahmed scored 75 (152 balls, 11x4, 1x6) as the two batters put on 162 runs for the third wicket after Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had slipped to eight for two. For Southern Punjab, fast bowler Hasan Ali (three for 67) and Ali Usman (three for 82) shared wickets. Scores in brief: Balochistan v Central Punjab at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi: Balochistan 185 all out, 47.2 overs (Hussain Talat 43, Asad Shafiq 34, Haseebullah 25, Azeem Ghumman 21; Ahmed Daniyal 3-41, Mohammad Ali 3-49, Umaid Asif 2-39) and 137-1 (Imam-ul-Haq 72 not out, Imran Butt 53) Central Punjab 535-6d, 143.3 overs (Tayyab Tahir 137, Azhar Ali 107, Qasim Akram 92, Aamer Yamin 50 not out, Mohammad Saad 38, Abdullah Shafique 36, Abid Ali 30; Hussain Talat 2-75, Akif Javed 2-116) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa v Southern Punjab at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Abbottabad: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 240 all out, 69.2 overs (Waqar Ahmed 134 not out, Sahibzada Farhan 44; Mohammad Ilyas 4-76, Ahmed Bashir 3-31, Hasan Ali 2-42) and 275-7 (Sahibzada Farhan 83, Waqar Ahmed 75, Kamran Ghulam 41 not out; Hasan Ali 3-67, Ali Usman 3-82) Southern Punjab 308 all out, 91.2 overs (Umar Siddiq 112, Salman Ali Agha 64, Yousuf Babar 23; Ihsanullah 3-45, Arshadullah 2-73, Arshad Iqbal 2-87) Sindh v Northern at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad: Sindh 457-8d, 138.5 overs (Saud Shakeel 158, Sarfaraz Ahmed 70 not out, Khurram Manzoor 58, Omair Bin Yousuf 36, Saim Ayub 35, Mohammad Asghar 29 not out, Asif Mehmood 21; Mubasir Khan 4-140) Northern 363-6, 127 overs (Faizan Riaz 106 not out, Umar Amin 105, Sarmad Bhatti 46, Mohammad Huraira 42, Nauman Ali 36 not out; Mohammad Asghar 3-109)

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Rawalpindi:-Central Punjab, thanks to centuries from Azhar Ali and Tayyab Tahir, were in a strong position against Balochistan at the close of second day’s play of round two of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23. Central Punjab have already accumulated 10 points from the first two innings. Central Punjab were 417 for four after starting the day on 91 for two as Azhar brought up his 44th first-class century and Tayyab stroked his second century on the bounce. Central Punjab currently lead Balochistan by 232 runs. Azhar made 107 off 196 with 11 fours and a six and Tayyab was unbeaten on 118 off 205 and had hit 10 fours and a six. Tayyab will resume his innings with young all-rounder Qasim Akram, who made 59 not out off 77 (eight fours and a six). At Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium, Northern were 129 for two in reply of Sindh’s 457 for eight. Umar Amin top-scored with an unbeaten 60 after he added 92 runs for the second wicket with Mohammad Huraira, who missed half-century by eight runs. Sindh captain Saud Shakeel, who stroked his 12th hundred at this level yesterday, converted his overnight 112 into 158. He batted for 319 balls and hit 14 fours and two sixes. Sarfaraz Ahmed scored his second half-century in as many matches with a 70 not out off 136 (eight fours).  Sindh were 309 for five at the completion of 100 overs and pocketed three batting points, while Northern got one point.  Umar Siddiq’s 13th first-class century lifted Southern Punjab to 308 at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium after Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had made 240 yesterday. Southern Punjab began the day at a precarious 48 for three before Umar smashed 19 fours in his 199-ball innings. Salman Ali Agha was the next best batter in the innings with 64 off 88 (10 fours). Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Ihsanullah (three for 45), Arshadullah (two for 73) and Arshad Iqbal (two for 87) shared seven wickets. Batting second, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are four for one and have a trail of 64 to surmount. Scores in brief: Toss uncontested – Central Punjab bowl first against Balochistan at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi Balochistan 185 all out, 47.2 overs (Hussain Talat 43, Asad Shafiq 34, Haseebullah 25, Azeem Ghumman 21; Ahmed Daniyal 3-41, Mohammad Ali 3-49, Umaid Asif 2-39) Central Punjab 417-4, 114.5 overs (Tayyab Tahir 118 not out, Azhar Ali 107, Qasim Akram 59 not out, Mohammad Saad 38, Abdullah Shafique 36, Abid Ali 30; Akif Javed 2-98) Innings points – Balochistan (one), Central Punjab (10) Toss uncontested – Southern Punjab elect to bowl against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 240 all out, 69.2 overs (Waqar Ahmed 134 not out, Sahibzada Farhan 44; Mohammad Ilyas 4-76, Ahmed Bashir 3-31, Hasan Ali 2-42) and 4-1, 1.1 overs Southern Punjab 308 all out, 91.2 overs (Umar Siddiq 112, Salman Ali Agha 64, Yousuf Babar 23; Ihsanullah 3-45, Arshadullah 2-73, Arshad Iqbal 2-87) Innings points – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (four), Southern Punjab (eight) Sindh choose to bat against Northern at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad Sindh 457-8, 138.5 overs (Saud Shakeel 158, Sarfaraz Ahmed 70 not out, Khurram Manzoor 58, Omair Bin Yousuf 36, Saim Ayub 35, Mohammad Asghar 29 not out, Asif Mehmood 21; Mubasir Khan 4-140) Northern 129-2, 41 overs (Umar Amin 60 not out, Mohammad Huraira 42; Mohammad Asghar 2-56) Innings points – Sindh (three), Northern (one).

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Rawalpindi:-Central Punjab’s decision of not contesting the toss and electing to bowl paid dividends as their bowlers skittled Balochistan for 185 in 47.2 overs on the opening day of round two of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23 and helped their side pocket six bowling points. Fast bowlers Ahmed Daniyal, Mohammad Ali and Umaid Asif shared eight wickets between them. Ahmed returned the best figures of the innings three for 41, Ali took three wickets for 49 and Umaid’s two wickets cost 39 runs. Hussain Talat top-scored with 65-ball 43. Central Punjab were 91 for two – after the opening pair of Abid Ali (30) and Abdullah Shafique (36) put a 56-run partnership – at the close of play. Southern Punjab also bowled out Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in their match at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. Mohammad Ilyas took four wickets for 76 and Ahmed Bashir returned three for 31 as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, despite a fighting 134 not out from opener Waqar Ahmed were bowled out for 240 in 69.2 overs. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Arshad Iqbal and Arshadullah had provided their team a solid start with the ball as Southern Punjab were 48 for three by stumps. Sindh captain Saud Shakeel made his 12th first-class century against Northern at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad. The left-hander was unbeaten on 112 off 228 balls and had smashed 10 fours. He added 92 runs for the second wicket with opener Khurram Manzoor (58 off 113) and 88 with Omair Bin Yousuf (36 off 105). Sindh were 279 for four and Saud will be joined by Saad (11 not out) when the play resumes on Tuesday. Northern’s Mubasir Khan pocketed three wickets for 91, accounting for Saim Ayub (35 off 37), Omair and Fawad Alam (10 off 25). Scores in brief: Toss uncontested – Central Punjab bowl first against Balochistan at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi Balochistan 185 all out, 47.2 overs (Hussain Talat 43, Asad Shafiq 34, Haseebullah 25, Azeem Ghumman 21; Ahmed Daniyal 3-41, Mohammad Ali 3-49, Umaid Asif 2-39) Central Punjab 91-2, 30.4 overs (Abdullah Shafique 36, Abid Ali 30) Innings points – Balochistan (none), Central Punjab (six) Toss uncontested – Southern Punjab elect to bowl against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 240 all out, 69.2 overs (Waqar Ahmed 134 not out, Sahibzada Farhan 44; Mohammad Ilyas 4-76, Ahmed Bashir 3-31, Hasan Ali 2-42) Southern Punjab 48-3, 10.3 overs (Arshadullah 2-22) Innings points – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (two), Southern Punjab (five) Sindh choose to bat against Northern at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad Sindh 279-4, 90 overs (Saud Shakeel 112 not out, Khurram Manzoor 58, Omair Bin Yousuf 36, Saim Ayub 35; Mubasir Khan 3-91) Innings points – Sindh (two), Northern (one)

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Rawalpindi:-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the title defenders, had a poor start to their Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2022-23 campaign as they faced a 134-run defeat by Balochistan at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. Set 370 to win, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were bowled out for 235 in just 68.5 overs on what was the fourth and final day of the opening round after fighting 60s from one-drop Sahibzada Farhan (63 off 67) and number four Kamran Ghulam (61 off 109). Khurram Shahzad finished with seven wickets for the match – returning three for 61 in the last innings of the match. Balochistan’s Hussain Talat stroked a half-century, earlier in the day. The left-handed batter made 55 off 80. His team had started the day on 107 for four and declared on 187 for five. Northern - the finalists of the last season – trashed Southern Punjab by 10 wickets Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium. Northern were set eight to win, which they overhauled in nine balls, to occupy the top spot in the six-team points table with 25 points. Southern Punjab – following on – trailed by 117-run with Imran Rafiq and Usman Salahuddin at the crease. Usman could add 15 more to his overnight score before he was run out on 55 and Imran (not out on 34 yesterday) went on to score 90 off 228 balls, hitting 14 fours. Mehran and Musa Khan finished with three wickets each. The match between Central Punjab and Sindh ended in a draw. Tayyab Tahir, not out on 72, scored a century and was unbeaten on 152 off 252 (18 fours and three sixes) before his captain Mohammad Saad declared the innings on 277 for nine. Sindh, needing 338 to win, were 132 for four, with Khurram Manzoor top-scoring with 50 off 88, before the close of play. The second round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy begins on Monday – Balochistan play Central Punjab at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Southern Punjab lock horns at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium and Northern and Sindh face off at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad. Scores in brief: Balochistan beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 134 runs at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium Balochistan 473 all out, 123 overs (Azeem Ghumman 78, Kashif Bhatti 71, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 69, Ali Waqas 59, Haseebullah 53, Khurram Shahzad 47; Arshad Iqbal 4-114, Mohammad Sarwar Afrid 2-55, Ihsanullah 2-104) and 187-5, 52 overs (Hussain Talat 55, Ali Waqas 37, Azeem Ghumman 28; Arshad Iqbal 2-33) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 291 all out, 85.4 overs (Kamran Ghulam 102, Khalid Usman 43, Rehan Afridi 35; Khurram Shahzad 4-67, Kashif Bhatti 2-43, Akif Javed 2-87) and 235 all out, 68.5 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 63, Kamran Ghulam 61, Rehan Afridi 28; Khurram Shahzad 3-61, Kashif Bhatti 2-43, Akif Javed 2-75) Match points – Balochistan (23), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (four) Northern beat Southern Punjab by 10 wickets at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad Northern 529-5d, 133 overs (Mubasir Khan 170 not out, Abdul Faseeh 151, Umar Amin 89, Sarmad Bhatti 81; Hassan Khan 3-94, Ali Usman 2-143) and 8-0, 1.3 overs Southern Punjab 269 all out, 86.2 overs (Zain Abbas 120, Salman Ali Agha 36, Hassan Khan 34; Nauman Ali 4-73, Musa Khan 2-51, Mehran Mumtaz 2-63) and 265 all out, 104 overs (Imran Rafiq 90, Usman Salahuddin 55, Umar Siddiq 35, Zain Abbas 32; Musa Khan 3-39, Mehran Mumtaz 3-72, Mubasir Khan 2-55) Match points – Northern (25), Southern Punjab (three) Match drawn between Sindh and Central Punjab at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi Central Punjab 428 all out, 102.2 overs (Abdullah Shafique 232, Aamer Yamin 70; Mir Hamza 3-72, Asif Mehmood 3-128) and 277-9, 90.4 overs (Tayyab Tahir 152 not out, Abdullah Shafique 61; Asif Mehmood 4-59, Mir Hamza 3-41) Sindh 368 all out, 85.5 overs (Fawad Alam 127 not out, Sarfaraz Ahmed 78, Saim Ayub 71, Saad Khan 30; Mohammad Ali 4-84, Aamer Yamin 3-80) and 132-4, 44 overs (Khurram Manzoor 50, Omair Bin Yousuf 37) Match points – Central Punjab (13), Sindh (12)