Sports Bulletin

Ali Ahmed LAHORE (November 16, 2021):-Southern Punjab will enter the fifth round, which commences from tomorrow, of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 with their heads high as they take on Sindh at Gaddafi Stadium, the home of Pakistan cricket. Southern Punjab and Sindh have been the best sides in the competition to date as Southern Punjab lead the points table with 60 and Sindh are ranked second with 40. The match between these teams will be live-streamed through Pakistan Cricket Board’s official YouTube channel across the globe. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – who have same points as Sindh, but are ranked third – will play fourth-placed Central Punjab at Multan Cricket Stadium.  The two sides are joint-winners of the last Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and will be eager to bag crucial 16 points by securing a win to catch up with Southern Punjab. In the third match of the round, Balochistan, ranked fifth, and Northern, bottom-placed, will go head-to-head at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium. After becoming the first side to face a defeat, Northern will be hoping to make a strong comeback with a win. The players selected for the national Test side for the two-Test series against Bangladesh will not feature in this round. As such, the six sides can call up reinforcements from their squads, announced at the start of the season. This is the last round of this Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 being played in Punjab. The last half of the tournament, including the final will be played in Karachi. Squads: Balochistan - Imran Butt (captain), Bismillah Khan (vice-captain), Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Akbar-ur-Rehman, Akif Javed, Amad Butt, Ayaz Tasawar, Azeem Ghumman, Gohar Faiz, Haris Sohail, Jalat Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Najeebullah Khan, Raza-ul-Hasan and Taj Wali Central Punjab – Ahmed Bashir, Ahmed Shehzad, Ali Zaryab, Bilawal Iqbal, Haider Ali, Imran Dogar, Junaid Ali (wicketkeeper), Muhammad Akhlaq (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Saad, Nisar Ahmed, Saad Nasim, Saif Badar, Waqas Maqsood and Zafar Gohar Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – Adil Amin, Arshadullah, Ashfaq Ahmed, Asif Afridi, Imran Khan Snr, Israrullah, Khalid Usman, Mehran Ibrahim, Musadiq Ahmed, Nabi Gul, Niaz Khan, Rehan Afridi (wicketkeeper), Sahibzada Farhan and Sameen Gul Northern – Umar Amin (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdul Faseeh, Ather Mehmood, Faizan Riaz, Kashif Ali, Mehran Mumtaz, Mubasir Khan, Mohammad Huraira, Munir Riaz, Musa Khan, Raza Hasan, Rohail Nazir (wicketkeeper), Sarmad Bhatti, Umar Waheed and Waqas Ahmed Sindh – Asad Shafiq (captain), Ammad Alam, Ahsan Ali, Junaid Ilyas, Khurram Manzoor, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Asghar, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Hassan, Mohammad Suleman, Mohammad Umar, Saad Khan, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan and Tabish Khan Southern Punjab – Umar Siddiq (captain and wicketkeeper), Adeel-ur-Rehman, Ali Usman, Aamer Yamin, Azam Khan (wicketkeeper), Hassan Khan, Imran Rafiq, Imran Randhawa, Mohammad Ilyas, Mohammad Junaid, Naved Yasin, Tayyab Tahir, Yousaf Babar, Zain Abbas and Zia-ul-Haq Fixtures (17-20 November): Southern Punjab v Sindh – Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore Central Punjab v Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan Northern v Balochistan – Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad

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

Lahore(Sports Reporter):-Sindh’s Ahsan Ali on Saturday became the ninth batter to record a Quaid-e-Azam Trophy triple century when he made 303 not out off 385 against Central Punjab on the final day of the pink ball affair at the Gaddafi Stadium. The match between the two sides ended in a draw. The opening batter started the day at 284 and after he crossed the 300-run mark, Asad Shafiq declared the innings at 616 for five. The other batters to have scored 300 or more in the tournament are Hanif Mohammad (499 for Karachi against Bahawalpur in 1958/59), Aftab Baloch (428 for Sindh against in 1973/74), Naved Latif (394 for Sargodha against Gujranwala in 2000/01), Imran Farhat (308 for Lahore Ravi against Peshawar in 2012/13), Rafatullah Mohmand (302* for WAPDA against SSGC in 2009/10), Shoaib Khan (300* for Peshawar against Quetta in 2003/04), Bazid Khan (300* for Rawalpindi against Hyderabad in 2004/05) and Hamza Ghanchi (300* for Karachi Whites against National Bank of Pakistan in Karachi 2016/17) Central Punjab had made 185 for four in 53 overs with Ahmed Shehzad top-scoring with 53 and Abid Ali following up his 122 with 45 not out when stumps were drawn. Three of the five Central Punjab wickets were taken by left-arm orthodox Mohammad Asghar. Scores in brief: Central Punjab 387-9, 129.3 overs (Abid Ali 122, Mohammad Saad 88, Ahmed Shehzad 78, Junaid Ali 35, Zafar Gohar 24; Mohammad Asghar 4-143, Mir Hamza 3-65) and 185-4, 53 overs (Ahmed Shehzad 53, Abid Ali 45 not out, Saad Naseem 30; Mohammad Asghar 3-80) Sindh 616-5, 134 overs (Ahsan Ali 303 not out, Ammad Alam 157, Khurram Manzoor 51, Mohammad Hassan 37 not out, Saad Khan 31, Asad Shafiq 21; Zafar Gohar 3-153) Match points – Central Punjab 7, Sindh 10

SPORTS REPORTER Lahore (November 12, 2021):-Southern Punjab were closing in their first win of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 as they were 56 runs ahead of Northern, who were 175 for six in second innings, when stumps were called on day three of the fourth round fixture at the Multan Cricket Stadium. It was Southern Punjab captain Mohammad Abbas and left-arm orthodox Ali Usman who wreaked havoc with the ball as only two Northern batters Faizan Riaz (51 off 112) and Muhammad Huraira (43 off 83) managed substantial scores. Southern Punjab were earlier bowled out for 394 after beginning the day at 340 for seven as pacer Aamer Jamal recorded his maiden five-fer with five for 111, while Musa Khan added another wicket to his tally to finish with three for 99. Yousuf Babar converted his overnight 116 into 138. At Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were 285 for three in 86.4 overs in reply of Balochistan’s 463. Nabi Gul, with an unbeaten 88, had made the most runs for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while Sahibzada Farhan and Musadiq Ahmed, who were at the crease overnight, also scored half-centuries. Farhan made 75 off 175 (10 fours), while Musadiq made 91-ball 70 (13 fours). On Saturday, the last day of the round, Nabi and Adil Amin (37 not out) will resume Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s innings. To date, Balochistan have accumulated four points, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have bagged two points (both batting). Scores in brief: Toss Uncontested – Southern Punjab choose to field against Northern at Multan Cricket Stadium Northern 163 all out, 56.1 overs (Nasir Nawaz 58, Umar Amin 29, Umar Waheed 21; Ali Usman 3-39, Mohammad Abbas 2-32, Zia-ul-Haq 2-32, Mohammad Ilyas 2-41) and 175-6, 62 overs (Faizan Riaz 51, Mohammad Huraira 43; Mohammad Abbas 3-36, Ali Usman 2-45) Southern Punjab 394 all out, 97.4 overs (Yousuf Babar 138, Azam Khan 70, Ali Usman 37, Imran Rafiq 34, Tayyab Tahir 22; Aamir Jamal 5-111, Musa Khan 3-99) Innings Points – Northern 3, Southern Punjab 9 Balochistan elect to bat against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after winning the toss at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad Balochistan 463-5, 137.5 overs (Imam-ul-Haq 202 not out, Imran Butt 140, Haris Sohail 79; Asif Afridi 2-139) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 285-3, 8.4 overs (Nabi Gul 88 not out, Sahibzada Farhan 75, Musadiq Ahmed 70, Adil Amin 37) Innings Points – Balochistan 4, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 2

Sports Reporter LAHORE (November 11, 2021):-Balochistan’s Imam-ul-Haq scored his first-class career’s best score of 202 not out against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium on day two of the fifth round of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22. The left-handed batter added 92 runs to his overnight score, which propelled Balochistan to 463 for five in 137.5 overs before Imran Butt, who had made 140 yesterday, declared the innings. This was Imam’s second double-century in the format as he bested his unbeaten 200. Imam smashed 16 fours and four sixes in his 390-ball innings and added 172 runs for the third wicket with Haris Sohail, who made 79 (six fours and four sixes). Balochistan had made 329 and lost two wickets at the completion of 100 overs and, as such, gathered three batting points, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa failed to get any point. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were 35 for one in 8.4 overs before stumps were drawn. Sahibzada Farhan (24 not out) and Musadiq Ahmed (10 not out) will resume the innings for 2020-21 edition’s joint-winners on Friday. At the Mulan Cricket Stadium, Yousuf Babar’s brilliant maiden century and Azam Khan’s 96-ball 70 helped Southern Punjab stage a recovery and lift them to 346 for seven at the close of play. Southern Punjab had begun the day at 77 for three. Yousuf made 116 not out off 204, hitting 16 fours. He partnered with Azam for 114 runs for the fifth wicket. The solid stand between the two added three batting points to Southern Punjab’s tally after they accumulated six bowling points yesterday. The partnership ended with Azam’s wicket. The wicketkeeper-batter was removed by pacer Aamir Jamal, who also accounted for Zain Abbas and Muhammad Imran. Scores in brief: Balochistan elect to bat against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after winning the toss at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad Balochistan 463-5, 137.5 overs (Imam-ul-Haq 202 not out, Imran Butt 140, Haris Sohail 79; Asif Afridi 2-139) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 35-1, 8.4 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 24 not out, Musadiq Ahmed 10 not out) Innings Points – Balochistan 3, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 0 Toss Uncontested – Southern Punjab choose to field against Northern at Multan Cricket Stadium Northern 163 all out, 56.1 overs (Nasir Nawaz 58, Umar Amin 29, Umar Waheed 21; Ali Usman 3-39, Mohammad Abbas 2-32, Zia-ul-Haq 2-32, Mohammad Ilyas 2-41) Southern Punjab 346-7, 89 overs (Yousuf Babar 116 not out, Azam Khan 70, Imran Rafiq 34, Ali Usman 31 not out, Zia ul Haq 23, Tayyab Tahir 22; Aamir Jamal 3-92, Musa Khan 2-74) Innings Points – Northern 3, Southern Punjab 9

SPECIAL REPORT Lahore (November 10, 2021):-Abid Ali stroked his third century of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 on the opening day of the pink ball first-class match between Discover Pakistan Central Punjab and GFS Sindh at the Gaddafi Stadium. The Pakistan Test opener smashed 11 fours and a six and was unbeaten for 113 as Central Punjab made 238 for two in 75.3 overs. Central Punjab openers gave their side a solid 138-run start after Sindh opted against contesting the toss and elected to field. Ahmed Shehzad, Abid’s opening partner, made 104-ball 78, which was studded with 11 fours. Sindh bowlers made the most of the twilight hour – termed to be most productive for the bowling side in a pink ball affair with the natural light fading and artificial lights taking over – as two of the batting side’s wickets to fall in the day came in this span. Ahmed was the first one to fall as he was bowled by left-arm orthodox Mohammad Asghar. Mohammad Hasnain’s lethal bouncer sent Azhar Ali packing as the Central Punjab skipper edged the ball on its way to wicketkeeper’s gloves. Mohammad Saad, with 44 off 102, put up strong resistance against Sindh bowlers following the two dismissals and he will resume the 97-run stand with Abid on Thursday. Meanwhile, the play will begin at 1130 from Thursday. The match timings for the next three days are: 1130 – 1330 (session one), 1330 – 1410  (lunch), 1410 – 1610 (session two), 1610 – 1630 (tea), 1630 – 1830  (session three). Scores in brief: Central Punjab 238-2, 75.3 overs (Abid Ali 113 not out, Ahmed Shehzad 78, Mohammad Saad 44 not out) Innings points – Central Punab 2, Sindh 0

Sports Reporter LAHORE (November 9, 2021):-The fourth round of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy season 2021-22 will resume from Wednesday with Central Punjab locking horns with Sindh in a pink ball contest under the floodlights at the Gaddafi Stadium. The final of the season will also be played with pink ball under the floodlights at the National Stadium Karachi from 25 to 29 December. This will be the first pink ball match in the Quaid-e-Trophy since the inception of six teams in the domestic structure that was revamped in 2019-20. The remaining two matches of the round will be played with red balls. The six teams will be eyeing for their maiden win of the season, as all nine matches of the tournament have so far ended in a draw. Only five points separate the six teams with Mohammad Abbas-led Southern Punjab lead the points table with 34 points, while Imam-ul-Haq’s Balochistan is on the sixth spot with 29 points. Nauman Ali-led Northern is on the second spot with 33 points, while Azhar Ali’s Central Punjab is on the third position with 31 points. Iftikhar Ahmed’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 30 points are positioned on number four, while Fawad Alam’s Sindh is on the fifth spot with 29 points. In the batting chart, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Sahibzada Farhan leads the table with 472 runs from three outings at 118. His best of 163 came against Southern Punjab, where he helped his side draw the match after being enforced follow-on at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. Second on the list is Central Punjab’s Abid Ali who has scored 444 runs in three outings at 111, his highest of 164 came against Balochistan in the previous round match at Gaddafi Stadium. The 28-year old Tayyab Tahir is third on the list with 412 runs from three matches at 103. The right-handed batter from Southern Punjab best of 221 came against Balochistan in the second round match at Multan Cricket Stadium. In the bowling charts, Southern Punjab’s Ali Usman took 17 wickets from three matches at 29.12 with best of five for 88 in an innings against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the third round match. During the match, left-arm spinner Ali ended-up taking 10 wickets for 190 where he dismissed Farhan in both innings of the match. Second on the list is another left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar, who representing Central Punjab has taken 13 wickets from three matches at 38.46. His best figures in an innings was four for 93. Northern’s Musa Khan is third on the list with 10 wickets from three matches. The 21-year old right-arm fast has best figures of five for 78, which he took against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the first round match. Balochistan will play against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, while Northern will take on Southern Punjab at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

Sports Reporter LAHORE (November 4, 2021):-18-year-old Abdul Wahid Bangalzai stroked an unconquered maiden double-century at the home of Pakistan cricket during the second day’s play in a live-streamed third round action of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy on Thursday. Abdul Wahid Bangalzai returned undefeated on 203 for Balochistan who declared their first innings against Discover Pakistan Central Punjab for 472 for eight. When bad light forced an early closure, Central Punjab were 37 for one with Test batters Abid Ali (12) and Azhar Ali (four) at the crease. Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, the Quetta-born Pakistan U19 batter playing in just his third first-class match, had started the day at 93 in Balochistan’s 223 for four. The youngster batted for six hours and 28 minutes, and struck 24 fours and two sixes. Together with Jalat Khan, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai added 167 runs for the seventh wicket. Jalat missed his third career century by nine runs when he was dismissed for 91, an innings that came off 117 balls and included 11 fours. For Central Punjab, Ahmed Bashir (2-50), Zafar Gohar (2-92) and Bilal Asif (2-117) shared wickets. At the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lost five wickets for 26 runs to slip from 125 for one to 151 for six before Nabi Gul rescued them with a fine unbeaten century that helped his side finish off the day at 209 for seven against ATF Southern Punjab. Nabi was batting on 108 with 12 fours and three sixes from 171 balls and added 53 runs for the seventh wicket with Sajid Khan (20). Earlier, Nabi had put on 109 runs for the second wicket with Sahibzada Farhan, who scored 59 from 96 balls with five fours and three sixes. ATF Southern Punjab’s left-arm spinner Ali Usman caused maximum damage when he returned figures of 23-5-76-5, while Mohammad Ilyas and Zia Ul Haq picked up one wicket apiece. Earlier, ATF Southern Punjab resumed their first innings at 369 for seven and were bowled out for 453. Mohammad Imran, who started the day at 122, was the last man out after scoring 179. He occupied the crease for just under five hours during which he faced 195 balls and struck 21 fours and five sixes. For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Niaz Khan took three for 62, Sameen Gul bagged three for 82 and Sajid Khan snapped up three for 120. At the Multan Cricket Stadium, Northern captured two late wickets as Sindh ended the day at 133 for three. Sindh were cruising at 132 for one before they lost Khurram Manzoor (40) and nightwatchman Tabish Khan (0) to Mubashir Khan and Nauman Ali, respectively. When play ended, Saad Khan was batting on 88 (9x4, 135b) who put on 128 runs for the second wicket with Khurram. Earlier, Northern were bowled out for 374 after resuming the day at 287 for six. Test spinner Nauman Ali hit four fours and two sixes in a 61-ball 51 and Rohail Nazir contributed 54 after resuming his innings at 32 not out. GFC Sindh’s Mir Hamza added one more wicket on Thursday to finish with four for 65, while Tabish Khan, Sohail Khan and Mohammad Asghar picked up two wickets each. Scores in brief (day 2 of 4, round 3): At Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore Balochistan 472-8d, 131.5 overs (Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 203 not out, Jalat Khan 91, Imam-ul-Haq 72, Bismillah Khan 48, Haris Sohail 29; Ahmed Bashir 2-50, Zafar Gohar 2-92, Bilal Asif 2-117) Discover Pakistan Central Punjab 37-1, 14 overs (Ahmed Shehzad 21, Abid Ali 12 not out, Azhar Ali 4 not out) At Multan Cricket Stadium Northern 374, 108 overs (Mohammad Huraira 112, Aamir Jamal 55, Rohail Nazir 54, Nauman Ali 51, Faizan Riaz 46; Mir Hamza 4-65, Tabish Khan 2-82, Mohammad Asghar 2-85, Sohail Khan 2-90) GFS Sindh 133-3, 49 overs (Saad Khan 88 not out, Khurram Manzoor 40) At Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad ATF Southern Punjab 453 all out, 94.5 overs (Mohammad Imran 179, Azam Khan 103, Hassan Khan 54, Tayyab Tahir 52; Niaz Khan 3-62, Sameen Gul 3-82, Sajid Khan 3-120) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 209-7, 60 overs (Nabi Gul 108 not out, Sahibzada Farhan 59, Sajid Khan 20; Ali Usman 5-76)

Special Report LAHORE (November 3, 2021):-Opener Mohammad Huraira struck his second successive century, middle-order batsman Azam Khan notched up his maiden century and fast bowler Tabish Khan became Pakistan’s 29th bowler to take 600 first-class wickets during the opening days play in the third round action of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy on Wednesday. Northern’s 19-year-old Huraira followed up his 107 not out against Central Punjab at the Gaddafi Stadium last week with 112 against GFC Sindh at the Multan Cricket Stadium as his side reached 287 for six in 85 overs. Huraira’s 166 balls innings was studded with 14 fours as added 129 runs for the third wicket with Faizan Riaz (46). From 189 for two, Northern slipped to 205 for six before Aamir Jamal (46 not out) and Rohail Nazir (32 not out) halted the rot with an unfinished 83-run seventh wicket stand. The highlight of Sindh’s bowling was the 600-wicket milestone, which Tabish Khan achieved by dismissing Nasir Nawaz (19). The 36-year-old Tabish, playing his 139th first-class match, ended the day with figures of one of 62, while Mir Hamza stole the bowling honours with figures of three for 42. ATF Southern Punjab’s Azam Khan made amends for missing out on a century on debut last week against Balochistan in Multan by scoring a more than run-a-ball 103 against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. Azam, who scored 85 on his debut, struck 17 fours and a six in a 99-ball 103 that lifted ATF Southern Punjab to 369 for seven. Azam added 141 runs for the sixth wicket with Mohammad Imran after Southern Punjab slipped from 61 for one to 98 for five. Imran was still at the crease on a well-constructed 122, an innings that has come from 154 balls and includes 16 fours and two sixes. Off-spinner Sajid Khan and fast bowler Sameen Gul picked up three and two wickets, respectively for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. At the Gaddafi Stadium, Balochistan’s young Abdul Wahid Bangalzai was eying his maiden first-class century in his third appearance when he ended the day at 93 against Discover Pakistan Central Punjab. Bangalzai has been batting for 327 minutes during which he has received 222 balls and hit 13 fours and six. Bangalzai added 119 runs for the second wicket with Imam-ul-Haq that allowed Balochistan to see off the day at 223 for four. Imam faced 109 balls and hit six fours and four sixes. Scores in brief (day 1 of 4, round 3): Balochistan 223-4, 74 overs (Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 93 not out, Imam-ul-Haq 72, Haris Sohail 29, Bismillah Khan 16 not out) v Discover Pakistan Central Punjab Northern 287-6, 85 overs (Mohammad Huraira 112, Aamir Jamal 49 not out, Faizan Riaz 46, Rohail Nazir 32 not out; Mir Hamza 3-42) v GFS Sindh ATF Southern Punjab 369-7, 80 overs (Mohammad Imran 122 not out, Azam Khan 103, Hassan Khan 54, Tayyab Tahir 52; Sajid Khan 3-109, Sameen Gul 2-66) v Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Sports Reporter LAHORE (November 2, 2021):-The absorbing red-ball cricket action will resume from Wednesday when the third round of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 begins. The first two rounds have provided glimpses of individual and collective brilliance with 16 centuries scored, four of which were maiden, and three bowlers record maiden five-wicket hauls. Nineteen-year-old Mohammad Huraira, who was part of the national side that featured in the U19 World Cup last year, scored his maiden first-class century on the final day of Northern’s second round clash against Central Punjab, which ended in draw. For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Sahibzada Farhan, Iqbal Stadium Faisalabad will hold great significance as he scored his first century at this level there against Sindh. Southern Punjab’s Tayyab Tahir brought up his maiden ton in style as he smashed 221, becoming only the second batter after Faizan Riaz to score a double-century this season. Tayyab leads the batting chart with 360 runs and Faizan follows him with 342 runs. These two are the only batters in the tournament to have scored more than 300 runs, to date. Central Punjab’s Abid Ali is third with 280 runs. Nauman Ali, member of the national Test team, had scored his maiden first-class ton on the last day of round one at the Gaddafi Stadium. After Northern’s pacer Musa Khan took five wickets for the first time in the first round, Balochistan off-spinner Raza-ul-Hasan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Niaz Khan recorded their maiden five-fers in the second round. The bowling chart, however, is led by Central Punjab’s all-rounder Zafar Gohar as his left-arm orthodox has accounted for 11 batters at 37.09 runs per wicket. Twenty-one-year-old Musa has taken nine wickets at 20.67, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Imran Khan Snr, Raza-ul-Hasan and Balochistan’s Ali Usman have taken seven wickets apiece in two matches. While all six matches across the first two rounds ended in draw, Northern, who were the finalists of the 2019-20 edition, are at the top with 23 points – two clear of the second-ranked Southern Punjab. Southern Punjab displayed tactical and calculated approach when their batters crossed the 400-run benchmark inside the 100 overs of their first innings in the second round fixture against Balochistan at the Multan Cricket Stadium, which brought them maximum (five) batting points. Southern Punjab, which is captained by Mohammad Abbas, have collected seven batting points in the first two rounds, which is the joint-most with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Azhar Ali’s Central Punjab, Iftikhar Ahmed’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Imran Butt’s Balochistan are locked on 20 points, with net run-rate separating them. Central Punjab’s better net run-rate has them at third spot, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are fourth and Balochistan are fifth. Fawad Alam’s Sindh have catching up to do when they face Northern at Multan Cricket Stadium as they are at the bottom of the table with 18 points. For their third round fixture, Central Punjab will stay in Lahore as they play Balochistan, who will play their first match of the season at Pakistan’s home of cricket after playing their first round fixture at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad and second round fixture at Multan Cricket Stadium. All the action from this match will be beamed across the globe through PCB’s official YouTube channel. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will also remain stationed at Faisalabad to host Southern Punjab, who travel for the first time in this edition after playing their first two matches in Multan.