Quaid-e-Azam Trophy: Rampant Usman steers WAPDA to win

Bowler claims eight scalps as Lahore Blues defeated by 10 wickets

KARACHI: An eight-wicket haul by Khalid Usman steered WAPDA to a 10-wicket win over a hapless Lahore Blues in their Pool A fixture of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy at the LCCA Ground in Lahore yesterday.

Lahore Blues had resumed their second innings 145-3 and were able to add only 72 runs as Usman ran riot to restrict them to 217. WAPDA, needing just 28 runs to win, reached the target in 5.5 overs with 10 wickets remaining.

Meanwhile, the other two matches of Pool A ended in a draw as in the match between Peshawar and HBL, Peshawar were 307-5 in their second innings, needing 64 runs to win, while the match between Islamabad and SSGC was only able to reach the third innings. Islamabad were in their second innings at the end of play following SSGC’s 382 runs.

In the Pool B match between SNGPL and FATA, SNGPL’s Hussain Tallat took three wickets to guide his team to a 117-run victory. FATA had resumed their second innings 38-2, trailing by 330 runs, before Tallat, along with Asad Ali and Imran Khalid, ripped through FATA’s batting and dismissed them for 191 to win the match.

At the Pindi Stadium, a five-wicket haul by Muhammad Abbas led KRL to a 49-run win over Rawalpindi. Resuming their innings at 156-6, Rawalpindi lost the remaining wickets on 194 to fall 49 runs short of the target. Apart from Abbas, Sadaf Hussain and Yasir Ali took three and two wickets respectively.

Meanwhile in Pool B’s last match, NBP’s Muhammad Atif Jabbar took five wickets to guide his side to a seven-wicket win over Lahore Whites.

The Lahore outfit resumed their second innings 82-5 and were dismissed for 187, setting a target of 122 runs, which NBP reached with ease in 19.4 overs.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2016.

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