Quaid-e-Azam Trophy: Rawalpindi win maiden title

Team upsets neighbours Islamabad by 228 runs in final.

KARACHI: Speedster Akhtar Ayub claimed his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket to bowl Rawalpindi to their maiden Quaid-e-Azam Trophy title; his haul helped his team thrash Islamabad by 228 runs.

Islamabad started day five on 99 for five with defeat unavoidable as they trailed by 336 runs.

Getting early wickets was easy for Rawalpindi bowlers as Ayub and Haseeb Azam dismissed the opposing batsmen without much resistance. However, the performance of number 10 Junaid Nadir, who hit 41 off 42 balls, was an instance of consolation for Islamabad before they were bundled out for 206.



Ayub was the pick of the bowlers, ending up with eight wickets in the match. He bowled with speed and aggression on a slow track, while Nasir Malik (six) and Haseeb Azam (four) chipped in with useful scalps.

“It’s an amazing feeling to help Rawalpindi win their first ever Quaid-e-Azam Trophy title,” Ayub, who was a part of the U19 World Cup winning team in 2006, told The Express Tribune.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better time to achieve this long-awaited feat. My career had gone wayward after the 2006 World Cup. I was expected to do big things due to my ability to bowl close to 90mph, but I had limited opportunities to showcase my skills.”

There were other notable contributions in the victory as well — Shoaib Nasir played a 177-run knock in the second innings to set the tone, while Awais Zia and skipper Babar Naeem added to the score as well.

Rawalpindi coach pleased with decision

Ayub and Malik’s impressive performance may be attributed to Rawalpindi coach Sabih Azhar’s instrumental role in asking the duo to leave their departments in order to play in the regional tournament.

“It’s true that I wanted to build a strong unit and asked Ayub and Malik to appear for Rawalpindi,” said Azhar. “The decision proved right in the end as both played crucial parts in helping us become champions.

“The triumph is a result of team effort as all the players fulfilled their roles,” he added.

International batsman Zia led the batting for the winners, scoring 711 runs in all, while others who chipped in heavily with the bat include Nasir (656), Zahid Mansoor (557), Naeem (529), Naved Malik (501), Muzammil Nizam (501) and Azam (410).

In bowling, Malik ended up as the best bowler with 65 wickets, while Ayub (30) and Azam (51) shared the workload.

Rawalpindi received Rs2.5 million, while runners-up Islamabad had to contend with Rs1.5 million. Peshawar’s Israrullah was adjudged the best batsman and Islamabad’s Imad Wasim declared the best all-rounder of the event.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st,  2014.

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