Faisalabad escape huge defeat in Quaid-i-Azam Trophy

Rawalpindi cruises to huge win, Islamabad and NBP draw while SNGPL register wins against Multain.

In one of the more exciting encounters in the opening round of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy, Faisalabad escaped a huge defeat against HBL as they ended the final day at 317 for seven, facing a first-innings deficit of 411.

Farrukh Shahzad hit a composed 101 off 281 deliveries that included 18 fours to steer his side out of trouble. Danish Kaneria, who wrecked Faisalabad in the first innings with five for 75, bowled a staggering 56.5 overs in the second innings but only managed to pick up three for 146. Aslam Qureshi took three for 47 off 34.1 overs. But it was Farrukh, who made sure HBL finished with just a draw after Ahmed Shahzad had hit a brilliant double century in HBL’s innings, propelling them to 583.

Rawalpindi cruise to huge win

Sadaf Hussain and Nadeem Sikander ran through ZTBL’s batting lineup as Rawalpindi won by 171 runs on the final day. Hussain took five for 49 and Sikandar claimed three for 29 as ZTBL, chasing 371 to win, were bowled out for just 139 in 41 overs. Earlier, Rawalpindi added 16 runs to their overnight total after they resumed on 414 for nine.

Islamabad draw with NBP

Set an improbable target of 440 on the final day, NBP reached 60 for two as the match ended in a dull draw. Islamabad, who were 177 for five at the end of the third day, managed 376 owed largely to Imad Wasim (71) and Rauf Akbar (65).

SNGPL beat Multan

SNGPL’s bowlers demolished Multan to register a 136-run win on the final day. Asad Ali took five for 46 as Multan were bowled out for a paltry 134 in just 35 overs. SNGPL, who took a first-innings lead of 72, managed 198 the second time around but Multan were left to rue a poor batting display as none of the batsmen, apart from Abdur Rauf’s 31, managed to cross 25.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 27^th, 2010.