KARACHI: Peshawar ended their Group-I campaign in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship on a clinical note when they whipped Bahawalpur by an innings and 140 runs on the third morning of the scheduled four-day fixture at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar on Monday.

Bahawalpur, who were tottering at 70-6 at stumps on Sunday, lost their remaining four wickets for the addition of just 13 runs in 3.1 overs to suffer their fourth defeat in six matches. Paceman Taj Wali grabbed three of the wickets to finish four for 20.

Peshawar’s third victory enabled to seal second spot behind Rawalpindi (38 points) in the pool standings with 35 points.Abbottabad’s faint hopes of sealing a place in the Super Eight round have almost faded as Lahore Ravi posted 416-7 in reply to the hosts’ 398 at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium in Abbottabad.

Skipper Jahangir Mirza was the star for the visiting side with a fine effort of 102. The 26-year-old’s fourth first-class ton was scored off 154 deliveries with the aid of 16 boundaries after Lahore Ravi began the day at 140-2. Opener Abdul Wahab Dar fell five short of the three-figure mark. His patient 95 off 250 balls in a stay of 348 minutes included 11 fours and one six.

Paceman Aziz-ur-Rehman, who trapped Wahab lbw, has thus far taken four for 110 in 37 overs.

In the Group-I game that started at the Southend Club Stadium here, Sialkot had reached 55-3 after choosing to bat first against holders Karachi Blues. The match could not begin until after tea because of a wet pitch.

Group-II leaders Karachi Whites fell 19 runs short of averting the follow on against Faisalabad here at the National Stadium after a last-ditch partnership of 67 carried their total to 191 in response to the visitors’ 359.

Junaid Ilyas, son of former first-class cricketer and current match referee Ilyas Khan, who had finally got off the mark on Sunday after previous three innings in four matches had yielded no runs from his bat. This time, the 23-year-old upcoming off-spinner became his side’s top scorer with 46 in a 73-ball knock featuring eight boundaries.

Batting again, Karachi Whites fared marginally better to get within two runs of making Faisalabad bat a second time. At close of play, the home team had collected 167-4 in the talented Saad Ali batting on 39.

Multan earned a handy 59-run lead after making 296 in reply to Islamabad’s first-innings at the NBP Sports Complex here. Islamabad captain Imad Wasim grabbed his maiden five-for with his slow left-armers as he took all six wickets to fall on Monday on his way to excellent analysis of eight for 81 in 34.5 overs.

But Imad’s heroics could go in vain as Islamabad suffered a mid-innings collapse before finishing the day at 234-7 in their second innings to hold a modest lead of 175 going into Tuesday’s last day. Ali Sarfraz (90 off 169 balls, nine fours) and opener Zeeshan Ali (51) shared a second-wicket stand of 111.

Pace duo of Mohammad Bilawal and Mohammad Saeed equally shared wickets between them as Lahore Shalimar closed in on their third win after Hyderabad struggled to 169-8 in their second innings at the Niaz Stadium in Hyderabad.

Former international Faisal Athar was the solitary batsman to make a worthy contribution for the hosts. The 38-year-old right-hander was still going strong with an unconquered 104 wit his belligerent 129-ball innings laced with 16 boundaries.

Earlier, Lahore Shalimar posted 343 to take first-innings lead of 121 after resuming at 233-4. Agha Salman, who had scored 104 by stumps on Sunday, was dismissed for 127 (242 balls, 16 fours).

Close of play scores and result on Monday (day three of four):

Group-I:

At Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar: Peshawar beat Bahawalpur by an innings and 140 runs.

BAHAWALPUR 89 in 30.4 overs (Abdul Rehman 28 not out; Azam Khan 5-59, Taj Wali 3-18, Afaq Ahmed 2-11) and 83 in 40.1 overs (Taj Wali 4- 20, Jibran Khan 3-20, Azam Khan 2-21); PESHAWAR 312 in 73.5 overs (Mohammad Idrees 107, Jamaluddin 47, Jibran Khan 36; Zahir Siddiqui 2-36, Wasim Mustafa 3-87, Abdul Rehman 2-54).

At Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Abbottabad: ABBOTTABAD 398 in 97.1 overs (Riaz Kail 117, Mohammad Ali 68, Mohammad Ali 53, Khalilullah 43; Bilawal Iqbal 4-113, Tanzeel Altaf 2-70, Mohammad Tanvir 2-100); LAHORE RAVI 416-7 in 118 overs (Jahangir Mirza 102, Abdul Wahab Dar

95, Kamran Khalil 50, Asif Khan 44; Aziz-ur-Rehman 4-110, Waqar Orakzai 2-55).

At Southend Club Stadium, Karachi (day one): SIALKOT 55-3 in 18.5 overs (Salman Ali 36; Mansoor Ahmed 2-9) v KARACHI BLUES.

Group-II:

At National Stadium, Karachi: FAISALABAD 359 in 111.1 overs (Imran Ahmed 154, Fahim Ashraf 49, Asif Ali 41, Bilal Yousuf 30; Mir Hamza 5-96); KARACHI WHITES 191 in 61.3 overs (Junaid Ilyas 46, Daniyal Mansoor 34; Fahim Ashraf 5-53, Ikramullah Khan 3-64, Naseer Akram 2-44) and 167-4 in 64 overs (Saad Ali 39 not out, Yasir Mushtaq 32; Fahim Ashraf 2-42).

At NBP Sports Complex, Karachi: ISLAMABAD 237 in 86.1 overs (Imad Wasim 53, Sajid Ali 45, Mohammad Kashif 33, Junaid Nadir 33, Ali Sarfraz 31; Mohammad Rameez 5-78, Aamir Yamin 2-25, Kumail Abbas 2-26) and 234-7 in 66 overs (Ali Sarfraz 90, Zeeshan Ali 51; Haziq Habibullah 3-82); MULTAN 296 in 102.5 overs (Kashif Naved 86, Abdul Rehman Muzammil 60, Ahad Raza 42, Usman Liaquat 30; Imad Wasim 8-81, Afaq Raheem 2-35).

At Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad: HYDERABAD 222 in 80.4 overs (Shabih Haider 88 not out, Nasir Awais 30; Mohammad Bilawal 4-50, Mohammad Irfan 2-39, Waad-ur-Rehman 2-35) and 169-8 in 44 overs (Faisal Athar 104 not out; Mohammad Bilawal 4-41, Mohammad Saeed 4-46); LAHORE SHALIMAR 343 in 113.5 overs (Agha Salman 127, Salman Ali 50, Kashif Mahmood 39; Furqan Azeem 3-56, Nasir Awais 3-70, Rehan Nizamuddin 2-63).

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