KARACHI: Adnan Younis held together Abbottabad’s first innings with a defiant century as the visitors progressed to 221-5 against Karachi Blues on the opening day of the second-round fixture in the PCB Inter-region Qualifying Cricket Tournament here on Tuesday.

After being asked to bat in the Pool ‘A’ match at the National Stadium, Abbottabad were well served by Adnan, who struck 12 boundaries in his 250-ball knock of 105. Khalilullah was the other batsman to shine with an undefeated 80 off 208 balls with eight fours and one six.

Slow left-armer Mirza Ahsan Jamil picked up three wickets for 54 runs.

Left-arm seamer Asif Afridi grabbed six wickets for 63 runs to help Fata restrict Faisalabad to 185 all out in their first innings after opting to bat first in the other Pool ‘A’ fixture at the UBL Sports Complex.

By stumps, Fata had reached 90-1.

In the Pool ‘B’ encounter at the NBP Sports Complex, Raza Ali Dar hit 105 off 170 balls (15 boundaries) as Lahore Blues collected 258 all out after winning the toss against Bahawalpur.

Bahawalpur captain Imranullah Aslam claimed five wickets for 76 runs before his team struggled to 25-2 in reply by stumps.

Atiq-ur-Rehman and Ali Raza both came close to reaching centuries but their fine contributions guided Sialkot to 331-8 after Multan decided to bowl first in the other Pool ‘B’ game at the Niaz Stadium in Hyderabad.

Atiq made 95 off 195 balls with the aid of 10 boundaries, while Ali scored an enterprising 91 from 115 deliveries (eight fours and one six).

In the qualifying competition for departmental outfits, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) made life miserable for the Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.

After losing the toss and put into bat, ZTBL mustered a paltry 95 all out in 34.1 overs despite Aaqib Shah striking 53 (off 80 balls, six fours) and ex-Pakistan batsman Yasir Hameed 29.

Left-arm fast bowler Majid Ali (5-43) and his new-ball partner Mohammad Abbas (5-36) were the wreckers.

By close of play, KRL had already taken lead by reaching 142-4 with the talented left-hander Imam-ul-Haq batting on 77 (146 balls, nine boundaries).

State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) were made to fight for runs after being put into by Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

With both teams winning their matches on the first round, SBP needed a good start to continue their dominance. But in 90 overs they could manage only 220-6 despite Faisal Mubashir (68 off 154 balls, seven fours), Usman Salahuddin (65 not out, 196 balls, six fours) and Sami Aslam (47) making useful notable runs.

Veteran all-rounder Tariq Haroon has so far claimed 3-31.

Karachi Port Trust (KPT), the Patron’s Trophy champions, thwarted PIA’s bid to dismiss them cheaply when they posted 230-6 at the LCCA Ground in Lahore.

PIA, who lost to SBP in round one, chose to bowl first after winning the toss but Faisal Khan (57), Nadeem Javed (48) and Anas Mahmood (42) frustrated them by playing substantial innings.

Close of play scores on Tuesday (day one of four):

Inter-department qualifying tournament:

At Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan: STATE BANK 220-6 in 90 overs (Usman Salahuddin 65 not out, Faisal Mubashir 68, Sami Aslam 47; Tariq Haroon 3-31, Akhtar Ayub 2-13) vs SSGC.

At Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad: ZTBL 95 in 34.1 overs (Aaqib Shah 53, Yasir Hameed 29; Mohammad Abbas 5-36, Majid Ali 5-43); KRL 142-4 in 50 overs (Imam-ul-Haq 77 not out, Shoaib Ahmed 20; Imran Khan 2-24).

At LCCA Ground, Lahore: KPT 230-6 in 90 overs (Faisal Khan 57, Nadeem Javed 48, Anas Mahmood 42, Ahmed Iqbal 25 not out, Shah Ali Zafar 24; Hazrat Shah 3-62) vs PIA.

Inter-region qualifying tournament:

Second round:

Pool ‘A’:

At National Stadium, Karachi: ABBOTTABAD 221-5 in 90 overs (Adnan Younis 105, Khalilullah 80 not out; Mirza Ahsan Jamil 3-54) vs KARACHI BLUES.

At UBL Sports Complex, Karachi: FAISALABAD 185 in 64.1 overs (Waqas Wasif 47, Atif Manzoor 46, Sheroze Raza 30, Ali Rafiq 26; Asif Afridi 6-63, Mohammad Irfan 2-53); FATA 90-1 in 29 overs (Mohammad Naeem 41 not out, Mohammad Sarwar 34 not out).

Pool ‘B’:

At NBP Sports Complex, Karachi: LAHORE BLUES 258 in 77.2 overs (Raza Ali Dar 105, Mohammad Ikhlaq 46, Farhan 39, Saad Nasim 26; Imranullah Aslam 5-76, Mohammad Imran 3-39, Kamran Hussain 2-37); BAHAWALPUR 25-2 in 10 overs (Bilawal Iqbal 2-17).

At Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad: SIALKOT 331-8 in 90 overs (Atiq-ur-Rehman 95, Ali Raza 91, Ahsan Bhatti 41, Mansoor Amjad 28, Salman Ali 26; Umair Arshad 4-94, Usman Mushtaq 3-71) vs MULTAN.

Published in Dawn September 30th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play