KARACHI: Minnows Lahore Blues gate-crashed to the Super Eight stage of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship on Wednesday after annihilating Hyderabad by innings on the penultimate day of their last-round Pool ‘A’ fixture in Hyderabad.

Having come through the qualifying phase, Lahore Blues made up for past struggles in the main tournament with a magnificent show at the Niaz Stadium as they whipped their hapless hosts by an innings and 184 runs to earn maximum 10 points to move into third spot with 22.

After extending their lead to 302 by reaching 424 all out from the overnight 322-6, Lahore Blues shot out Hyderabad for 118 in the second innings. Discarded Pakistan seamer Aizaz Cheema finished with match bag of 10-73 by taking 4-43 on Wednesday.

Earlier opener Waqas Saleem missed out on a double century when he was trapped LBW by paceman Sajjad Hussain for 192 (366 balls, 24 fours and three sixes).

Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) also sealed an early win when they ended Pool ‘B’ leaders National Bank of Pakistan (NBP)’s unbeaten run with an crushing eight-wicket triumph at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot.

NBP, who were tottering at 84-6 on Tuesday evening, were dismissed for 167 in their second innings despite a fighting 71 not out from wicket-keeper Amin-ur-Rehman.

In-form paceman Mohammad Abbas took two more wickets to finish with 7-68 in 23 overs.

KRL then raced to their target of 130 in 28.4 overs with left-handed opener Zain Abbas scoring an unbeaten 78.

Habib Bank Limited (HBL) are on verge of being denied a Super Eight spot as Wapda need just six wickets at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad to go through to the next phase of the competition.

Left-handed Ayaz Tasawwar came tantalising close to reaching only his second first-class hundred when he was out for 99 (173 balls, 10 fours) before Wapda declared their second innings at 240-5 to leave HBL with a daunting 366-run chase.

But by close of play, HBL were in real strife at 68-4 with spinner Zulfiqar Babar picking the prized scalp of his Pakistan team-mate Asad Shafiq for 28.

The only possibility that remains for HBL to qualify would be a victory for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) in their clash with Karachi Whites here at the National Stadium.

Chasing 320 in 99 possible overs, Karachi Whites went to stumps on day three at 34-0 after Fata produced a scintillating batting show to amass 478 all out in 92.5 after being forced to follow on the day before.

Fata captain Fawad Khan led the onslaught on the Karachi bowlers to virtually all parts of the vast arena with a career-best knock of 172 from 165 balls before he was beautifully held at short mid-wicket by Zia-ul-Haq as he tried to flick. The 29-year-old power-hitting right-hander from Bannu smashed 14 boundaries and nine sixes, most of them comfortably clearing the boundary without any fuss.

Fawad, who began the day on 78 in his team’s tally of 145-1, shared a second-wicket partnership of 162 in 111 minutes with Khushdil Shah, who scored a 79-ball 72 with 11 fours and one six.

Mohammad Irfan, playing just his fourth first-class game, fell just four short of a maiden century. His 96 off only 99 deliveries included 14 boundaries and a brace of sixes.

Zia (19) and Jaahid Ali (13) negotiated 13 overs before stumps to set up an thrilling fourth and final with Karachi Whites still needing 286 for victory.

Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) were 208-6 against Port Qasim Authority (PQA)’s first-innings total of 283 as only 27 overs were bowled at the Diamond Club Ground in Islamabad. A draw will demote PQA to Grade-II cricket next season.

United Bank Limited (UBL) were 112-3 in their second innings after Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) earned a lead of 98 at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi. Imran Khalid completed a second first-class ton by making a career-best 113 (190 balls, 18 fours) after SNGPL began the day at 168-5.

Close of play scores and results on Wednesday (day three of four):

Seventh round:

Pool ‘A’:

At Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad: Lahore Blues beat Hyderabad by an innings and 184 runs.

HYDERABAD 122 in 48 overs (Haris Khan 30, Shoaib Leghari 22; Aizaz Cheema 6-30, Ahmed Bashir 3-44) and 118 in 47.3 overs (Haris Khan 35, Rizwan Ahmed 23, Shoaib Leghari 22; Aizaz Cheema 4-43, Ahmed Bashir 3-21, Bilawal Iqbal 2-21); LAHORE BLUES 424-9 declared in 140.4 overs (Waqas Saleem 192, Farhan Khan 60 not out, Bilawal Iqbal 37, Haris Nazir 32, Fahad-ul-Haq 21; Nasir Awais 4-115, Lal Kumar 2-21, Sajjad Hussain 2-73).

At Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi: UNITED BANK LIMITED 132 in 55.3 overs (Saeed bin Nasir 36; Azizullah 5-33, Samiullah Khan Niazi 2-24, Asad Ali 2-31) and 112-3 in 47 overs (Umar Siddique 49 not out, Saeed bin Nasir 23 not out, Umair Khan 21); SUI NORTHERN GAS PIPELINES LIMITED 230 in 81.4 overs (Imran Khalid 113, Hussain Talat 46, Naeemuddin 23; Ehsan Adil 5-69, Sameen Gul 2-44, Sadaif Mehdi 2-54).

At Diamond Club Ground, Islamabad: PORT QASIM AUTHORITY 283 in 85 overs (Atif Ali Zaidi 72, Mohammad Salman 55, Waqar Ahmed 48 not out, Faraz Ali 34, Khurram Manzoor 29; Adnan Ghaus 4-69, Zafar Gohar 3-23, Tabish Khan 2-112); SUI SOUTHERN GAS COMPANY 208-6 in 66 overs (Awais Zia 72 not out, Usman Tariq 27, Umar Amin 22; Waqar Ahmed 2-41).

At Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar: No play on Wednesday due to bad light.

ISLAMABAD 129 in 45.5 overs (Afaq Raheem 38, Sarmad Bhatti 31; Taj Wali 5-33, Nasir Ahmed 2-24) and 96-1 in 37 overs (Afaq Raheem 49 not out, Abid Ali 38); PESHAWAR 170 in 53.5 overs (Musadiq Ahmed 42, Mehran Ibrahim 26; Shehzad Azam Rana 6-38, Munir-ul-Rehman Tanzeel 2-24, Hasan Ali 2-55).

Pool ‘B’:

At National Stadium, Karachi: KARACHI WHITES 300 in 87 overs (Mohammad Waqas 137, Jaahid Ali 96; Irfanullah Shah 6-76, Razaullah Wazir 3-110) and 34-0 in 13 overs; FEDERALLY ADMINISTERED TRIBAL AREAS 141 in 39.1 overs (Rehan Afridi 37, Mohammad Irfan 24; Adeel Malik 3-50, Babar Rehman 3-56, Ghulam Mudassar 2-19) and 478 in 92.5 overs (Fawad Khan 172, Mohammad Irfan 96, Khushdil Shah 72, Haroon Sadaqat 34, Mohammad Naeem 20, Asif Afridi 20; Ghulam Mudassar 3-102, Adeel Malik 2-69, Abdullah Muqaddam 2-95).

At Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad: WAPDA 212 in 63.3 overs (Zahid Mansoor 56, Mohammad Saad 53, Riffatullah Mohmand 38, Naseer Akram 22 not out, Adnan Raees 20; Umar Gul 4-39, Abdur Rehman 4-68, Mohammad Naeem 2-43) and 240-5 declared in 65 overs (Ayaz Tasawwar 99, Adnan Raees 56 not out, Zahid Mansoor 39; Mohammad Naeem 2-48); HABIB BANK LIMITED 87 in 46.2 overs (Waqas Maqsood 6-31, Naseer Akram 4-25) and 68-4 in 27 overs (Asad Shafiq 28, Nauman Anwar 20; Zulfiqar Babar 2-9).

At LCCA Ground, Lahore: LAHORE WHITES 201 in 74.2 overs (Sami Aslam 55, Asif Raza 48, Anas Mahmood 30; Haseeb Azam 6-74, Mansoor Amjad 2-7) and 7-0 in 5.1 overs; RAWALPINDI 183 in 56.3 overs (Sarmad Hameed 39, Usman Saeed 39, Talha Qureshi 39, Mansoor Amjad 21; Asif Raza 5-34, Umar Farooq 2-40, Kamil Akram 2-47). At Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot: Khan Research Laboratories beat National Bank of Pakistan by eight wickets.

NATIONAL BANK OF PAKISTAN 138 in 42.1 overs (Qaiser Abbas 29, Fawad Alam 26; Sadaf Hussain 6-45, Nawaz Ahmed Jan 2-14) and 167 in 48 overs (Amin-ur-Rehman 71 not out, Qaiser Abbas 43; Mohammad Abbas 7-68); KHAN RESEARCH LABORATORIES 176 in 38.3 overs (Nauman Ali 55, Saeed Anwar Jr 40, Shoaib Ahmed Minhas 22; Ahmed Jamal 5-59, Mohammad Asghar 2-28) and 130-2 in 28.4 overs (Zain Abbas 58 not out, Shoaib Ahmed Minhas 37 not out).

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2015