KARACHI: The Quaid-i-Azam Trophy encounter between Southern Punjab and Sindh was promising a result in favour of either side by the close of play on the penultimate day of the tournament’s third-round at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi on Tuesday.

After Southern Punjab opener Zain Abbas’s seventh first-class century helped his team accumulate 283 in the second innings, Sindh were 57-0 in pursuit of a 381-run target.

The day also saw Sindh’s mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed complete a 10-wicket haul in a match for the second time in his first-class career as he registered figures of 100-6 after bagging four wickets in the first innings.

Zain hit13 fours in his innings and added 85 runs for the fifth wicket with Umar Siddiq (42) after Southern Punjab had slipped to 114-4.

Abrar, whose overnight figures were 1-29, accounted for Zain, Salman Ali Agha, Sharoon Siraj, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Abbas and Ahmed Bashir.

At the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Abbottabad, Northern were sensing a massive victory against Balochistan, who were bundled out for 216 after resuming the day at 108-4 in response to Northern’s 520-8 (decl.).

Hussain Talat (48) and Yasir Shah (31) were the only notable scorers for Balochistan with all-rounder Mubasir Khan (3-18) being the pick of the Northern bowlers.

After being forced to follow-on and trailing by 304 runs, Balochistan finished the third day’s play at 136-5 with Khurram Shahzad and Hussain at the crease but yet to get off the mark.

Ali Waqas (41) and Imran Butt (38) had provided Balochistan a 59-run start before they slipped to 104-3 and then lost two wickets at the score of 136. Balochistan require another 168 runs to make Northern bat again.

Due to wet outfield, there was no play between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Central Punjab at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.

Scores in brief:

Sindh trail by 323 runs against Southern Punjab

SOUTHERN PUNJAB 278 in 94.3 overs (Usman Salahuddin 89, Umar Siddiq 47; Abrar Ahmed 5-94) and 283 in 85.5 overs (Zain Abbas 138, Umar Siddiq 42, Ali Usman 26 not out; Abrar Ahmed 6-100); SINDH 181 in 50.2 overs (Mohammad Umar 59, Saad Khan 36; Mohammad Ilyas 5-50) and 57-0 in 17 overs (Saim Ayub 43 not out, Khurram Manzoor 14 not out)

Balochistan trail by 168 runs against Northern

NORTHERN 520-8 (decl.) in 116 overs (Faizan Riaz 201 not out, Mohammad Huraira 169; Taj Wali 5-91); BALOCHISTAN 216 in 81.1 overs (Asad Shafiq 53, Hussain Talat 48; Mubasir Khan 3-18) and 136-5 in 32 overs (Ali Waqas 41, Imran Butt 38).

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2022