DISCARDED Pakistan all-rounder Hammad Azam grabbed career-best analysis of seven for 46 to keep Rawalpindi on track for the Super Eight final after the hosts decimated Karachi Whites by an innings and 23 runs in their Faysal Bank Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship ties at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi.

After securing a commanding 223-run lead on the first innings, Rawalpindi reduced Karachi Whites to 200 all out in their second innings to complete a resounding victory in less than two days of play.

Shahzaib Hasan, who was the highest run-getter in the Whites’ measly total of 69 on the first day, again top scored. The discarded international struck 81 off 104 balls with 12 boundaries and three sixes. Khalid Latif scored 27 in the opening stand of 76 with Shahzaib.

Hammad finished with match haul of nine for 53, while Sohail Tanvir took two more wickets to end up seven for 108 in the match. Earlier, left-arm paceman Abdul Ameer claimed the last two Rawalpindi wickets to finish with his best ever figures of 8-98 in first-class cricket.

Rawalpindi now top the standings Group ‘A’ standings with 12 points. Their nearest rivals Sialkot reached 215-5 in response to Islamabad’s first-innings tally of 303 at the Diamond Club Ground in the federal capital. Skipper Shoaib Malik was batting with 94 (160 balls, 11 fours).

Seamer Faisal Rasheed captured five for 71 earlier in the day after Islamabad resumed at 258-5.

In Group ‘B’, Karachi Blues gained a handy lead of 118 over Lahore Shalimar at the LCCA Ground in Lahore. Resuming at 178-4, the visitors totalled 255 with their young left-handed opener Fakhar Zaman adding six to his overnight score of 95 to complete his maiden first-class century.

Fakhar’s 123-ball innings of 101 contained 14 boundaries and one six.

Lahore Shalimar wiped out the deficit but lost five wickets in making 252 in the second innings to be ahead by only 136 runs. Skipper Usman Salahuddin made 53.

All-rounder Lal Kumar became the third century-maker in Hyderabad’s massive total of 584 in the other Group ‘B’ tie against Lahore Ravi at the National Cricket Ground in Islamabad. Kumar emulated first-day’s heroes Azeem Ghumman (107) and Rizwan Ahmed (105) by striking 109 off 123 balls with the aid of 17 fours, while adding 145 for the eighth wicket with Shoaib Leghari (57).

Lahore Ravi soon nosedived to 64-4 before opener Sami Aslam (82) and captain Adnan Akmal (53) lifted them to 171-4 by stumps.

Faisalabad were on top after forcing Abbottabad to follow on in their Pool ‘A’ Bottom Six Teams’ event fixture at the Mirpur Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. Resuming at 375-7, Faisalabad posted 453 all out with ex-Test wicket-keeper and the team’s skipper Mohammad Salman contributing a 98-ball 88 with the aid of 15 boundaries.

Abbottabad, in reply, were dismissed for 203 despite Rameez Ahmed scoring 87. Former Pakistan limited-overs seamer Samiullah Khan Niazi grabbed five wickets for 47 runs. Batting again, Abbottabad negotiated 10.5 overs to close at 46-0.

Bahawalpur were well placed at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan after dismissing Quetta to clinch a 109-run lead in the Pool ‘B’ match of the lower tier competition. Former international Kamran Hussain duly completed a century after beginning the day on 96. He hit 123 off 201 balls with 14 fours.

Quetta then had no answer to the gentle swing bowling of all-rounder Bilal Khilji who bagged five wickets for 23 runs in 15.3 overs. Bahawalpur lost Imranullah Aslam for a duck to reach 10-1 in their second innings at draw of stumps.

Close of play scores and result on Wednesday (day two of four): Super Eight: At LCCA Ground, Lahore: LAHORE SHALIMAR 137 in 34.4 overs (Mohammad Irfan 62 not out, Aizaz Cheema 27; Zohaib Shera 7-42, Tabish Khan 2-36) and 252-5 in 68 overs (Usman Salahuddin 53, Fahad-ul-Haq 50, Saad Nasim 46 not out, Imran Butt 37, Aamir Sajjad 28; Zohaib Shera 2-40); KARACHI BLUES 255 in 62 overs (Fakhar Zaman 101, Rameez Raja 45, Akbar-ur-Rehman 28; Saad Nasim 3-20, Asif Raza 2-43, Zia-ul-Haq 2-52, Aizaz Cheema 2-93).

At Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi: Rawalpindi beat Karachi Whites by an innings and 23 runs.

KARACHI WHITES 69 in 29 overs (Shahzaib Hasan 19; Sohail Tanvir 5-20, Hammad Azam 2-7, Sadaf Hussain 2-28) and 200 in 43 overs (Shahzaib Hasan 81, Saeed bin Nasir 29, Khalid Latif 27; Hammad Azam 7-46, Sohail Tanvir 2-68); RAWALPINDI 292 in 68.2 overs (Awais Zia 67, Babar Naeem 66, Jamal Anwar 39, Umar Waheed 28; Abdul Ameer 8-98, Atif Maqbool 2-115).

At Diamond Club Ground, Islamabad: ISLAMABAD 303 in 101.3 overs (Raheel Majeed 115, Ali Sarfraz 97, Mohammad Kashif 25; Faisal Rasheed 5-71, Hafiz Majid Jahangir 2-4); SIALKOT 215-5 in 70.3 overs (Shoaib Malik 94 not out, Shakeel Ansar 34, Faisal Rasheed 29, Zeeshan Mushtaq 25 not out; Zohaib Ahmed 2-40).

At National Cricket Ground, Islamabad: HYDERABAD 584 in 120.4 overs (Lal Kumar 109, Azeem Ghumman 107, Rizwan Ahmed 105, Aqeel Anjum 81, Faisal Athar 78, Shoaib Leghari 57; Mohammad Irshad 5-144, Ali Manzoor 2-89); LAHORE RAVI 171-4 in 53 overs (Sami Aslam 82 not out, Adnan Akmal 53 not out; Rehan Riaz 2-38, Mir Ali Talpur 2-46).

Bottom Six Teams: At Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan: BAHAWALPUR 268 in 105.4 overs (Kamran Hussain 123, Hamid Ali 42, Imranullah Aslam 41, Waqas Khan 29; Jalat Khan 4-54, Nazar Hussain 4-61) and 10-1 in 3 overs; QUETTA 159 in 61.3 overs (Shahbaz Khan 30, Ata-ur-Rehman 25; Bilal Khilji 5-23, Ansar Javed 3-53, Kamran Hussain 2-41).

At Mirpur Cricket Stadium, Mirpur: FAISALABAD 453 in 104.5 overs (Khurram Shehzad 136, Mohammad Shahid 96, Mohammad Salman 88, Ammar Mahmood 63, Asif Ali 32; Aziz-ur-Rehman 3-105, Fazle Rabbi 2-39, Riaz Kail 2-56, Mohammad Naeem 2-84); ABBOTTABAD 203 in 44.5 overs (Rameez Ahmed 87, Mir Azam 43, Adnan Raees 30; Samiullah Khan Niazi 5-47, Waqas Maqsood 2-48, Naseer Akram 2-53) and 46-0 in 10.5 overs.