KARACHI: Half centuries by Hussain Talat and Junaid Ali put Lahore Whites in a commanding position against Lah­ore Blues as the first round of the 2023-24 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy kicked off here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.

Bowlers Ahmed Bashir, Aamir Jamal and Mohammad Irfan counterattacked the batting onslaught to keep the score at bay as the Whites ended the opening day at 247-7.

Led by Saad Naseem, Lahore Whites won the toss and opted to bowl first. Captain Imran Butt and Umar Siddiq opened the batting for Lahore Blues. However, by lunch, both the openers had lost their wickets.

Resuming play from 69-2, a 54-run partnership between Usman Salah­uddin and Rizwan Hussain gave some stability to the Blues but wickets kept falling at regular intervals as Ahmed, Aamir Jamal and Irfan claimed two victims each.

A 73-run partnership between Hussain and Junaid later helped the Whites to a comfortable position.

In Abbotabad, veteran batters Asad Shafiq (70 off 142) and Khurram Manzoor (87 off 226) pulled Karachi Whites out of trouble after they were put into bat by Peshawar.

The Sarfraz Ahmed-led Karachi outfit was struggling at 74-3 when Asad joined Khurram at the crease. The combined for a 151-run stand for the fourth wicket before both fell in in quick successions.

Sarfraz (28 not out off 55) then steadied the innings to help Karachi Whites end the day at 267-6.

Pacer Mohammad Ilyas took four wickets for Peshawar while fellow fast bowler Imran Khan and spinner Sajid Khan chipped in with one each.

In the match between Faisalabad and Multan at the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi, a wet outfield delayed the start. After losing the toss, Faisalabad were asked to field first.

The batting side got to a steady start, thanks to a 67-run-stand between openers Zain Abbas and Haseebullah. After the opening partnership was broken, Imran Rafiq and Zain kept the score flowing with 42 for the second wicket.

Zain became Ahmed Safi Abdullah’s second victim after completing his half-century. At the end of the day’s play, Multan found themselves at 145-2. Batters Imran and Sharoon Siraj, both batting in 20s, were at the crease at stumps.

In another Rawalpindi fixture, the home side elected to field first against FATA, who saw Samiullah and Salman Khan both getting out cheaply.

However, a solid partnership of 137 runs between captain Khushdil Shah and opener Mohammad Usman kept FATA in a strong position.

Even though he was denied a century, a brilliant 99 by Usman remained the hig­h­­light of the match as FATA posted 196-5.

Sameen Gul and Mohammad Wasim Khan remained at the crease.

Scores in brief

Lahore Whites vs Lahore Blues

LAHORE WHITES 247-7 in 79.5 overs (Hussain Talat 61, Junaid Ali 51; Ahmed Bashir 2-23, Mohammad Irfan 2-85)

Peshawar vs Karachi Whites

KARACHI WHITES 267-6 in 86 overs (Khurram Manzoor 87, Asad Shafiq 70; Mohammad Ilyas 4-61)

Faisalabad vs Multan

MULTAN 145-2 in 43 overs (Zain Abbas 65; Ahmed Safi Abdullah 2-31)

FATA vs Rawalpindi

FATA 196-5 in 57 overs (Mohammad Usman 99, Khushdil Shah 64; Mubasir Khan 2-48)

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2023