KARACHI: It was centuries galore for both Lahore outfits in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, which entered its fifth round on Wednesday.

While in-form openers Ali Zaryab and Ahmed Shehzad struck tons to get Lahore Whites on the way to an imposing first-innings total against Peshawar, hundreds by Hussain Talat and Junaid Ali did so for the city’s Blues side against Rawalpindi.

The other two matches of the round — between Multan and Karachi Whites and Fata and Faisalabad — in contrast, saw the bowlers dominate.

After Lahore Whites captain Saad Naseem opted to bat first at the city’s Gaddafi Stadium, Zaryab smashed 141 of 213 balls, hitting 21 boundaries. Ahmed, meanwhile, hit at unbeaten 163 off 243 balls, scoring 22 boundaries as the Whites posted 375-2 by the close of the day’s play.

Lahore Blues also batted first against Rawalpindi at the Pindi Cricket Stadium and Hussain and Junaid capitalised the opportunity fully. Hussain plundered the Rawalpindi bowlers for 100 off 172, his knock studded with 11 fours and a six. Junaid, on the other hand, hit 14 boundaries in his 102 off 184.

In the Blues’ total of 359-4, Hasham Ibrahim’s contribution of 69 off 89 was also key.

At Rawalpindi’s KRL Stadium, Multan were bowled out for 220 by Karachi Whites after choosing to bat first as veteran pacers Mir Hamza and Tabish Khan took three wickets each. Multan’s total, however, would have been worse had it not been for crucial knocks by Mohammad Basit (60 off 75) and Ali Usman (57 off 47).

The Karachi outfit couldn’t do great with the bat either, as they were down to 86-5 by stumps, thanks to three wickets from Multan’s Usman and two from Zahid Mehmood.

In Abbotabad, a half-century by Faisalabad captain Faheem Ashraf helped them to 215 against Fata. Faheem scored 76 off 110 balls, hitting 12 boundaries as other Faisalabad batters failed to make significant contributions.

For Fata, pacer Asif Afridi bagged three wickets. He was supported by Arshadullah and Aimal Khan, both of whom got two wickets apiece. At stumps, Fata had lost their first wicket after having scored nine runs.

Scores in brief

Lahore Whites 375-2 against Peshawar

LAHORE WHITES 375-2 in 90 overs (Ahmed Shahzad 163 not out, Ali Zaryab Asif 141; Maaz Sadaqat 1-37, Mohammad Amir Khan 1-64)

Karachi Whites trail by 134 runs against Multan

MULTAN 220 in 50.2 overs (Mohammad Basit 60, Ali Usman 57; Tabish Khan 3-40, Mir Hamza 3-54, Noman Ali 2-29, Ghulam Mudassar 2-37); KARACHI WHITES 86-5 in 35 overs (Saim Ayub 40, Khurram Manzoor 26; Ali Usman 3-11, Zahid Mehmood 2-22)

Lahore Blues 359-4 against Rawalpindi

LAHORE BLUES 359-4 in 88 overs (Junaid Ali 102 not out, Hussain Talat 100 not out, Hashim Ibraheem; Mohammad Awais Anwar 2-86)

Fata trail by 206 runs against Faisalabad

FAISALABAD 215 in 79.5 overs (Faheem Ashraf 76, Mohammad Huraira 37; Asif Afridi 3-37, Aimal Khan 2-54, Arshad Ullah 2-57); FATA 9-1 in 5 overs (Khurram Shahzad 1-4).

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2023