KARACHI: Northern bowlers annihilated Central Punjab’s batting line-up on day 3 of their ongoing fixture in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT) at NBP Sports Complex here on Thursday.

Northern’s batters, Usman Qadir and Waqas Maqsood, struggled after resuming at an overnight score of 223/8, and Waqas was soon sent back to the pavilion on 19 after the pair added only 20 runs in the game’s play. Soon after, Mohammad Ali was also walking back towards the pavilion as the 11th batter was dismissed for a duck. Usman remained undefeated with a hard-fought 37. Central were eventually bowled out for 257.

In the first innings, Northern’s stand-out bowler was Haris, who struck out six batters. Mubasir Khan claimed two wickets. Athar Mehmood and Raza Hasan, on the other hand, each struck out a batter.

Northern’s captain, Umar Amin, enforced the follow-on and put Central’s batters to bat again. The side, on the other hand, got off to a good start in the second innings, with openers Imran Dogar and Rizwan Hussain providing a solid start and helping their team set a fifty-plus partnership. The batters were looking solid until Rizwan was trapped on 32 by Athar.

Dogar and his skipper Ali Zaryab batted valiantly, scoring half-centuries and putting Northern on the back foot. Before Dogar was dismissed on 55 by Mubasir, the pair were looking to shift momentum their way. Zaryab tried to resist and played a gritty knock, but the wickets at the other end kept falling at an alarming rate, and he was soon dismissed on 71.

In the end, the team lost their last eight wickets for 74 runs and finished at 197/9 at stumps. On day 4, Waqas and Ali will resume the proceedings for Central. Northern are just one wicket away from their first victory in the ongoing season of QEAT.

Mubasir was the stand-out bowler for the Northern as the bowler bagged a five-wicket haul. Haris claimed three wickets. Whereas, Athar struck out a batter.

Table-toppers Sindh, on the other hand, are back in the game after being bowled out for 145 in the first innings against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the second match of the ongoing round of QEAT. Sindh batters fought back thanks to Khurram Manzoor’s magnificent century and solid partnership with skipper Asad Shafiq. Asif Afridi broke the pair at 195. Khurram led the way with 107 runs, while Asad scored an outstanding 83.

Saad Khan followed the footsteps of his seniors, scoring a brilliant 89 and keeping the scoreboard ticking as no other batter contributed significantly to the team’s total. Sindh were eventually dismissed for 377, and KPK was given a target of 257.

Irfanullah Shah was the standout bowler for the KPK, taking four wickets. Asif, too, was clinical, dismissing three wickets. Arshad Iqbal took two wickets. Iftikhar Ahmed, on the other hand, struck out a batter.

The KPK’s innings was started by Sahibzada Farhan and Musadiq Ahmed, who faced only 21 deliveries before stumps were called. On the final day, Farhan (9*) and Musadiq (4*) will resume the chase for KPK.

In another seventh-round match, Balochistan’s batters have turned the tables against Southern Punjab. Balochistan batters put on a show, scoring 606 runs to Southern’s 483. Shan Masood, Ayaz Tasawar, and Bismillah Khan all scored hundreds. Kashif Bhatti and Khurram Shahzad, on the other hand, played brilliantly and both scored half-centuries. Ayaz, however, top-scored with a magnificent 149.

Southern bowlers had a bad day at the office, as they conceded a lot of runs. However, Hasan Khan was their pick of the bowlers as he claimed three wickets. Both Ali Usman and Aamer Yamin took two wickets. Zia-ul-Haq, Mohammad Imran, and Adeel Ur Rehman, on the other hand, each struck out a batter.

Tayyab Tahir and Umar Siddiq opened the Southern innings, facing only 10 overs before stumps were called. Tayyab (18*) and Umar (17*) will resume the proceedings for Southern on the final day. The team is currently 86 runs behind.

READ: Haider hits double century before Haris sets Northern on top