LAHORE: Ali Zaryab and Ahmed Shahzad scored centuries to power Lahore Whites to 375 at the loss of two wickets against Peshawar on the first day of the fifth-round fixture of the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT) 2023/24 at Gaddafi Stadium.
After opting to bat, Lahore Whites scored 375 runs in the day and lost two wickets, thanks to Ali Zaryab, who gave his side a solid head-start, which was furthered by veteran Ahmed Shehzad. The former scored 141 runs in 213 balls, hitting 21 boundaries, while the latter remained unbeaten at 163 in 243 balls with the help of 22 boundaries.
Maaz Sadaqat and Mohammad Amir Khan had a wicket each, on a day that otherwise brought little respite to the Peshawar bowlers.
In another QEAT fixture, unbeaten centuries by Hussain Talat and Junaid Ali helped Lahore Blues to score 359-4 on the first day in 88 overs before stumps were called.
Rawalpindi opted to take the field first after winning the toss at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi. Lahore Blues had a convincing outing with the bat. On the back of half century by Hashim Ibrahim (69, 89b, 8x4s, 3x6s) and unbeaten centuries by Hussain Talat (100, 172b, 11x4s, 1×6) and Junaid Ali (102, 184b, 14x4s).
Pacer Mohammad Awais Anwar got two wickets, becoming the pick of the bowlers for Rawalpindi on a day that mostly went in Lahore Blues’ favour.
Watch QEAT 2023/24 Live on ARY ZAP
In the 20th match of the ongoing season of QEAT, Multan opted to bat first against Karachi White at Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on the first day of the fifth round. Multan had a rough start to the innings, losing five wickets cheaply.
However, Mohammad Basit (60, 75b, 10x4s) and Aamer Yamin (44, 59b, 5x4s) recovered well for their side building a partnership of 83 runs.
Muhammad Imran (31, 48b, 3x4s, 1×6) and Ali Usman (57, 47b, 4x4s, 4x6s) furthered the efforts of their teammates by adding 86 more runs together.
Mir Hamza and Tabish Khan got three wickets each as Multan were bowled out for 220 runs.
Karachi Whites too struggled to get going; at stumps, the scorecard read 86 for five.
Saim Ayub (40, 62b, 9x4s) was the highest scorer for his side, while Ali Usman grabbed three wickets and experienced spinner Zahid Mehmood got two wickets.
On the other hand, in the 18th match of the QEAT, Rehan Afridi-led FATA won the toss and elected to field first at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium.
FATA banked on their decision to bowl first and kept the Faisalabad batters on their toes. Skipper Faheem Ashraf was the highest scorer of the innings, hitting 76 on 110 balls, including 12 boundaries rescuing his side from a certain collapse after an unstable start.
Mohammad Huraira (37, 59b, 6x4s) was the other contributor with the bat as the side was restricted to 215 runs in the first innings. Pacer Asif Afridi bagged three wickets. He was supported by Arshad Ullah and Aimal Khan, both of whom got two wickets apiece.
At stumps, FATA scored only nine runs while losing a wicket in the process courtesy of Khurram Shahzad in five overs.
READ: Hazlewood, Siraj share top-spot in latest ICC ODI Bowling Rankings