ABBOTTABAD: Peshawar Region registered their first victory of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QeAT) 2023/24 season with a margin of an innings and 93 runs over Rawalpindi Region on Day 3.
Waqar Ahmed Snr and Abbas Ali started the day for Peshawar in the third round fixture of the ongoing QeAT, resuming from where they had left off the previous day. They batted together for 111 runs. Particularly, a brilliant 184 by Waqar was the highlight of the innings, until the side was bowled out for 317 runs.
A five-wicket-haul by Kashif Ali was, however, a source of respite for the Rawalpindi bowling, which was otherwise battered by Waqar.
Rawalpindi, already behind in the game owing to their tumultuous first innings, had a shaky start again as they lost three important wickets very early on. Specifically, Mohammad Ilyas removed Abdul Faseeh and Umer Waheed in successive balls, putting pressure on the Rawalpindi batting. Ilyas also registered a five-wicket haul.
The side was bowled out for just 87 runs, which led Peshawar to a clear victory, with a margin of 93 runs and an innings to spare.
Meanwhile, in the ninth match of the QeAT season 2023/24 at Gaddafi Stadium, Multan continued their batting from where it had been left off on day one after the rain played spoilsport on Day 2 and denied any play.
Sharoon Siraj and Hamayun Altaf got a half-century each which bolstered Multan’s score; the 95-run-stand between the two solidified the control Multan had in the game. Mohammad Naveed and Mohammad Irfan, who got two wickets each, countered the batting onslaught at display.
Multan ended the day comfortably at 329 for the loss of six wickets with veteran Aamer Yamin and Ali Usman at the crease.
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In another third-round fixture of the ongoing QEAT season, Faisalabad started the third day on 211 at the loss of eight wickets. The side lost the remaining two wickets without adding another run to the total.
Skipper Imran Butt attempted his best to give his side a solid start, putting up successive partnerships of 25 runs each with Umar Siddiq and Rizwan Hussain, and then a 45-run-partnership with Usman Salahuddin. However, the Blues’ batting kept seeing periodic fall of wickets.
Lahore scraped to 201 runs, mostly on the back of Nisar Ahmed’s knock of 44 runs. Three wickets each by skipper Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Ali and Khurram Shahzad showed Faisalabad’s bowling prowess.
Faisalabad lost both their openers cheaply at the start of their second innings and only managed to put 34 on the board before stumps were called.
Meanwhile, in the 12th game of the ongoing QEAT season, Karachi resumed their batting on the third day at 64 for four. Fighting knocks from Rameesh Aziz, Danish Aziz and Mohammad Hassan helped the Asad Shafiq-led side to 144 before they were bowled out.
A four-wicket haul by Irfanullah Shah and two wickets apiece from Sameen Gul and Mohammad Sarwar Afridi helped FATA’s cause.
The Rehan Afridi-led side searched for stability throughout the innings; although the scorecard did not stagnate, wickets kept falling and no solid partnership was sustained. The highest score of the innings thus far was 24 which came off Mohammad Nisar Afridi’s bat.
At stumps, FATA were 110 for six in 41 overs.
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