KARACHI: Shan Masood missed his maiden double century in First-Class cricket yet again but his 190-run knock put Balochistan in a commanding position with scoring 305-10 against Northern in last round of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy here at State Bank Stadium. 

Sent into bat first, Balochistan’s opener Shan stood out firmly for his team despite losing his partners at the other end after regular intervals. The left-handed opening batsman struck 190 runs off 172 balls laced with 23 boundaries and five maximums.

Kashif Bhatti put up a good fight in the end alongside Shan and scored worthy 68 runs of Balochistan. His inning smoked 10 boundaries and a six.

For Northern, Kashif Ali and Ather Mehmood bagged four wickets each.

In reply, Northern’s openers finished Day 1 at 28-0. Mohammad Huraira remained not out for 22 while Sarmad Bhatti partnered him at 3 not-out.

At NBP Sports Complex, Sindh finished Day 1 at 275-5 against Southern Punjab (SP) with captain Fawad Alam leading his side from the front. The left-hander smashed 75 runs including six boundaries. Also, he partnered strongly with Saad Khan who made unbeaten 88 off 169 balls, accounting for 10 boundaries.

Ali Usman of SP bagged three wickets for 98 runs on an opening Day.

On the other hand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) made their day with the bat against Central Punjab (CP), ending Day 1 at 305-7. Fakhar Zaman, returning from national duty, scored 76 runs with the help of 13 boundaries. Ashfaq Ahmed made 71 while Iftikhar Ahmed scored 53 runs.

For CP, Mohammad Ali bagged three wickets while Faheem Ashraf managed to take two.