Bowlers Play Second Fiddle To Batsmen On Opening Day Of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

Bowlers toiled as the batsmen rules the roost on the opening day of the premier Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Cricket Tournament 2019-20 with centuries by Sami Aslam, Adnan Akmal, Khurram Manzoor, Abid Ali and Ashfaq Ahmed for their respective teams in different venues

LAHORE, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Sep, 2019 ):Bowlers toiled as the batsmen rules the roost on the opening day of the premier Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Cricket Tournament 2019-20 with centuries by Sami Aslam, Adnan Akmal, Khurram Manzoor, Abid Ali and Ashfaq Ahmed for their respective teams in different venues.

Sami Aslam (151 not out) and Adnan Akmal (106 not out) were involved in 217 runs partnership which helped them rescue Southern Punjab from the gallows after they lost first four wickets in the first hour of the play in their match against Central Punjab at Qaddafi Stadium.

Khurram Manzoor (105) and Abid Ali (120 not-out) were the heroes for Sindh who kept the Baluchistan bowlers at bat for almost the whole day at UBL Sports Complex, Karachi.

Ashfaq Ahmed is Khyber Pakhtunkhwa scored valiant century as they took control of the match against Northern in Abootabad.

An unbroken 271-run fifth-wicket stand between Sami Aslam and Adnan Akmal guided Southern Punjab to 291 for four at the end of the first day's play in the four-day first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match against Central Punjab.

The match was live-streamed. There were initial hiccups for Southern Punjab as they were reduced to 74 for four half-way past the first session. But, Sami and Adnan, who were not out on 151 and 106, respectively at stumps weathered the storm.

Left-arm pacer Waqas Maqsood accounted for Shan's wicket in the seventh over by rattling his stumps through the gap between the left-handed batsman's bat and front-pad.

Hasan Ali soon ticked the wickets' column on the first ball of his second spell by inducing an edge of Imran Rafiq's blade to be caught by Babar Azam, the Central Punjab's captain, at the second slip.

Waqas struck in tandem, removing Sohaib Maqsood and Umar Siddiq, in a span of five balls during the 23rd accumulating the visiting side's troubles. These four, however, were the only wickets the home side picked during the day.

Rearguard efforts from Sami and Adnan brought Southern Punjab back in the match. The duo added 113 runs over the course of the afternoon session with the scorecard reading 195 for four at tea.

The two batsmen struck centuries in the evening session after a brief rain interval. While Sami eased into triple digits, Adnan had his nervous moments as he had two reprieves on consecutive balls on 89 � with Azhar Ali grassing a leading edge in the slip cordon off Waqas' bowling.

Before the beginning of the match, both teams, match officials, and PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani observed a minute's silence in the memory of the spin maestro Abdul Qadir.

Scores in brief: Southern Punjab (first innings) 291-4, 84 overs (Sami Aslam 151 not out, Adnan Akmal 106 not out; Waqas Maqsood 3-51, Hasan Ali 1-67) v Central Punjab.

Centuries by openers Abid Ali and Khurram Manzoor helped Sindh dominate the opening day of the four-day first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match against Balochistan at the UBL Sports Complex in Karachi on Saturday.

Abid struck his 18th century in his 103rd match while scoring 120 not out, and Khurram scored 105, his 27th century in his 163rd match, as Sindh finished the day at an impressive 237 for two after Balochistan became the first domestic side to use the 'no-toss' by deciding to bowl first.

The two batsmen, who had also scored consistently in the previous season, stitched up a 212-run partnership as Balochistan bowlers toiled for wickets for most of the day. Khurram was the leading run-getter with 886 runs in eight matches, while Abid had aggregated 472 runs in five matches.

Pakistan spinner Yasir Shah provided Balochistan quick breakthroughs by first dismissing Khurram and then two runs later Saad Ali as Sindh slipped from 212 for no wicket to 212 for two.

However, Asad Shafiq (five) joined Abid to ensure Sindh continued to hold the initiative when stumps were drawn for the day.

Abid faced 273 deliveries and struck 13 fours, while Khurram belted 13 fours and a six in a 242-ball that came off343 minutes of batting.

Yasir was the most successful Balochistan bowler with figures of 31-5-90-2. The game will resume on Sunday at 10am.

Scores in brief: Sindh (first innings) 237-2, 90 overs (Abid Ali 120 not out, Khurram Manzoor 105; Yasir Shah 2-90) v BalochistanAshfaq Ahmed scored his fifth first-class century as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa took early control of their four-day first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy clash against Northern in Abbottabad on Saturday.

At the close of play on the opening day at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were strongly placed at 343 for the loss of 4 wickets. Captain Muhammad Rizwan batted on 84 not out and with him was Adil Amin on 49, with the pair adding 91 runs for the unbroken fifth wicket stand.

Rizwan also got into a groove early and will be looking to pass the three-figure mark on Sunday. The right-handed wicketkeeper-batsman has so far hit 12 fours and a six in his 152-minute innings. Adil's unbeaten 49 was laced with six boundaries.

There was no need for a coin toss as the visiting Northern captain Imad Wasim opted to bowl first.

Coming in at the fall of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's first wicket on 62, Ashfaq batted with confidence and began the new first-class cricket season with an innings of 106. He cracked 14 fours and a six in his 174-ball knock and 212-minute stay at the wicket.

Earlier, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's other batsmen failed to convert good starts into big scores. The hard-hitting left-handed opener Fakhar Zaman was aggressive early on -- hitting six fours in his 38-ball 33 -- but could not kick on. Sahibzada Farhan also looked good for his 29, while Iftikhar Ahmed was run out for 35.

Imad, who used six bowlers, finished the day with 1-44. Sadaf Hussain (1-58) and Musa Khan (1-65) were the other successful bowlers.

The match started after a delay of 15 minutes because of a wet square. However, no overs were lost.

A minute's silence was observed in memory of Pakistan's leg-spinning legend Abdul Qadir before the start of the proceedings.

Scores in brief: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (first innings) 343-4, 90 overs (Ashfaq Ahmed 106, Muhammad Rizwan 84 not out, Adil Amin 49 not out; Imad Wasim 1-44, Sadaf Hussain 1-58, Musa Khan 1-65) vs Northern.