Jawad Ali sparkles as Hanif Mohammad Trophy begins

LAHORE: Hyderabad's spinner Jawad Ali emerged as the star of the day as the Hanif Mohammad Trophy began on Sunday.

Hyderabad's spinner Jawad Ali emerged as the star of the day, taking a remarkable seven-wicket haul that left the Karachi Blues batting lineup struggling. Karachi Blues were bowled out for a mere 120 runs in their first innings. Syed Haider Abbas Zaidi top-scored with 34 runs.

In reply, Hyderabad started their batting innings steadily, forming a 41-run partnership between the openers. Another 41-run stand between Ali Ahsan and Mohammad Suleman further solidified their position. By the end of the day, although they lost three wickets, Hyderabad were in control with a total of 148 runs on the board.

Bahawalpur vs. DM Jamali:

DM Jamali won the toss and chose to bat first in Rahim Yar Khan. While the top-order batsmen all reached double digits, none managed to convert their starts into significant scores. Taimur Ali scored a solid unbeaten 78 runs. By the end of the day, Dera Murad Jamali had reached 268 for the loss of 8 wickets.

Bahawalpur's bowling attack caused problems for DM Jamali's batting lineup, with Mohammad Adeel ur Rehman, Shoaib Manzoor, and Mohammad Junaid each picking up two wickets.

Islamabad vs. AJK:

AJK won the toss and opted to bat first in Muzaffarabad. Openers Javed Khan and Hasnain Shamir got off to a promising start with a 42-run partnership. However, quick wickets followed, and AJK found themselves in a precarious position. A 74-run partnership between Naveed Malik and Hasnain, both of whom scored half-centuries, helped AJK recover. A 50-run partnership between Naveed and Raja Mohammad Shahzad further boosted AJK's score.

Muhammad Shayan Sheikh's five-wicket haul kept Islamabad in the game. By the end of the day, AJK had posted 257 runs on the board despite losing nine wickets.

Larkana vs. Sialkot:

Sialkot won the toss and chose to bowl first in Mirpur. Larkana struggled in their first innings, with none of the batsmen surpassing the 50-run mark. Ghulam Raza Mahar came closest with 47 runs. The second-highest score was Umer Khalid's 24. The most stable partnership was a 57-run stand between Raza and Mohsin Raza. Bilal Asif was the standout bowler for Sialkot, claiming 4 wickets at an impressive economy rate.

Sialkot had a challenging start to their innings, losing two early wickets, including Aamir Sohail, in the second over. By the end of the day's play, Sialkot was at 24-2 in seven overs, with Tahir Baig and Bilal Asif at the crease.