Asad, Sarfaraz put Karachi Whites in driving seat

LAHORE: Karachi Whites declared their innings after Asad Shafiq and Sarfaraz Ahmed came up with one of their best performances during their Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match on Monday.

Karachi Whites started the day at 203-5 with Asad Shafiq and Sarfaraz Ahmed. Both players displayed incredible resilience, with Asad Shafiq scoring 108* and Sarfaraz Ahmed an unbeaten 128*, taking their team's total to 434. Their brilliant 234-run partnership put Karachi Whites in a commanding position. Facing a daunting target of 434, Faisalabad's batters faltered and found themselves at 63-6 by the end of the day.

Lahore Whites vs. Rawalpindi:

The second day saw only 10.3 overs of play due to rain and wet ground conditions, with Lahore Whites at 407-3. Saad Nasim, without adding to the overnight score, declared the innings on the third day.

Rawalpindi began their innings steadily, with an opening partnership of 107 runs. After Hasan Raza's dismissal, Abdul Faseeh and Ashfaq Ahmed held firm, with Abdul Faseeh scoring a century and Ashfaq Ahmed reaching a half-century. At the end of the day, Rawalpindi stood at 232-1.

Peshawar vs. Multan:

Peshawar resumed their innings at 43-2 after a rain-affected second day. They faced difficulties in building substantial partnerships throughout the day. However, Kamran Ghulam's impressive knock of 117 runs and a 73-run partnership with Abbas Ali helped Peshawar reach a total of 263 before they were bowled out. Medium pacer Sirajuddin claimed four wickets, while Majid Ali took three for Multan.

Multan are set to begin their batting in response on Tuesday (today).

FATA vs. Lahore Blues:

Lahore Blues started their day at 83-3, with Qasim Akram and Hussain Talat at the crease. Qasim Akram's half-century and contributions from Waqas Ahmed (half-century) and Junaid Ali (49) allowed Lahore Blues to post 314 on the board, securing a lead of 174 runs.

FATA, already trailing in the match, lost four early wickets. However, Khushdil Shah and Salman Khan Jnr put up an unbeaten partnership of 79 runs near the end of the day. FATA closed their day's play at 127-4.

Scores in brief:

Lahore Whites v Rawalpindi

Lahore Whites: 407-3 (declared) in 100.3 overs (Ali Zaryab Asif 182, Ahmed Shahzad 102; Kashif Ali 2-88, Munir Riaz 1-75)

Rawalpindi: 232-1 in 63 overs (Abdul Faseeh 113*, Ashfaq Ahmed 51*; Mohammad Irfan 1-74)

Karachi Whites v Faisalabad

Karachi Whites: 434-5 (declared) in 114 overs (Sarfaraz Ahmed 128*, Asad Shafiq 108*; Mohammad Ali 2-82, Khurram Shahzad 2-124)

Faisalabad: 63-6 in 27 overs (Mohammad Huraira 19; Aftab 3-14, Ghulam Mudassr 2-16)

Peshawar v Multan

Peshawar: 263 all out in 82.3 overs (Kamran Ghulam 117, Abbas Ali 34; Sirajuddin 4-45, Majid Ali 3-41)

FATA v Lahore Blues

FATA: 140 all out in 49.1 overs (Salman Khan Jnr 40, Mohammad Wasim Khan 23; Hunain Shah 3-22, Hussain Talat 2-28)

Lahore Blues: 314 all out 73.3 overs (Waqas Ahmed 53, Qasim Akram 51; Aimal Khan 3-82, Akif Javed 3-85)

FATA: 127-4 in 34 overs (Salman Khan Jnr 66*, Khushdil Shah 37*; Waqas Ahmed 2-37) .