JDW eye President’s Trophy semi-final berth

ISLAMABAD: JDW are on course to progress to the President’s Trophy Grade-II semi-finals after taking control of their quarter-final against Railways at the Shoaib Akhtar Stadium on Tuesday.

Resuming the day at 124-4, JDW posted 268 all-out in 73.2 overs. Left-arm fast bowlers Majid Ali and Fayyaz Khan then shared seven wickets between them to leave Railways reeling at 129-8 at stumps -- still trailing by 139 runs in the first innings, which will be decisive if the match ends in a draw.

Majid returned with figures of 35-4, while Fayyaz claimed 3-23 in 8.4 overs and was also involved in the run-out of No.8 batter Sadaqat Ali (1). Railways had slumped to 42-5 before a sixth-wicket stand of 53 between Jahanzaib Naveed (49) and Raees Butt (20) provided some resistance. Opener Kamran Khan was the only other notable contributor, scoring 22.

Earlier, JDW were propelled to their total thanks to excellent batting by captain Ali Imran and Haroon Arshad. Ali, who resumed the day on 43, was the eighth batter dismissed, falling for 89. His 164-ball knock included six fours and two sixes. Haroon, who resumed on three, was the first wicket to fall on a day that saw 13 wickets tumble.

Haroon made 50 off 75 balls with eight fours and added 97 crucial runs for the fifth wicket with his captain Ali Majid. Lower-order batter Mohammad Junaid also chipped in with a valuable 21, helping JDW post a competitive total that allowed their bowlers to apply pressure on the Railways batters.

For Railways, Mohammad Rafi took 3-57, while Asad Ullah and Abdullah Zubair picked up two wickets each, conceding 37 and 49 runs, respectively. JDW had advanced to the quarter-finals from Pool B after winning three matches and securing first-innings leads in the other three.

Scores in brief: JDW 268 all-out, 73.2 overs (Ali Imran 89, Mohammad Zubair 58, Haroon Arshad 50, Mohammad Junaid 21; Mohammad Rafi 3-57, Asad Ullah 2-37, Abdullah Zubair 2-49). Railways 129-8, 46 overs (Jahanzaib Naveed 49, Kamran Khan 22, Raees Butt 20; Majid Ali 4-35, Fayyaz Khan 3-23).