Asad, Khurram and Saad hit 50s for Sindh

ISLAMABAD: Asad Shafiq (77 not out) and Saad Ali (63) combined to give Sindh an edge against Northern in their Quaid-e-Azam Trophy first-class match at the KRL Stadium in Rawalpindi on Monday.

The pair put on 109 runs for the third wicket as Sindh reached 257-4 at the close of the third day’s play in the rain-marred match.

Northern were bowled out at the overnight score of 271 with pacer Tabish Khan dislodging last batsman Nauman Ali (21) to finish with 3-70. Left-arm spinner Kashif Bhatti (3-51) also bowled well.

Following a decent 71-run start, Sindh lost Khurram Manzoor (54) and Omair bin Yousuf (36) before Saad and Asad joined hands for a 100-run partnership.Once Saad got out, Fawad Alam (5) departed cheaply. Asad’s unbeaten 143-ball knock was studded with 10 boundaries while Saad consumed 101 deliveries and struck nine fours.

Sohail Tanvir (1-24), Hammad Azam (1-25), Haris Rauf (1-70) and Nauman Khan (1-82) took a wicket each.The rain continued to pour in Abbottabad as only 38 overs were possible on day three.

The play started in the afternoon and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were 295-4 at stumps, adding 119 runs for the loss of three wickets to their total on Monday.Resuming his innings at seven, Ashfaq Ahmed scored an unbeaten 61 from 113 balls, which was studded with five fours and two sixes.

He was supported by Zohaib Khan from the other end. The all-rounder was not out on 20 when the stumps were drawn. The pair, to date, has added 51 runs for the fifth-wicket stand.For Southern Punjab, Mohammad Abbas took 2-53 in 21 overs.

Scores in brief: At KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi: Northern 271 all out in 102.3 overs (Rohail Nazir 67, Hammad Azam 58, Umer Waheed 35, Haider Ali 26; Kashif Bhatti 3-51, Tabish Khan 3-70, Sohail Khan 2-60). Sindh 257-4 in 82 overs (Asad Shafiq 77 not out, Saad Ali 63, Khurram Manzoor 54; Sohail Tanvir 1-24, Hammad Azam 1-25).

At Abbottabad Stadium: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 295-4 in 86 overs (Israrullah 89, Sahibzada Farhan 78, Asfaq Ahmed 61 not out, Zohaib Khan 20 not out; Mohammad Abbas 2-53) vs Southern Punjab.

At Bugti Stadium, Quetta: Central Punjab 521-6 declared, 122.2 overs (Salman Butt 237, Azhar Ali 123, Zafar Gohar 100, Kamran Akmal 24; Yasir Shah 3-163). Balochistan 270 all out in 85.2 over (Bismillah Khan 71, Ammad Butt 39, Hussain Talat 37, Yasir Shah 36, Imran Butt 33; Nasim Shah 3-43, Waqas Maqsood 2-50) and after follow-on 141-5 in 45 overs (Azeem Ghumman 43, Abu Bakar 33 not out, Bismillah Khan 37 not out; Zafar Gohar 3-66).