Mubashar, Faizan help Southern Punjab post 240

ISLAMABAD: Mubashar Ali scored a valiant century to help Southern Punjab post 240 before being all out on the opening day of their National Under-19 Three-Day Tournament match against table-toppers Northern here at the National Ground.

Mubashar cracked 100 off 163 balls and stitched a crucial 163-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Mohammad Faizan Zafar (86) after Southern Punjab were reduced to 22-4.

Northern’s Usama Afridi took 3-19 while Mehran Mumtaz, Mubasir Khan and Hassan Abid Kayani equally shared six wickets after their captain Mohammad Razaul Mustafa elected to bowl. Northern were 23-0 when the stumps were drawn.

At Army Sports Ground in Rawalpindi, Hasnat Abbas scored an unbeaten century as Central Punjab posted a daunting 349-7 in 83 overs after Sindh elected to bowl. After Hasnat his captain Muhammad Huraira and Sameer Saqib put a strong 150-run alliance for the second wicket. Huraira made 80 off 137 balls. Sameer hit 94 against 192 deliveries. Sindh faced seven overs before the close of play and were at 22-0.

Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s bowlers Izhar Ahmed and Ahmed Khan shared seven wickets between them as Balochistan were skittled out for 85 in 38.2 overs at Ayub Park Ground in Rawalpindi. Izhar took 4-32, while Ahmed picked up 3-25. Balochistan’s four batsmen entered the double digits with Basit Ali top-scoring with 17.

In their reply, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa scored 121-3 in 33 overs thanks to Haseeb Khan’s unbeaten 65 off 109 balls. Maaz Sadaqat was the other notable run-getter with a 54-ball 29. Balochistan’s Kabir Raj took 2-34.

Scores in brief: At National Ground, Islamabad: Southern Punjab 240 in 79.4 overs (Mubashar Ali 100, Mohammad Faizan Zafar 86, Tahir Hussain 25; Usama Afridi 3-19, Hassan Abid Kiyani 2-15, Mubasir Khan 2-41, Mehran Mumtaz 2-59). Northern 23-0 in 5 overs (Hassan Abid Kiyani 10 not out).

At Army Sports Ground, Rawalpindi: Central Punjab 349-7 in 83 overs (Hasnat Abbas 102 not out, Sameer Saqib 94, Mohammad Huraira 80, Hunain Shah 30 not out; Rehman 2-63, Aaliyan Mehmood 2-64). Sindh 22-0 in 7 overs (Mubashir Nawaz 11 not out, Saim Ayub 11 not out).

At Ayub Park Ground, Rawalpindi: Balochistan 85 all out in 38.2 overs (Basit Ali 17; Izhar Ahmed 4-32, Ahmed Khan 3-25). Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 121-3 in 33 overs (Haseeb Khan 65 not out, Maaz Sadaqat 29; Kabir Raj 2-34).