First innings lead gives Loralai CCA title

LAHORE: Loralai won the Balochistan-leg of the two-day City Cricket Association Tournament on the basis of their first innings lead after their final against Lasbela ended in a draw at the Bugti Stadium in Quetta on Sunday.

Loralai scored 304 for eight in their first innings and then dismissed Lasbela for 293. When the match ended, Loralai were 91 for seven in their second innings. The star of Loralai’s victory was Nasir Khan. The opener scored 108 in the first innings.

In the two-group 13-team Balochistan-leg, Loralai topped Pool A while Lasbela topped Pool B. Loralai’s Sanaullah was the most successful batsman with 624 runs from seven matches at 62.40. His best was 187 while his tally of runs included two centuries and as many half-centuries.

Aqib Junaid from Lasbela who scored 67 in the final was second on the list with 544 runs from six matches at 68 with a best score of unbeaten 148. He scored three centuries and two half-centuries.

Jaffarabad’s Fahad Hussain finished as the joint top wicket-taker with 38 wickets from six matches along with Mohammad Irfan from Naseerabad who also took 38 wickets in six matches. Fahad bagged two five-wicket hauls and one ten-wicket match haul. His best figures in an innings were six for 61.

Irfan took four five-wicket and three ten-wicket match hauls, with best figures of seven for 42 in an innings. Pishin’s Mohammad Javed, Quetta’s Syed Zainullah and Sibi’s Rasool Bakhsh took 34 scalps apiece.

Scores in brief:

Loralai 304-8, 75 overs (Nasir Khan 108, Abdul Rasheed 48; Mohammad Deen 3-52) and 91-7, 51 overs (Dawood Khan 39; Ahmer Aziz 4-18)

Lasbela 293 all out, 74.5 overs (Muhammad Shahid 111, Aqib Junaid 67; Zahoor Ahmad 3-54).