Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2019/20 day one of round six concludes

Three games are being played simultaneously at different venues of the country in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2019/20 round six.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Sindh:

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were 225 for six at the close of play on day one of their sixth-round first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy fixture against Sindh at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium.

Sahibzada Farhan led the home side from front by cracking a 164-ball 88, in which he hit 13 fours, after Sindh captain Sarfaraz Ahmed opted against contesting the toss and bowled first. 

Farhan stitched a 54-run partnership for the first-wicket with Israrullah, who scored an aggressive 34-ball 36 with seven fours. 

After Israrullah’s dismissal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lost next two wickets for 30 runs, but a 78-run stand for the fourth-wicket between Farhan and Zohaib Khan (28 off 93) denied further inroads to Sindh’s bowlers. 

With the wickets of Ashfaq Ahmed (five) and Nabi Gul (eight), Sohail Khan took the most wickets for the visitors on day one in which 79 overs were bowled. 

The right-arm fast-bowler delivered 17 overs, which included three maidens, and gave 48 runs. 

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Rehan Afridi and Sajid Khan were still at the crease at the close of play.

Northern vs Central Punjab:

Northern made a strong start to their Quaid-e-Azam Trophy tournament round-six first-class match against Central Punjab by bowling out the hosts for 226 runs on day-one at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad.

Left-arm-spinner Nauman Ali who is captaining Northern in the match led from the front collecting eight wickets for 71 runs in 20.1 overs as Central Punjab were spun-out for a below-par first innings total. 

Central Punjab won the toss and opted to bat first; the first session was evenly shared between the two sides as Central Punjab reached 105 for two at lunch. 

In the post-lunch session Northern bowlers held the upper hand, Central Punjab lost four additional wickets to finish the session at 198 for six. 

Captain Ahmed Shehzad (55 off 112 balls, nine fours), Umar Akmal (52 off 66 balls, three fours and three sixes) and Salman Butt (41 off 59 balls, six fours) were the main run scorers for the hosts. 

In the post-tea session, Nauman took all four wickets as Central Punjab added 28 runs to the total. This was Nauman’s best-ever bowling in a first-class innings.  

Northern openers batted with confidence in reply, ending the day at 47 for one in 10 overs. Haider Ali was the only wicket to fall; he was dismissed by Aizaz Cheema for 12 runs. 

Northern’s captain and wicketkeeper-batsman Rohail Nazir was ruled out of the match due to a hand injury, Nauman replaced him as captain with Jamal Anwar donning the gloves.

Balochistan vs Southern Punjab:

Southern Punjab's 283-run opening wicket stand between Sami Aslam and Umar Siddique made Balochistan pay the price for electing to bowl first as Southern Punjab reached 296 for one on the opening day of the four-day first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

Left-handed Sami was at the crease on 149, his 13th first-class century, while Umar was dismissed after scoring 130, his 11th first-class century. 

When play ended early due to fading light, Sohaib Maqsood was the other not out batsman on seven. 

Sami had hit 14 fours and two sixes at the close of play while Umar’s 255-ball stay was studded with 14 fours and a six. 

The only wicket to fall in a day that saw 86.3 overs being bowled was grabbed by left-arm spinner Mohammad Asghar.