Central and Southern Punjab secure draws in QeA Trophy 2019/20 round eight fixtures

Central Punjab vs Sindh:

Kamran Akmal joined his brother Umar in scoring a century in the same innings for Central Punjab against Sindh before their four-day eight-round first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy ended in a draw on day four at the National Stadium on Thursday.

Kamran produced a master class of 166 from 212 balls as Central Punjab made 499 for nine in their second innings before the umpires called off the match after tea.

His younger brother, Umar had also completed his first century of the season on Wednesday before he was dismissed for 122 from 128 balls soon after play resumed on the final day.

Kamran produced a mixture of strong defence and attack as he put on 227 runs for the sixth wicket with Zafar Gohar (75 from 131 balls). 

The wicket-keeper batsman hit a total of 26 fours in his 33rd first-class century. The match looked headed for a draw after Kamran and Zafar kept on mounting the runs as the Sindh bowlers struggled to find movement on the pitch.

Sindh had to wait till one hour after tea before they broke the big partnership when Anwar Ali had Gohar caught at third man and struck again having Bilal Asif (4) caught behind by Sarfaraz Ahmed.

Kamran eventually fell to left-arm-spinner, Amir Ali when he was trapped leg before after his splendid innings and Aizaz Cheema was dismissed by Fawad Alam.

Overnight pair of Umar (117) and Salman Butt (81) started the play on the final daywith Central Punjab on 207 for two, a result looked a possibility but three wickets fell quickly. Umar was dismissed by Sohail Khan and Tabish Khan struck twice in succession to remove Salman Butt (83) and Usman Salahuddin (10) to leave the visitors in trouble.

Kamran and Zafar Gohar than forged their big partnership. Pacer Tabish finished with match figures of seven for 222.

At the end of the eight-round, Central Punjab lead the points table with 117 points followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 97 points and Southern Punjab 91 points. Sindh winless in the competition are placed at fifth position with 69 points.

Scores in brief:

Central Punjab 246 all out, 94.3 overs (Kamran Akmal 59, Usman Sallahuddin 57, Ahmed Shehzad 48; Tabish Khan 5-85, Anwer Ali 2-27, Sohail Khan 2-51) and 499 for 9, 125 overs (Kamran Akmal 166, Umar Akmal 122, Salman Butt 83, Zafar Gohar 75; Mohammad Umar 2-87, Anwar Ali 2-89, Tabish Khan 2-137)

Sindh 339 all out, 100.4 overs (Khurram Manzoor 85, Jahid Ali 72, Fawad Alam 65, Sarfaraz Ahmed 58; Aizaz Cheema 5-81, Bilal Asif 4-73 )

Northern vs Southern Punjab:

The four-day first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy eighth round fixture between Northern and Southern Punjab ended in draw as only 47 overs were bowled due to rain on the final day at Rawalpindi’s KRL Stadium.

With Southern Punjab trailing by 119 runs, Northern eyed their second consecutive win in the tournament when play resumed on day four. 

However, a remarkable century by Umar Siddiq helped his side to surmount the remaining score. 

The left-handed batsman cracked 107 runs from 151 balls, hitting 13 fours, and constructed a crucial 135-run partnership for the second-wicket with Zeeshan Ashraf, who scored his second half century of the match.

Sohaib Maqsood’s 11th half-century in the format further strengthened Southern Punjab’s position in the innings.

The 32-year-old right-handed batsman scored a blistering 54-ball 52, which was studded with five fours and two sixes.

Abdul Rehman Muzamil (38) and Adnan Akmal (0) batted when play was interrupted due to rain.

For Northern their captain Nauman Ali, Sadaf Hussain and Shadab Khan picked up a wicket each on Thursday.

Southern Punjab, who have slipped to the third position after Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s win over Balochistan, play Sindh, ranked fifth, in the ninth round of the tournament at the National Stadium. Fourth-ranked Northern take on Balochistan, positioned at the bottom of the points table, at UBL Sports Complex.

Scores in Brief:

Northern 463-7d, 109.4 overs (Hammad Azam 100 not out, Umar Amin 90, Ali Sarfaraz 73, Zeeshan Malik 45, Jamal Anwar 44, Faizan Riaz 39, Nauman Ali 37; Mohammad Irfan 5-158)

Southern Punjab 268 all-out, 81.5 overs (Umar Siddiq 60, Zeeshan Ashraf 57, Adnan Akmal 45; Shadab Khan 3-33, Waqas Ahmad 2-53) and after follow-on 271-4, 74 overs (Umar Siddiq 107, Zeeshan Ashraf 52, Sohaib Maqsood 52, Abdul Rehman Muzamil 38 not out; Shadab Khan 2-70)