ISLAMABAD
\nThe opening day of the penultimate round of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2025-26 saw the top four teams on the table \u2013 Sialkot, Karachi Blues, Faisalabad and Peshawar being challenged but they showed their stronghold towards the close as a happening day one unfolded across five venues on Monday.
\nFaisalabad were 95 runs ahead of Abbottabad with eight wickets in hand in the second innings at stumps on an eventful 22-wicket opening day of their crucial penultimate fixture at the Marghzar Cricket Ground in Islamabad. Abbottabad\u2019s Khalid Usman ran riot with the ball returning figures of 7-42 in 14.3 overs to dismiss Faisalabad for 121 in 31.3 overs after they opted to bat first. With Faisalabad, 81-9, no.11 batter Jahandad Khan (31, 12b) hit four sixes to provide his team some consolation taking the score to triple-digit figures.
\nIn turn, Abbottabad only managed a two-run lead, falling prey to Ali Asfand\u2019s maiden first-class five-wicket haul (9.3-2-31-5) and Hasan Raza\u2019s off-spin (4-36).
\nShahzaib Khan (53, 117b, 6x4s, 1\u00d76) and no.6 batter Ahmed Khan (31, 49b, 4x4s, 1\u00d76) did well to stall the imminent collapse with a 54-run fifth-wicket stand. Faisalabad, in their second dig, lost two wickets for 29 runs before opening batter Faham-ul-Haq (37 not out, 80b, 4x4s) and Asfand (34 not out, 55b, 4x4s) \u2013 who was promoted up the order \u2013 took their team to stumps unscathed. Asfand returned to competitive cricket exactly a year after appearing for Faisalabad in a QeAT game against Islamabad in November 2024.
\nLahore Whites were eight runs behind Bahawalpur in the first innings as they finished the day one 132-7 in 32 overs as Hussain Talat (58, 79b, 8x4s) and Ali Zaryab (39, 74b, 7x4s) chipped in with a 67-run stand at the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi. For Bahawalpur, Mohammad Junaid and Muhammad Imran picked up two wickets each. Earlier, Noman Ali\u2019s 4-51, skipper Aamir Jamal\u2019s 3-26 and Mohammad Abbas\u2019 2-18 bundled out Bahawalpur for 140 in 49.1 overs.
\nKarachi Blues had a productive opening day against Islamabad at the Diamond Cricket Ground in Islamabad as they replied with 294-6 in 57 overs to the latter\u2019s 161 all out in 37.2 overs.
\nLeft-arm spinner Kashif Bhatti completed the 500 first-class wickets landmark with impressive figures of 5-61 in 17.2 overs as Islamabad slipped from 113-2 to 161 all out. Mohammad Asghar chipped in four wickets for 34 runs in his eight overs.
\nShamyl Hussain (85, 90b, 13x4s, 1\u00d76) and Hasan Nawaz (31, 44b, 3x4s, 1\u00d76) formed a 96-run alliance for the second wicket before Kashif and Asghar spun a web. In turn, opening batters Abdullah Fazal (73, 64b, 6x4s, 5x6s) and Saad Baig (46, 59b, 8x4s) provided Karachi Blues a head-start with a 116-run stand.
\nBlues faced a batting collapse of 6-82 with Hasan\u2019s off-breaks taking three 3-58. At 198-6, skipper Saud Shakeel (88 not out, 121b, 9x4s, 1\u00d76) and Kashif (37 not out, 55b, 4x4s) formed an unbeaten 96-run stand finishing the day with a 133-run lead.
\nAt the Imran Khan Cricket Stadium in Peshawar, Multan Region were left reeling at 27-5 in 16 overs at stumps in reply to Peshawar\u2019s 239 all out. Earlier, Peshawar were reduced to 43-5 and then 100-7 when no.4 batter Abbas Ali and Sajid Khan (60, 85b, 5x4s, 3x6s) collected 124 runs for the eighth wicket.
\n21-year-old Abbas struck his maiden first-class century scoring 116 off 136 balls hitting 11 fours and four sixes. For Multan, Ali Usman (5-79) continued his fine form by picking up his seventh first-class five-for, fourth in the ongoing tournament and third on the trot. Mohammad Ismail and Kashif Ali picked up two wickets each.
\n20 wickets fell in the fixture between FATA and Sialkot at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium with spinners ruling the roost taking 15 of them. Sialkot\u2019s skipper Usama Mir (4-11), along with Hamza Nazar (2-14) and Mohammad Ali (2-16) dismissed
\nFATA for 110 all out in 33.5 overs after they were 104-3 at one point.
\nIn turn, Sialkot managed a valuable 76-run first innings lead with only Mohsin Riaz crossing the 30-run mark, while FATA skipper bagged his 16th first-class five-wicket haul (24-5-48-5). Azan Awais (29, 24b, 4x4s) and Mohammad Huraira (28, 45b, 4x4s) did well to give Sialkot a 52-run opening stand.
\nAt close of play, FATA were 10 for no loss and 66 runs behind Sialkot with all 10 wickets intact.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD The opening day of the penultimate round of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2025-26 saw the top four teams on the table \u2013 Sialkot, Karachi Blues, Faisalabad and Peshawar being challenged but they showed their stronghold towards the close as a happening day one unfolded across five venues on Monday. Faisalabad were 95 runs ahead of Abbottabad […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":515395,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-515385","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n