Hanif Mohammad Trophy: Haseebullah hits ton on first day of fourth round

MULTAN: Quetta’s wicketkeeper batter Haseebullah scored a gutsy century against Faisalabad on the opening day of their fourth-round Hanif Mohammad Trophy match here at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Put into bat first, Quetta could accumulate 187 before being bowled out in 72.1 overs despite Haseebullah’s grit as the top-order batter lacked support from the other end, besides during his second-wicket partnership with skipper Bismillah Khan, who contributed with 44.

Haseebullah top-scored for Quetta with 102 off 223 deliveries, studded with 17 fours and a six.

Ahmed Safi Abdullah and Mudasar Zunair jointly led Faisalabad’s bowling charge with three wickets each, followed by Asad Raza with two, while Shehzad Gul and Faham-ul-Haq chipped in with one apiece.

In response, Faisalabad could reach 6/0 in five overs until stumps with openers Faham and Sameer Saqib unbeaten on one and zero, respectively.

In another Group A fixture, being played at the Dring Stadium in Bahawalpur, Karachi Whites were 5/0 in response to Lahore Blues’ 297 all out at the conclusion of the opening day.

Put into bat first, half-centuries from Mohammad Mohsin and Umar Siddiq led Lahore Blues to a formidable total after they had been reduced to 71/3.

Mohsin remained the top-scorer with 95 off 127 deliveries, while Umar made a 151-ball 94. The duo also shared a 151-run partnership for the third wicket.

For Karachi Whites, Rehman Ghani and Aftab Khan bagged three wickets each, while Shah Raza Naqvi claimed two.

Openers Naqvi and Saad Baig, unbeaten on five and zero, will resume Karachi Whites’ response on the subsequent day.

The opening day of the remaining Group A fixture, played at the Abbasia Sports Complex in Rahim Yar Khan, saw Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) piling up 294/5 in 90 overs against Hyderabad, courtesy of half-centuries from skipper Hasan Raza and Awais Akram Minhas.

Raza remained the top-scorer for AJK on the opening day with a 93-ball 83 with the help of 15 boundaries, followed by Minhas, who remained unbeaten on 61 off 123 deliveries, laced with seven fours.

Minhas will resume AJK’s first innings on day two with Nadeem Khalil, who had scored 37 not out until the stumps were called.

For Hyderabad, Jawad Ali picked up two wickets, while Noman Khan, Asad Malik and Mohammad Hasnain contributed with one apiece.

The opening day of the three Group B fixtures of the Hanif Mohammad Trophy’s first round in Karachi was majorly affected by rain.

At the SBP Sports Complex, Karachi Blues scored 140/4 in 30.5 overs against Larkana on the rain-hit opening day.

Leading the way for the home side was skipper Saud Shakeel, who remained their top-scorer with a 60-ball 54, comprising eight fours.

Besides him, middle-order batter Rameez Aziz was the other notable contributor with an unbeaten 22 and will resume Karachi Blues’ first innings on day two.

For Larkana, Mushtaq Ahmed picked up two wickets, while Asif Ali Chandio and Shahnawaz Dahani made one scalp apiece.

At the UBL Sports Complex, FATA managed to score 132/3 in 44.2 overs on the opening day against Multan, courtesy of opening batter Muhammad Usman’s half-century.

Usman top-scored for FATA on the opening day with a 96-ball 50, laced with eight fours.

Middle-order batters Mohammad Wasim Khan and Adnan Khan, unbeaten on 39 and five, respectively, will resume FATA’s first innings on day two.

Ali Usman was the pick of the bowlers for Multan on the opening day with his two wickets, while Arafat Minhas struck once.

At the National Bank Stadium, Mohammad Faizan’s twin strike helped Rawalpindi to reduce Dera Murad Jamali to 28/2 in 14.2 overs on the opening day of their fourth-round Hanif Mohammad Trophy fixture.

Wicketkeeper batter Aqib Junaid and Taimur Ali, unbeaten on 14 and eight, respectively, will resume Dera Murad Jamali’s first innings on the subsequent day.