Karachi Blues, Faisalabad, Multan reach QEAT as Hanif Mohammad Trophy concludes

LAHORE: Group A toppers Faisalabad, alongside Faisalabad and Multan qualified for the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT) as the final round of the Hanif Mohammad Trophy 2025 concluded across four venues in as many cities on Thursday.

Although two teams – toppers of each group of the Hanif Mohammad Trophy – were initially supposed to advance to the premier first-class tournament, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided to allow four teams to qualify for the QEAT in a bid to allow more ‘quality players’ to feature in the prestigious event.

“The PCB – following aF careful consideration and taking stakeholders on board – has decided to allow four teams to qualify for the QeA Trophy as opposed to two in order to widen the access of more quality players to top-flight domestic and first-class cricket,” the cricket board said in a statement.

As a result, Karachi Blues (96) and Multan (86) joined respective group toppers FATA and Faisalabad in qualifying for the QEAT on the virtue of finishing as the next two teams with the most points.

Meanwhile, Faisalabad, who finished at the top of Group A with 87 points, were denied a victory in their final-round match by Hyderabad at the Dring Stadium in Bahawalpur.

Hyderabad resumed the 362-run pursuit from 5/0 and ultimately managed to bat out the final day to finish at 226/8 in 90.5 overs, securing a nervy stalemate.

Middle-order batter Daniyal Hussain Rajput remained the top-scorer for Hyderabad with 47, followed by wicketkeeper batter Nehal Qureshi, who made 39.

Number 10 batter Mohammad Suleman was the other notable run-getter with his unbeaten 25 off 56 deliveries.

Ahmed Safi Abdullah and Asad Raza jointly led Faisalabad’s bowling charge with three wickets each, while Shehzad Gul bagged two.

In the Group B match, played at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi, Mohammad Ismail’s five-wicket haul in the second innings led Multan to a resounding 10-wicket victory over Larkana on the final day.

Larkana resumed their second innings from 121/5 with a 64-run deficit and managed to add 83 more to their overnight score to finish at 204 all out in 54 overs, setting a modest 20-run target.

Number three batter Sabit Ali remained the top-scorer with a 62-ball 28 up the order, followed by Malhar Rasool with 27.

Ismail led the bowling charge for Multan with five wickets off just 77 runs in his 21 overs. He was supported by Faisal Akram, who picked up three, while Mohammad Shan made two strikes.

In response, Multan comfortably chased down the 20-run target in 3.2 overs without losing a wicket.

At the Multan Cricket Stadium, Karachi Whites registered a six-wicket victory over Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to finish their Hanif Mohammad Trophy campaign with two victories and as many defeats, finishing third in Group A.

Following on, AJK resumed their second innings from 152/3 with a 123-run deficit and went on to add 168 more to their overnight score to eventually get bowled out for 320 in 115.2 overs, setting Karachi Whites a modest 46-run target.

Skipper Hasan Raza top-scored for AJK in the second innings with 78 off 154 deliveries, while opener Hasnain Shamir (53) and Umar Hayat (52) made handy contributions with anchoring half-centuries.

Maaz Khurram was the pick of the bowlers for Karachi Whites, taking three wickets for 67 runs in 18.2 overs, followed by Aftab Khan, Rehman Ghani and Saifullah Khan with two each, while Mohammad Usman Rahim chipped in with one.

In response, Karachi Whites chased down the 46-run target in just 9.1 overs but lost four wickets in the process. Middle-order batter Shah Raza Naqvi remained the top-scorer with an unbeaten 10.

For AJK, Usman Yousaf took two wickets, while Faizan Saleem and Zaman Khan struck out a batter apiece.

The remaining Group A match of the final round of the Hanif Mohammad Trophy, played at the Abbasia Sports Complex in Rahim Yar Khan, saw Lahore Blues crushing Quetta by 188 runs.

Earlier in the day, Lahore Blues resumed their second innings from 144/1 with a slender 42-run advantage and added 238 runs to their overnight score at a brisk rate to ultimately declare their innings at 382/5 in 64 overs, setting a 281-run target for Quetta.

Skipper Imran Butt led the way with a brisk century-plus knock, top-scoring with 112 off 151 deliveries, studded with 17 fours and a six, while Qasim Akram (77 not out), Mohammad Mohsin (73) and Umar Siddiq (55) made significant contributions with rapid half-centuries.

For Quetta, Ehsanullah picked up three wickets in the second innings, while Mohammad Javed claimed two.

Chasing a daunting 281-run target, Quetta’s batting unit, which piled up a mammoth total of 552 all out in the first innings, faltered in the second and could yield 92 before being bowled out in 44.3 overs.

Qasim Akram was the pick of the Lahore Blues’ bowlers in the second innings, registering a seven-wicket haul for just 54 runs in 19 overs. He was supported by Sajjad Khan with two, while Nisar Ahmad chipped in with one.

Number eight batter Mohammad Javed remained the top-scorer with 20, while Salahuddin (18) and Ehsanullah (12) were the other batters to amass double figures against Qasim-led Lahore Blues’ bowling attack.