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ISLAMABAD, Nov 14 (APP):The seventh round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2025-26 concluded with a crucial 193-run victory for Karachi Blues against Abbottabad, which catapulted them from fourth to the second spot on the table beside toppers Sialkot on Friday.
Elsewhere, Faisalabad and Islamabad played out a thrilling draw at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. Three games of this round were decided on Thursday. The eighth round of the tournament will begin on Monday across the same five venues in four cities.
Abbottabad eventually fell 193 runs against Karachi Blues after resuming day four from 147-4, requiring 372 more runs at the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi.
Blues’ left-arm spinner Kashif Bhatti returned figures of 39-13-98-6 – his 26th first-class five-wicket haul. Abbottabad’s no.6 Ahmed Khan (88, 174b, 7x4s, 4x6s) and no.9 batter Shahab Khan (56, 59b, 10x4s, 1×6) resisted with contrasting half-centuries but in vain.
At the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Faisalabad and Islamabad were left wanting as the former needed two wickets, while the latter 20 runs to win when the bad light played spoilsport in the dying moments of day four as the contest ended in a stalemate.
Islamabad were 429-8 in 114 overs in the end, having faced 75.2 overs on the last day after having resumed from an overnight score of 159-1. The following day, three centurion Shamyl Hussain’s (131, 158b, 21x4s, 2x6s) early departure, Islamabad slipped to 199-4 before skipper Rohail Nazir chipped in with 65 off 110 balls, hitting 10 fours.
Faisalabad then made inroads with the wickets of Rohail, Sarmad Bhatti and Jawad Ali, reducing Islamabad to 299-7 and were in sight of a victory, when no.7 batter Arsal Sheikh and no.9 Hunain Shah joined forces to stall their advance with a century partnership.
Arsal remained unbeaten for 62 off 110 balls, hitting nine fours, while Hunain brought up his third first-class half-century with seven fours and one six scoring 66 off 67 balls to put his team in line for a memorable chase. The duo put on 111 runs for the eighth wicket, which was broken by Ahmed Safi Abdullah with scorecard reading 410-8.
For Faisalabad, Afaq Afridi picked up three wickets, while Khurram Shahzad dismissed two batters. Evading triumph and defeat both closely in the seventh round, Faisalabad ended up joint-third on points table with Peshawar with 109 points each, below toppers Sialkot (126) and second-placed Karachi Blues (110).