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ISLAMABAD, Nov 17 (APP): The opening day of the penultimate round of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2025-26 saw the top four teams on the table – 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 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’s 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.
In turn, Abbottabad only managed a two-run lead, falling prey to Ali Asfand’s maiden first-class five-wicket haul (9.3-2-31-5) and Hasan Raza’s off-spin (4-36).
Shahzaib Khan (53, 117b, 6x4s, 1×6) and no.6 batter Ahmed Khan (31, 49b, 4x4s, 1×6) 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) – who was promoted up the order – 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.
Lahore 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’s 4-51, skipper Aamir Jamal’s 3-26 and Mohammad Abbas’ 2-18 bundled out Bahawalpur for 140 in 49.1 overs.
Karachi 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’s 161 all out in 37.2 overs.
Left-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.
Shamyl Hussain (85, 90b, 13x4s, 1×6) and Hasan Nawaz (31, 44b, 3x4s, 1×6) 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.
Blues faced a batting collapse of 6-82 with Hasan’s off-breaks taking three 3-58. At 198-6, skipper Saud Shakeel (88 not out, 121b, 9x4s, 1×6) and Kashif (37 not out, 55b, 4x4s) formed an unbeaten 96-run stand finishing the day with a 133-run lead.
At the Imran Khan Cricket Stadium in Peshawar, Multan Region were left reeling at 27-5 in 16 overs at stumps in reply to Peshawar’s 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.
21-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.
20 wickets fell in the fixture between FATA and Sialkot at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium with spinners ruling the roost taking 15 of them. Sialkot’s skipper Usama Mir (4-11), along with Hamza Nazar (2-14) and Mohammad Ali (2-16) dismissed
FATA for 110 all out in 33.5 overs after they were 104-3 at one point.
In 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.
At close of play, FATA were 10 for no loss and 66 runs behind Sialkot with all 10 wickets intact.