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Multan, 10 September 2023: A seven-wicket haul by the Hyderabad spinner Jawad Ali effectively renders the Karachi Blues batting line-up powerless on the first day of play of the Hanif Mohammad Trophy, who fold for 120 in the first innings.
Hyderabad vs Karachi Blues
After winning the toss, Hyderabad elected to bowl first against Karachi Blues, at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Unable to withstand the bowling performance of the opposition, Karachi were bowled out for just 120 runs after batting for 32.1 overs.
Syed Haider Abbas Zaidi, with 34 runs, was the highest scorer of the first innings. Opener Imran Shah, with 33 runs, followed closely behind. The first innings was ultimately defined by the Hyderabad leg-spinner, Jawad Ali, who bagged 7 wickets. Jawad, who proved to be a challenge for Karachi, efficiently restricted the opposition, who did not have any answers for him.
Hyderabad, having dominated in the first innings, started their batting on a steady note with a 41 runs partnership between the openers. Even after the opening partnership was broken, they were not deterred. Another 41 run-stand between Ali Ahsan and Mohammad Suleman further helped their cause, keeping them comfortable.
By the end of the day, although they had lost three wickets, Hyderabad was in command, with 148 on the board.
Bahawalpur vs DM Jamali
DM Jamali won the toss and elected to bat first in Rahim Yar Khan. Each of the batters in the top order got to double digits, posting cameos of 10s and 20s. It was only Taimur Ali who got to the half-century mark, with the rest of the top order failing to score above 30.
Mohammad Shahid, who came to bat after six wickets had fallen, scored a solid unbeaten 78. By end of the day, Dera Murad Jamali was at 268 for the loss of 8 wickets.
The Bahawalpur bowling line-up certainly troubled the batting plans in the first innings; Mohammad Adeel ur Rehman, Shoaib Manzoor and Mohammad Junaid each got two wickets to their names, playing spoilsport for the DM Jamali batters.
Dera Murad Jamali’s scorecard boasted 268 runs, at the loss of eight wickets, by the end of the day.
Islamabad vs AJK
AJK won the toss and opted to bat first in Muzaffarabad. Openers Javed Khan and Hasnain Shamir got to a good start, producing a 42-run-stand at the start of the innings. However, once this partnership was broken with Javed’s wicket, AJK quickly lost both Nadeem Khalil and Mohammad Haider too.
The fall of three successive wickets did not deter the batting side much, who jumped back with a 74-run partnership between Naveed Malik and Hasnain, who each got a half-century to their name. A 50-run partnership between Naveed and Raja Mohammad Shahzad further propelled AJK’s scorecard.
A five-wicket haul by Muhammad Shayan Sheikh helped Islamabad remain in the game. By the end of the day, although they had lost nine wickets, the 257 runs posted on the board helped AJK’s position in the game.
Larkana vs Sialkot
Sialkot won the toss and elected to bowl first on the Mirpur pitch. Larkana, put into bat, struggled to get going in the first innings. None of the batters stepped over the 50-run-mark; Ghulam Raza Mahar came the closest before getting run out at 47. The second highest score was Umer Khalid’s 24. The only semblance of stability during the innings was found during the 57-run-stand between Raza and Mohsin Raza. Bilal Asif remained the pick of the bowlers, after getting 4 wickets at an impressive economy of 2.12. Sohaib Ullah also impressed with 3 wickets.
Sialkot lost their opener, Aamir Sohail, in the second over of the innings. On the very next ball, Salman Khan too fell. Two successive wickets bagged by Asif Ali put pressure on Sialkot. By the end of the day’s play, Sialkot’s scorecard read 24-2 in seven overs, with Tahir Baig and Bilal Asif on the crease.
Scores in brief:
Hyderabad vs Karachi Blues
Karachi Blues: 120 all out in 32.1 overs (Syed Haider Abbas Zaidi 34; Jawad Ali 7-23, Mohammad Asad Malik 2-40)
Hyderabad: 148-5 in 55 overs (Ali Ahsan 40; Aarish Ali Khan 2-25)
Bahawalpur vs DM Jamali
Dera Murad Jamali: 268-8 in 89.3 overs (Mohammad Shahid 78 not out, Taimur Ali 52; Mohammad Junaid 2-79)
Islamabad vs AJK
AJK: 257-9 in 92 overs (Naveed Malik 57, Hasnain Shamir 56; Muhammad Shayan Sheikh 5-75, Mohamad Musa 2-42)
Larkana vs Sialkot
Larkana: 179 all out in 75.3 overs (Ghulam Raza Mahar 47; Bilal Asif 4-53, Sohaib Ullah 3-37)
Sialkot: 24-2 in 7 overs
