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Lahore, 1 December 2025: Karachi Blues finished the opening day of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2025-26 final against Sialkot with 285-6 on the board in 71.1 overs at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Monday.
Sialkot’s experienced pace trio of Mohammad Hasnain, Hasan Ali and Mohammad Ali claimed the five of the six wickets to fall as they sent down 55 overs combined in the day.
Abdullah Fazal – who fell 12 short of his second first-class century, and Usman Khan – unbeaten on 80 (10x4s, 1x6) - led the charge with the bat for Blues as the duo struck half-centuries and stitched a 98-run fifth-wicket stand after Sialkot had opted to bat bowl first.
Karachi Blues’ opening duo of Abdullah and Saad Baig – both southpaws - weathered the new ball challenge past the first hour as they stayed in the middle for 19.5 overs. Test pacer Hasan Ali pinned Saad leg-before in his eighth of 21 overs in the day, bowling round the wicket for 39 off 59 balls comprising eight fours.
Saad who sits atop the run-scoring charts took his tournament tally to 969 runs in 18 innings with one yet to come. Karachi Blues started the second session with 94-1 on the board before Ali pinned Shan Masood lbw for just 13 to bag his 29th scalp of the tournament across nine games.
Sialkot’s guest player Hasnain – who is playing his sixth game in the tournament and ninth multi-day red-ball game of the 2025-26 season, then flexed his variety of bowling with two prolific strikes in a space of three balls in the 35th over as Karachi slipped to 125-4.
Debutant-centurion from the first round of the tournament, Haroon Arshad and Abdullah looked to stablise the Blues innings as they had gathered 31 runs off 56 balls before Hasnain breached the right hander’s defences with a ball that struck his pads and was adjudged out.
Saud edged a full-pitched outside off stump ball to the wicket-keeper Afzaal Manzoor departing for a two-ball duck. Usman then joined Abdullah in the middle in the 36th over and the duo gathered 98 runs in the next 20 overs together at the crease.
In the fifth over of the third session, skipper Usama removed Abdullah, who was batting on 88 off 149 balls having hit 1o fours and one six. He holed out to Mohammad Huraira at mid-wicket.
Rameez Aziz contributed 22 off 38 balls in a 44-run sixth-wicket stand off 57 balls with Usman as Hasan eked out his second wicket of the day getting the left-hander caught behind down the leg side on a short ball.
Kashif Bhatti (11,25b, 2x4s) and Usman saw off the 41 balls scoring 18 runs for the seventh wicket before stumps were drawn in the 72nd over as Mohammad Ali had already sent down one ball. Usman will resume on day two having faced 107 balls, out of which his fifty came off 56 balls.
Hasnain and Hasan returned figures of 15-0-70-2 and 21-5-75-2, respectively, while Usama’s eight overs yielded 1-35. Ali’s figures read 19.1-2-64-1.
