LAHORE, 2nd Oct 2023: Abdul Faseeh’s unbeaten century led Rawalpindi Region to their first win of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QeAT) 2023-24 as they defeated Faisalabad by seven wickets in the fourth-round match at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Rawalpindi successfully chased down the 204-run target set by Faisalabad on the back of an unbeaten 109 by 24-year-old Abdul Faseeh, featuring 17 boundaries. Resuming their second innings at the overnight score of 190-2 in 48 overs, it took 7.3 more overs for Rawalpindi to achieve the target, losing Ashfaq Ahmed’s wicket in the process, who was dismissed by Mohammad Ali for 40 off 49 balls, hitting seven fours.
Meanwhile, in another fourth-round QEAT fixture, Sarfaraz Ahmed struck an unbeaten double century in a drawn game between Karachi Whites and Lahore Whites at the Gaddafi Stadium. Sarfaraz Ahmed’s knock combined with Rameez Aziz’s unbeaten 151 on the fourth day allowed Karachi Whites to put a huge 784 runs on the scoreboard in reply to Lahore Whites’ first innings score of 509-9 declared in 137.2 overs.
Resuming their first innings at the overnight score of 432-4 in 125 overs, an unbroken 351-run partnership between Sarfaraz and Rameez for the sixth wicket was the highlight of the day. Sarfaraz scored an unbeaten 200 off 236 balls, which included 24 fours and a six, while Rameez scored an undefeated 151 off 264 balls, hitting 15 fours and two sixes.
Peshawar were led to their second win in the QeAT after defeating Lahore Blues by three wickets at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. Chasing a modest 190-run win, Peshawar lost seven wickets in the process and achieved the target in the 63rd over. For the winning team, Kamran Ghulam top-scored with a 99-ball 50, hitting five fours. Israrullah struck 30 off 78 balls, which included three fours.
Kashif Bhatti and Waqas Ahmed bagged two wickets each for Lahore Blues. Earlier, Lahore Blues were dismissed for 215 in 68.2 overs, after resuming their second innings at the overnight score of 149-7.
In the 16th match of the QeAT, FATA played out a drawn game against Multan after being enforced a follow-on at the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi. FATA after being enforced a follow-on were 336-9 in 128.3 overs when stumps were drawn. M Irfan Khan scored 84 off 177 balls, hitting 10 fours and two sixes. Earlier, FATA had resumed their second innings at the overnight score of 167-3 in 50 overs.
Reference Link: https://www.nation.com.pk/02-Oct-2023/ton-up-faseeh-steers-rawalpindi-to-their-first-win-in-qeat
