QEAT: Faham-ul-Haq’s ton leads Faisalabad’s fightback against Peshawar

RAWALPINDI: Opener Faham-ul-Haq’s unbeaten century helped Faisalabad fight back against Peshawar on the second day of their fifth-round Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT) 2025-26 match here at the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium on Friday.

Faisalabad began their response to Peshawar’s 320 all out at the start of the second day’s play and went on to accumulate 309/7 in 94 overs before stumps were drawn here.

Leading the way for Faisalabad was their opener Faham, who top-scored with an unbeaten 137 off 264 deliveries, studded with 17 fours.

He was supported by fellow top-order batters Hasan Raza and Asim Ali Nasir, who made 40 and 38, respectively.

The 19-year-old will resume Faisalabad’s response on the penultimate day, with an 11-run deficit still to be neutralised.

For Peshawar, Iftikhar Ahmed picked up two wickets, while Niaz Khan, Mohammad Amir Khan, Maaz Sadaqat, Israrullah and skipper Sajid Khan chipped in with one apiece on the second day.

At the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Rohail Nazir’s anchoring century, followed by Hunain Shah’s four wickets, on the second day, put Islamabad in a commanding position against FATA.

Earlier in the day, Islamabad resumed their first innings from 326/4 in 78 overs, through centurion Sarmad Bhatti and Rohail, and added 106 more to their overnight score to finish at 432 all out in 103 overs.

Bhatti remained the top-scorer with 150 off 253 deliveries, laced with 28 boundaries, while Rohail smashed 16 fours on his way to a 157-ball 101.

Akif Javed led the bowling charge for FATA with a four-wicket haul, while Arshadullah and Sameen Gul lent ample support by taking three and two, respectively.

In response, FATA had been reduced to 213/7 in 38.2 overs when the stumps were drawn at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, with Rehan Afridi battling in the middle.

The wicketkeeper batter remained the top-scorer for FATA with an unbeaten 71 off just 57 deliveries, and will resume their response on the penultimate day, alongside Sameen Gul, not out on one.

Hunain was the standout bowler for Islamabad on the second day, taking four wickets for just 69 runs in 13 overs, while Musa Khan chipped in with two.

In another fifth-round match of the QEAT, Bahawalpur were 35/1 while chasing a 213-run target, set by Karachi Blues, at the conclusion of the second day.

Earlier in the day, Bahawalpur resumed their first innings from 55/5 in response to Karachi Blues’ 217 all out, and were soon bowled out for a meagre 115 in 33 overs, thus succumbing to a 102-run deficit.

Middle-order batter Saad Khan remained their top-scorer with a 90-ball 61, featuring nine fours.

For Karachi Blues, Saqib Khan led the way with four wickets, followed by Muhammad Umar with three, while Mohammad Hamza struck twice.

With a 102-run lead in their favour, Karachi Blues’ batting unit faltered in the second innings and could yield 110 runs before getting bowled out in 37.5 overs despite top-order batter Omair Bin Yousuf’s gutsy half-century.

Omair waged a lone battle with the bat for Karachi Blues in the second innings, top-scoring with 76 off 113 deliveries, while the rest of the side’s batters fell after scoring in single digits.

For Bahawalpur, Gulfam Aziz picked up three wickets, while Mohammad Azab and Muhammad Imran claimed two each.

Set to chase 213, Bahawalpur had scored 35/1 in 15 overs when the umpires called it a day. Opener Ali Hamza Wasim and fellow top-order batter Mohammad Ammar, unbeaten on 13 and seven, respectively, will resume their pursuit on the penultimate day.

Mushtaq Ahmed remained the solitary wicket-taker for Karachi Blues in the second innings, having dismissed opener Mohammad Alamgir, who could score nine.

At the Marghzar Cricket Ground in Islamabad, Multan had secured a slender lead against Lahore Whites with seven wickets in hand.

Earlier in the day, Lahore Whites resumed their first innings from 121/4 in 32 overs in response to Multan’s 164 all out, and added 162 more to their overnight score to finish at 283 all out in 74 overs, securing a handy 119-run lead.

All-rounder Qasim Akram led Lahore Whites’ batting charge with a brisk half-century and top-scored with a 69-ball 61, comprised of 11 boundaries. Opener Ali Zaryab was the other notable run-getter, making 57 off 139 balls.

Mohammad Ismail was the pick of the Multan bowlers with three wickets, followed by Kashif Ali, Mohammad Shan and Arafat Minhas with two each, while Ali Usman chipped in with one.

Trailing by 119 runs, opener Waqar Ahmed’s 49-run knock helped Multan neutralise the deficit by the end of the second day’s play as they had reached 122/3 in 34.5 overs.

Top-order batter Imran Butt and No.5 Sharoon Siraj, unbeaten on 38 and 12, respectively, will resume Multan’s second innings on the penultimate day.

For Lahore Whites, Test pacer Mohammad Abbas, Nisar Ahmed and Aamir Jamal picked up one wicket apiece.

At the Diamond Cricket Ground in Islamabad, Mohammad Hasnain’s five-wicket haul put defending champions Sialkot into a massive lead against Abbottabad on the second day of their fifth-round match.

At the commencement of day two, Sialkot resumed their first innings from 322/4, but could add 63 more to their overnight score and were thus bowled out for 385 in 107.1 overs.

Azan Awais, who scored a century on the opening day, remained the top-scorer with 123 off 194 deliveries, while Abdullah Shafique (62), Mohsin Riaz (60) and Afzaal Manzoor (51) made significant contributions with respective half-centuries.

Shahnawaz Dahani led Abbottabad’s bowling charge with a five-wicket haul, conceding just 86 runs in 27 overs. He was closely followed by Israr Hussain, who bagged four wickets, while Ahmed Khan chipped in with one.

In turn, Hasnain’s five-wicket haul jolted Abbottabad’s batting unit, which could yield 92 runs before being bowled out in 34.5 overs, resulting in the holders securing a massive 293-run lead.

Opener Shahzaib Khan made notable resistance against the Hasnain-led Sialkot’s bowling attack, top-scoring with a gutsy 39 off 100 deliveries, while skipper Kamran Ghulam (13) was the only other batter to amass double figures.

Hasnain returned sensational bowling figures of 5/22 in his eight overs, receiving support from Test pacer Hasan Ali, who bagged three, while Mohammad Ali claimed two.

Sialkot then bolstered their lead to 330 as they had reached 37/1 in 10.2 overs at the end of the second day’s play.

Shahzaib Khan and fellow top-order batter Zain Ishaq, unbeaten on 20 and zero, respectively, will resume their second innings on the penultimate day.

For Abbottabad, Athar Mehmood picked up the solitary Sialkot wicket as he dismissed opener Yasir Khan on 14.

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