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Iftikhar, Imam star on opening day of practice match

Skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed won the toss and elected to bat first on a flat track

Iftikhar, Imam star on opening day of practice match PHOTO: PCB

Hundreds from opener Imamul Haq and middle-order batsman Iftikhar Ahmed propelled Sarfaraz XI to a dominant score of 355 for 7 on day one of the two-day practice match against Azhar XI at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Monday.

Skipper of Sarfaraz XI and wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed won the toss, against Test cricketer Azhar Ali-led unit, and elected to bat first on a flat track. Iftikhar Ahmed scored a fast-paced 104 of 133 balls which included 17 boundaries.

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Imam provided solid support scoring 100 off 147 balls. Imam then retired, which paved the way for batsman Haris Sohail to score 69 off 122 balls. Sohail was then retired out to give the other batsmen an opportunity to feature in the two-day match.

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Off-spinner Bilal Asif was the stand-out bowler for Azhar XI as he finished the day with two wickets and gave away 57 runs. Left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar was also effective, picking up two wickets for 94 runs. Pacers Mir Hamza and Mohammad Zahid picked up one wicket each.

Sarfaraz XI will resume their innings tomorrow as they look to extend their overnight score.