QeA Trophy Final on knife-edge ahead of final day

Central Punjab were 140/2 in their second innings at stumps on day four, while chasing a target of 356 runs set by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Final at the National Stadium in Karachi.

CP will resume their innings on the final day, needing 216 more runs to win, with Usman Salahuddin and Mohammad Saad unbeaten on 51 and 27 runs, respectively.

Salahuddin and Saad stitched a partnership of 51 runs for the third wicket and have looked comfortable out in the middle.  

Openers Mohammad Akhlaq (48) and Ali Zaryab (10) were dismissed by pacer Arshad Iqbal and off-spinner Sajid Khan, respectively.

Earlier, Kamran Ghulam’s 108-run knock helped KP post 312 in their second innings, setting Central Punjab a target of 356 runs.

Opener Israrullah also scored his second fifty of the match (63), while captain Khalid Usman added 53 runs.

For Central Punjab, pacer Waqas Maqsood was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4/77 in 23.5 overs.

It must be noted that the highest successful chase in 66-year history of first-class cricket at National Stadium Karachi is 328 by Karachi Whites in 1998.

Central Punjab are the defending champions of QeA Trophy.

Both teams secured 6 points, each, from their exploits in the first innings and consequently will share the trophy incase the match is drawn.

First innings scores in brief:

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 300 all out in 97.5 overs (Kamran Ghulam 76, Adil Amin 75, Israrullah 61; Hasan Ali 4/62, Waqas Maqsood 3/59)

Central Punjab 257/9 (dec.) 75.1 overs (Qasim Akram 60*, Usman Salahuddin 60, Saad Nasim 55; Irfanullah Shah 4/73, Khalid Usman 3/32)