Hamza, Mohsin lead Sialkot's fightback with gritty half-centuries
Hamza Nazar and Mohsin Riaz were at the forefront of Sialkot’s fightback with the bat against Karachi Blues as the defending champions closed the day two of the final with a 105-run deficit and four wickets in hand here at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
On a 10-wicket day, Sialkot’s no.6 batter Hamza occupied the crease for 116 balls hitting eight fours in a resilient 62 not out knock – his third first-class half-century and second successive against Blues - after walking in to bat at 73-4 in the 24th over and took his team to 235-6 in 61 overs when the stumps were drawn.
In alliance with Mohsin – who registered his 11th first-class half-century – Hamza stabilised Sialkot’s innings and halted Karachi’s advance towards a huge first-innings lead. They stitched together 95 runs off 135 balls for the fifth wicket on either side of the tea break.
Mohsin – on 22 off 39 balls - got a reprieve in the 31st over, when Muhammad Umar overstepped on the same ball which the batter chopped on with Sialkot still 248 runs behind.
The right-hander then made use of the extra life adding 49 more to his total accumulating 71 off 85 balls on the back of 11 fours and one six. He eventually got out to Umar in the 46th over as Karachi Blues threw back-to-back punches, also removing Afzaal Manzoor for a 14-ball duck.
At 170-6 in 49.4 overs, Hasan Ali joined Hamza and the duo stood steadfast against Blues bowling line-up as they not only saw off the remaining 11.2 overs but also scored 65 runs in partnership at a brisk rate. Hasan remained unbeaten at stumps with 29 not out off 27 balls hitting two fours and one six.
For Karachi Blues, pacers Umar (19-4-61-2), Saqib Khan (18-6-66-2) and Mushtaq Ahmed (21-2-76-1) picked up five wickets, while Kashif Bhatti remained wicketless in his three overs.
Earlier, Karachi Blues added 55 runs to their overnight score before losing the remaining four wickets in 10.1 overs of the opening session. Mohammad Ali’s burst proved decisive as he removed three of the four Karachi batters to fall in that passage of play.
Usman Khan (82, 115b, 10x4s, 1x6) was lured to put his bat in the way of an outside off-stump ball in the 74th over, as wicket-keeper Afzaal pouched the ball safely, while an over later Kashif Bhatti’s (13, 36b, 2x4s) patience too wavered and he nicked it behind to the keeper as well.
Umar then hit two fours and one six taking 16 runs off 15 balls before he holed out to Mohammad Hurraira at point.
No.9 Saqib gathered valuable runs for Blues after Ali’s twin early strikes, hitting three fours and one six in his 26-ball 33. He also frustrated Sialkot with 13, 21 and 17-run partnerships towards the end of the innings.
Ali’s fourth wicket in the innings came when Saqib’s attempted mid-wicket heave made the ball go high in the air only for the wicket-keeper Afzaal to take a spectacular catch – his fifth catch of the innings, 31st in the tournament and 38th dismissal in 10 matches on the trot.
Test pacer Ali finished with 24.2-2-79-4 – taking his tally of scalps to 32 in the tournament moving past Khalid Usman’s 31 and Sajid Khan’s 30. This also marked his second four-wicket haul in his 9th game of the tournament apart from two five-fors.
Usama, Mohammad Hasnain – unused in the session - and Hasan Ali picked up two wickets each.
In turn, Karachi Blues made best use of the new ball as Mushtaq Ahmed induced an inside edge off Azan Awais in the fourth over which was plucked by Haroon Arshad, who had to leap forward after taking a couple of steps at gully. 11 balls later, Saqib pinned Hurraira leg-before from over the wicket to leave Sialkot 13-2 in 5 overs.
Abdullah (32, 56b, 3x4s) and Abdul Rehman (14, 47b, 2x4s) then saw off the remaining 10 overs before lunch safely. Both added 49 off 91 balls before left-hander Rehman nicked off against Umar with Rameez Aziz taking the catch in slips early in second session.
Abdullah departed 25 balls later in the 24th over, when in a brilliant display of athleticism Mushtaq shattered the stumps with a direct throw at striker’s end after finishing his follow-through as Mohsin called his partner for a quick single, leaving Sialkot 73-4.
Scores in brief – Day 2 – Stumps
Final – Sialkot v Karachi Blues at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Sialkot trail by 105 runs with four wickets remaining in first innings
Karachi Blues 340 all out, 81.2 overs (Abdullah Fazal 88, Usman Khan 82, Saad Baig 39, Saqib Khan 33, Rameez Aziz 22; Mohammad Ali 4-79, Mohammad Hasnain 2-70, Hasan Ali 2-75)
Sialkot 235-6, 61 overs (Mohsin Riaz 71, Hamza Nazar 62 not out, Abdullah Shafique 32, Hasan Ali 29 not out; Muhammad Umar 2-61, Saqib Khan 2-66)
