Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2020/21 | Round 1 | October 25-28, 2020 | Matches Thread

[MenInG]

Sindh win by 6 wickets

 

[Shoaibbtt]

If central Punjab loses this match, both Azhar Ali and their dumb coach Shahid Anwar should lose thier job.

Definitely a brainless declaration

 

[The Viper]

Sindh was stretched to the limits by a spirited Central Punjab before winning by six wickets, while a clinical Balochistan defeated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 186 runs with more than two sessions remaining on the final day of the four-day first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy fixtures on Wednesday.

After being set 212 runs to win in 50 overs, Sindh achieved the target for the loss of four wickets with 38 balls in the match remaining, while Balochistan, easily defended 413 runs against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after dismissing their opponents for 226 who had resumed their run-chase at 133 for four.

In a highly competitive and hard-fought broadcast match played in good spirit at the National Stadium, Central Punjab made a sporting second-session declaration at 243 for seven after resuming at the overnight score of 120 for four. Usman Salahuddin was the top scorer with a 181-ball 75 that included six fours and a six, while Mohammad Saad struck his second half-century of the match while scoring a 166-ball 59 with nine hits to the fence.

Chasing 212 runs for victory in 50 overs, Saud Shakeel anchored Sindh’s innings, first by consolidating his side’s position in association with Omair Bin Yousuf (44) to take them to 93 for two at the halfway stage, before accelerating the scoring in brief partnerships with Sarfaraz Ahmed (11) and Asad Shafiq (45 not out, 39 balls).

Saud was the fourth batsman out with 45 runs still required after a well-constructed 61 from 70 balls with six fours, but Asad Shafiq and Hasan Mohsin (25 not out, 18 balls) ensured there were no further hiccups for their side.

While Central Punjab played positively and aggressively, they must be ruing their decision to go into the match without a specialist spinner, which was further compounded by some sloppy late fourth afternoon fielding. But the encouraging and good news was the fitness of a returning Hasan Ali, who bowled 32.3 overs in the match without showing any discomfort and uneasiness.

By virtue of recording their first victory in the revamped Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Sindh finished with 22 points, including 16 for an outright win, five bowling and one batting, Central Punjab had to content with three points, including one batting and two bowling.

In the second round action on Saturday, 31 October, Sindh will travel to the UBL Sports Complex where they will take on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while Central Punjab will take trip to the NBP Sports Complex where they will meet Northern.

Spin duo of Kashif Bhatti and Yasir Shah equally shared eight wickets between them to spin Balochistan to a comfortable 186 runs victory over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the UBL Sports Complex.

Kashif picked up four for 69 and Yasir grabbed four for 102 as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, chasing an improbable 413-run target and resuming on the final morning at 133 for four, were dismissed for 226 before lunch.

Adil Amin (67) and Kamran Ghulam (51) offered some resistance while stitching up a 104-run fourth wicket stand, but the two Balochistan spinners were too hot for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa batsmen to handle.

Kashif finished the match with five wickets for 83 runs and Yasir Shah rounded up his first four-day outing of the tournament with eight wickets for 196 runs.

From this match, Balochistan collected 25 points, including 16 for an outright win, three for batting and six for bowling, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had to settle with just two bowling points.

Balochistan will now meet Southern Punjab in the second round fixture from Saturday, 31 October, in a broadcast National Stadium match, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will stay at the UBL Sports Complex where they will meet Sindh.

Scores in brief (day four of four):

Sindh beat Central Punjab by six wickets at the National Stadium

Central Punjab (1st innings) 207 all out, 86.4 overs (Ahmed Shehzad 69, Mohammad Saad 51, Kamran Akmal 24; Tabish Khan 5-44) and 243-7d (Usman Salahuddin 75, Mohammad Saad 59, Azhar Ali 29, Qasim Akram 22 not out; Saud Shakeel 2-11, Mohammad Umar 2-44, Mohammad Asghar 2-62)

Sindh (1st innings) 239 all out, 105.3 overs (Fawad Alam 115, Khurram Manzoor 35, Tabish Khan 24; Waqas Maqsood 4-56, Hasan Ali 3-40, Ahmed Bashir 2-56) and 212-4 (Saud Shakeel 61, Asad Shafiq 45 not out, Omair Bin Yousuf 44, Hasan Mohsin 25 not out; Qasim Akram 2-22)

Match points: Central Punjab 3; Sindh 22

Balochistan beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 186 runs at the UBL Sports Complex

Balochistan 362 all out, 110.2 overs (Bismillah Khan 118, Kashif Bhatti 98, Sami Aslam 56, Khurram Shehzad 37; Sajid Khan 3-96, Junaid Khan 2-53, Ahmed Jamal 2-70, Imran Khan Snr 2-72) and 217-8d (Sami Aslam 48, Taimoor Ali 41 not out, Yasir Shah 41, Imran Farhat 29, Abdul Rehman Muzamil 22; Sajid Khan 5-78)

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (1st innings) 167 all out, 46.5 overs (Khalid Usman 57 not out, Kamran Ghulam 42, Sajid Khan 27; Khurram Shahzad 5-27, Yasir Shah 4-94) and 226 all out (Adil Amin 67, Kamran Ghulam 51, Rehan Afridi 44; Kashif Bhatti 4-69, Yasir Shah 4-102)

Match points: Balochistan 25, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 2

On Wednesday

Southern Punjab beat Northern by an innings and 96 runs at the NBP Sports Complex

Northern (1st innings) 165 all out, 48.4 overs (Faizan Riaz 29, Umar Amin 29, Sarmad Bhatti 25, Hammad Azam 24, Zeeshan Malik 24; Zahid Mahmood 4-41, Salman Ali Agha 3-34) and 246 all out (Hammad Azam 79, Asif Ali 39, Faizan Riaz 36, Nauman Ali 32; Zahid Mahmood 6-57, Mohammad Abbas 2-44)

Southern Punjab (1st innings) 507-9d , 113.1 overs (Hussain Talat 253, Shan Masood 134, Umar Siddiq 40, Bilawal Bhatti 31; Nauman Ali 4-153, Athar Mehmood 3-86)

Match points: Northern 2; Southern Punjab 28

Second round fixtures (from 31 Oct-3 Nov)

Balochistan v Southern Punjab, National Stadium (broadcast match)
Central Punjab v Northern, NBP Sports Complex

 

[naseem]

Definitely a brainless declaration

I thought they were all-out......ita not that they had some Wasim Shoaib in their bowling attack

 

[Omer2002]

Definitely a brainless declaration

NO doubt ..but it was good for the game for sure

 

[naseem]

Good to see Saud doing well

 

[Bewal Express]

Definitely a brainless declaration

Its the type of matches that players actually improve with. I watched some of it and really enjoyed it. CP needed a good spinner and they didn't have him.

 

[Omer2002]

missing few players...babz..gohar and abdullah were on international duty then again quite a few players from other teams were too

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Its the type of matches that players actually improve with. I watched some of it and really enjoyed it. CP needed a good spinner and they didn't have him.

I watched the last 25 overs of the chase. Really good stuff by Omair and Saud. Saud had such lovely strokes and then the finishing touches from Hasan Mohsin and Asad.

A real team effort!

 

[Bewal Express]

I watched the last 25 overs of the chase. Really good stuff by Omair and Saud. Saud had such lovely strokes and then the finishing touches from Hasan Mohsin and Asad.

A real team effort!

I didn't see Umair, just saw the dismissal, did he look the part?

 

[KingOfPakBreakfast]

You know, hindsight really is an amazing thing, absolutely 20-20, given the reactions here to the declaration, insulting Azhar Ali etc. I'm no fan of Azhar's performance as captain for the test team, however what he did here was commendable and actually quite ballsy. Part of being in this competition is to get maximum points per game, especially given the added batting and bowling points available per game. Given how the match was quite even, the batting and bowling points had largely been shared by Sindh and CP to that point. Thus, Azhar took on a risk and bet on winning by risking to lose. Had his bowlers, I.e. Hassan Ali and Ehsan Adil either shown up or bowled better lines, it would have At least been a draw.

I'm not in favour of Azhar being test captain, but what he tried here was courageous, aggressive captaincy where he backed his own team. That has to be commended. It's easy to criticize based on the result

 

[KingOfPakBreakfast]

Also, as an aside, what a fun opening match to witness. I think, with the added batting and bowling points, teams may be a bit more aggressive this year. Also refreshing to see Saud and Hassan perform. Saud Alhamdulillah looks like a beautiful player. I'd like Younis to work with him extensively to better his mental game. He's captained the Shaheens against MCC and the ACC Emerging team as well. Thus InshAllah they take him to NZ as part of the Shaheens

 

[Shoaibbtt]

I didn't see Umair, just saw the dismissal, did he look the part?

He looked good as well, he was pushing for that W.

-They all looked good i have to say Fawad getting runs and wickets
-Good finish by Saud and Hassan Mohsin
-Tabish Khan in the first innings 5w haul.

Overall Sindh looked great

 

[Kaddy]

You know, hindsight really is an amazing thing, absolutely 20-20, given the reactions here to the declaration, insulting Azhar Ali etc. I'm no fan of Azhar's performance as captain for the test team, however what he did here was commendable and actually quite ballsy. Part of being in this competition is to get maximum points per game, especially given the added batting and bowling points available per game. Given how the match was quite even, the batting and bowling points had largely been shared by Sindh and CP to that point. Thus, Azhar took on a risk and bet on winning by risking to lose. Had his bowlers, I.e. Hassan Ali and Ehsan Adil either shown up or bowled better lines, it would have At least been a draw.

I'm not in favour of Azhar being test captain, but what he tried here was courageous, aggressive captaincy where he backed his own team. That has to be commended. It's easy to criticize based on the result

No way Sir.......It was very very poor move.

It's an era of t20 cricket and most of the teams in the world would chase 200 odd runs in 50 overs.

Only way you can stop them is to take all the 10 wickets within 50 overs.
Otherwise chances of a draw are very slim.

Now the problem is central Punjab's this bowling lineup didn't have the ability to do that against this batting lineup of Sindh, which is actually very good in these conditions.

And as a captain you should know the capabilities of your players and he didn't have any idea in this regard as well.

If I were a captain today, the only way i would have taken this risk, if I had Wasim/Waqar of early 90s types of bowlers.

This guy let England chase 270 odd very easily now today he gifted the match to his opponent.

The only justification of today's declaration I can give is that perhaps he wanted to prove a point that his friend Asad Shafiq is actually a match winner.

 

[Bewal Express]

You know, hindsight really is an amazing thing, absolutely 20-20, given the reactions here to the declaration, insulting Azhar Ali etc. I'm no fan of Azhar's performance as captain for the test team, however what he did here was commendable and actually quite ballsy. Part of being in this competition is to get maximum points per game, especially given the added batting and bowling points available per game. Given how the match was quite even, the batting and bowling points had largely been shared by Sindh and CP to that point. Thus, Azhar took on a risk and bet on winning by risking to lose. Had his bowlers, I.e. Hassan Ali and Ehsan Adil either shown up or bowled better lines, it would have At least been a draw.

I'm not in favour of Azhar being test captain, but what he tried here was courageous, aggressive captaincy where he backed his own team. That has to be commended. It's easy to criticize based on the result

Agreed. I am not a fan of AA as a player or a captain but today he showed intent and needs to applauded. The loss is hardly the end of the world but the players would have enjoyed the competition and intensity. Its exactly the type of cricket we were hoping for. Just imagine if this was a match between PIA and NBP, nobody would have cared. Whisper it quietly, The PCB is beginning to get its act together as far as FC domestic cricket is concerned

 

[shamaan]

He looked good as well, he was pushing for that W.

-They all looked good i have to say Fawad getting runs and wickets
-Good finish by Saud and Hassan Mohsin
-Tabish Khan in the first innings 5w haul.

Overall Sindh looked great

Hopefully saud and hassan mohsin continue to do well

 

[Shoaibbtt]

Hopefully saud and hassan mohsin continue to do well

yep same here. Really like the Sindh team.

 

[Markhor]

Agreed. I am not a fan of AA as a player or a captain but today he showed intent and needs to applauded. The loss is hardly the end of the world but the players would have enjoyed the competition and intensity. Its exactly the type of cricket we were hoping for. Just imagine if this was a match between PIA and NBP, nobody would have cared. Whisper it quietly, The PCB is beginning to get its act together as far as FC domestic cricket is concerned

Yeah but Najam Sethi set up PSL (despite letting FC cricket go to the dogs) so we have to kiss his feet until the end of time according to corrupt but competent crew.

 

[Thunderbolt14]

You know, hindsight really is an amazing thing, absolutely 20-20, given the reactions here to the declaration, insulting Azhar Ali etc. I'm no fan of Azhar's performance as captain for the test team, however what he did here was commendable and actually quite ballsy. Part of being in this competition is to get maximum points per game, especially given the added batting and bowling points available per game. Given how the match was quite even, the batting and bowling points had largely been shared by Sindh and CP to that point. Thus, Azhar took on a risk and bet on winning by risking to lose. Had his bowlers, I.e. Hassan Ali and Ehsan Adil either shown up or bowled better lines, it would have At least been a draw.

I'm not in favour of Azhar being test captain, but what he tried here was courageous, aggressive captaincy where he backed his own team. That has to be commended. It's easy to criticize based on the result

This!

 

[shamaan]

yep same here. Really like the Sindh team.

Yes

 

[Shoaibbtt]

You know, hindsight really is an amazing thing, absolutely 20-20, given the reactions here to the declaration, insulting Azhar Ali etc. I'm no fan of Azhar's performance as captain for the test team, however what he did here was commendable and actually quite ballsy. Part of being in this competition is to get maximum points per game, especially given the added batting and bowling points available per game. Given how the match was quite even, the batting and bowling points had largely been shared by Sindh and CP to that point. Thus, Azhar took on a risk and bet on winning by risking to lose. Had his bowlers, I.e. Hassan Ali and Ehsan Adil either shown up or bowled better lines, it would have At least been a draw.

I'm not in favour of Azhar being test captain, but what he tried here was courageous, aggressive captaincy where he backed his own team. That has to be commended. It's easy to criticize based on the result

Qasim and Waqas were going good, why not wait till everyone is bowled out???? 212 in 50 overs any team would've taken that any day of the week and would've fancied their chances. Could've batted longer and got 250/260.

 

[hitthestump]

Azhar Ali's decision was poor. That was not the pitch, particularly when your spearhead is Hasan Ali who is currently way out of form.

 

[shamaan]

50 overs 212 runs is a cake walk they should have got atleast 260

 

[Bewal Express]

Yeah but Najam Sethi set up PSL (despite letting FC cricket go to the dogs) so we have to kiss his feet until the end of time according to corrupt but competent crew.

Those guys are lost. They don't know what to argue anymore. One of the morons was asking for more teams when even the top 6 are lacking quality and depth. The type of cricket played today will impact on the quality of cricketer we produce in years to come. You could see the players actually cared and thats what you want.Its a shame its taken decades to do.

 

[Bewal Express]

50 overs 212 runs is a cake walk they should have got atleast 260

On a wearing wicket, it wasn't a cake walk and if Qasim had taken Omair earlier, then it may have been enough

 

[shamaan]

On a wearing wicket, it wasn't a cake walk and if Qasim had taken Omair earlier, then it may have been enough

Qasim is a part time spinner majority of the wickets sindh took were average deliveries by the spinners

 

[Golden arm]

There was absolutely no thinking or method in declaration. At least he should have added few more runs and less overs so that opponents have to take risks. Risk benefit ratio was hugely in favour of Sindh which shows really bad captaincy or at worse lack of thinking skills.