da doce： Karachi Whites put themselves in driving seat in the Quaid-i-AzamTrophy Grade-I cricket championship final after obtaining a 102-runlead on the first innings against Peshawar at National Stadium hereSaturday
Khalid H. Khan03-Mar-2002Karachi Whites put themselves in driving seat in the Quaid-i-AzamTrophy Grade-I cricket championship final after obtaining a 102-runlead on the first innings against Peshawar at National Stadium hereSaturday.By close of play on day two of the five-day clash, the home team hadPeshawar struggling at 164 for four in their second innings with thelast pair of specialist batsmen at the crease.Peshawar’s slim hopes of setting a reasonable target for their bowlersrest squarely on the shoulders of Yasir Hameed, who is batting with acomposed 60, and all-rounder Taimur Khan (3). But with only 62 runs infront, Peshawar are in considerable trouble at the moment.Collectively, 287 runs were scored Saturday for the loss of ninewickets compared to opening day’s 295 runs with as many 15 wicketsgoing down. This generally suggests that the pitch is beginning toease out in favour of the batsmen.Karachi Whites lost their skipper Moin Khan in the day’s third overwhen Kabir Khan won a LBW verdict after just five runs were added tothe overnight 137 for five.All-rounders Imran Javed and Arif Mahmood were the main scorers forthe Whites with both hitting half-centuries. Imran, who was let off on32 late Friday, top-scored with 57 before being adjudged leg-beforewicket by Test umpire Mohammad Nazir Junior.Imran’s 96-ball knock in a stay of nearly two-and-a-half hours wasspiced with eight boundaries and his seventh-wicket stand with Arifrealized 46 runs in 57 minutes.Arif, a strongly built right-handed batsman, took heavy toll of FazleAkbar’s short-pitched deliveries by smashing boundaries with hooks,pulls and cuts. In all, Arif struck nine fours in his 73-ball 54 injust over two hours. His luck finally ran out when he flashed at awide delivery outside the off-stump but only succeeded in becomingwicket-keeper Zulfiqar Jan’s fourth victim.Tanvir Ahmed, who added 44 with Arif for the ninth-wicket in 43minutes, was left stranded with 25, which included four fours.Kabir bowled unchanged in the two-hour morning session to claim threefor 37 in 13 overs from the pavilion end. His final figures of threefor 65 were only bettered by his left-arm team-mate Waqar Ahmed, whofinished well deserved five for 74.Fazle Akbar, Peshawar’s spearhead, was extremely disappointingSaturday by spraying the ball all over the place during a forgetfulspell of six overs for 36.Peshawar’s second innings began shortly after lunch when the Whiteshad been bowled out for 260.Javed Iqbal hit a brace of attractive boundaries until he tried anambitious stroke and was brilliantly taken by Moin Khan behind thestumps.Zeeshan Mohsin, the other opener, was forced to come off the fieldwith a slight hamstring on his left leg one run after Javed was out.But he came at the fall of third wicket to share the most productivepartnership in the innings. Together with Yasir, Zeeshan put on 59before his exuberance got the better of him.In the penultimate over of the day, Zeeshan, attempted to lift DanishKaneria over mid-on but only found a grateful Tanvir holding onto awell-judged catch.Zeeshan stroked eight boundaries in scoring 40 off 64 balls in 102minutes. Otherwise, he really looks a fine prospect for the future ifproperly nurtured.In between, Wajahatullah Wasti, the Test discard, played an outrageousshot to get out when he cut Kaneria straight down Saeed bin Nasir’sthroat at point. Peshawar desperately needed Wajahat, who scored amatch-winning 135 in the final on the very same ground three yearsago, to bail them out.Aftab Khan, who led Peshawar to the Under-19 Grade-I title thisseason, can considered himself unfortunate to be given out LBW toImran Javed bowling from the edge of the crease. Aftab was well-set on20 when umpire Iftikhar Malik sent him on his way.