Rawalpindi and Bahawalpur Battle to a Thrilling Draw as Fourth Round of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Concludes

The fourth round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2024-25 culminated in an enthralling day of cricket, with multiple games ending in draws after closely contested battles. At the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi, the home side and Bahawalpur shared the spoils after an intense final day that saw both teams pushing for victory.

Rawalpindi vs Bahawalpur: A Spirited Fight Ends in a Draw

Resuming on an overnight score of 258-4, Bahawalpur batted with intent on the final morning, adding 134 runs in 33 overs before declaring at 392-7. Abid Ali’s composed 100 anchored the innings, while Mohammad Ammar’s unbeaten 86 provided the impetus. Shadab Khan toiled hard, picking up 4-124 in a marathon spell.

Set a challenging target of 302 in 56 overs, Rawalpindi started brightly with Umair Masood (77) and Ziad Khan (50) leading the charge. However, a mid-innings collapse saw them slide from 140-1 to 166-6, with Mehran Sanwal and Shayan Khalil sharing crucial wickets. Atif Khan and Aqib Shah then played out 76 balls to ensure their side held on, finishing at 198-6.

Quetta vs FATA: Rain Plays Spoilsport

At Railway Cricket Ground in Haripur, rain reduced the final day to just 17.2 overs, saving Quetta from an innings defeat. Resuming on 66-2 in their second innings and facing a deficit, Quetta crumbled to 118-8. Arshadullah’s 4-32 and Shahid Aziz’s 2-49 troubled the batters, but the weather intervened, resulting in a draw.

Lahore Blues vs Sialkot: Resilience in Swabi

At Gohati Cricket Stadium in Swabi, Lahore Blues dominated early, enforcing the follow-on after bowling out Sialkot for 263. Mohammad Waleed’s maiden century (109) was the highlight of Sialkot’s first innings. Following on, Mohsin Riaz (42*) and Waleed (19) defied the bowlers, guiding their team to 185-4 and securing a hard-fought draw.

Karachi Whites vs AJK: A Target Unmet

In Abbottabad, AJK were set 228 by Karachi Whites, but the game fizzled out into a draw. Karachi’s Rameez Aziz scored 26* in a bold declaration at 159-8, while AJK responded with Hasan Raza’s unbeaten 55 in their 112-5.

Multan vs Peshawar: Imam-ul-Haq Shines

At Ashfaq Cricket Ground in Sirdheri, Multan’s Imam-ul-Haq dazzled with his 13th first-class century. After resuming at 292, Multan declared at 233-3 in their second innings, but with only 51 overs bowled on the final day, the match ended in a draw.

Summary of Results

Pool A

• Islamabad defeated Hyderabad by an innings and two runs at Diamond Cricket Ground.
• Faisalabad beat Larkana by four wickets at National Ground.

Pool C

• Karachi Blues defeated DM Jamali by an innings and 56 runs at Mirpur Cricket Stadium.
• Lahore Whites triumphed over Abbottabad by seven wickets at Marghzar Cricket Ground.

Scores in Brief

Rawalpindi vs Bahawalpur

• Bahawalpur: 233 all out (Mohammad Sheharyar 74*, Shadab Khan 5-80) & 392-7 decl. (Abid Ali 100, Mohammad Ammar 86*, Shadab Khan 4-124)
• Rawalpindi: 324 all out (Aqib Shah 62, Mehran Sanwal 4-115) & 198-6 (Umair Masood 77, Mehran Sanwal 2-49)

Quetta vs FATA

• Quetta: 187 all out (Mohammad Ibrahim Snr 48, Arshadullah 4-53) & 118-8 (Arshadullah 4-32)
• FATA: 343 all out (Mohammad Farooq 73, Jalat Khan 4-65)

Sialkot vs Lahore Blues

• Lahore Blues: 439-7 decl. (Umar Siddiq 115, Mohammad Abbas 6-41)
• Sialkot: 263 all out (Mohammad Waleed 109) & 185-4 (Ashir Mehmood 74)

Karachi Whites vs AJK

• Karachi Whites: 356 all out (Saud Shakeel 120) & 159-8 decl. (Habibullah 49)
• AJK: 288 all out (Awais Akram Minhas 69) & 112-5 (Hasan Raza 55*)

Multan vs Peshawar

• Multan: 292 all out (Imam-ul-Haq 60) & 233-3 (Imam-ul-Haq 105 retired hurt)
• Peshawar: 251 all out (Maaz Sadaqat 114, Mohammad Ismail 5-84)