Saqib’s 9-165 match-haul helped Karachi Blues seal QT title
Set to score 533, Sialkot were folded for 314, losing the game by a huge margin
By Alam Zeb Safi
LAHORE: Karachi Blues crushed defending champions Sialkot by 218 runs to seal their 22nd Quaid-e-Azam Trophy title, completing a dominant campaign with a one-sided finish at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore on Friday.
Karachi, who set a formidable 533-run target, wrapped up Sialkot’s second innings for 314 in 71.1 overs on the final evening with right-armer Saqib Khan claiming his third five-wicket haul of the tournament to cap a standout season.
The champions received Rs7.5 million in prize money while Sialkot earned Rs 4 million as runners-up. Abdullah Fazal, named Player of the Final, collected Rs100,000 after scoring 88 and 114. Tournament standout Saad Baig swept three honours – Player of the Tournament, Best Batter, and Best Wicketkeeper – earning Rs250,000 for each award. Left-arm spinner Ali Usman, the leading wicket-taker with 48 dismissals, was adjudged best bowler.
Resuming day five at 12 without loss and needing an improbable 533, Sialkot briefly resisted through Mohammad Hurraira and Azan Awais before Saqib broke their 35-run opening stand. Hurraira made 39 off 65 balls while Abdullah Shafique compiled a steady 58, stitching partnerships of 46 with Hurraira and 40 with Abdul Rehman.
But Karachi struck regularly to leave Sialkot wobbling at 144-5. A brisk counterattack followed with Afzaal Manzoor hammering 63 off 48 balls and Hamza Nazar contributing 56. Their 112-run sixth-wicket stand off 107 balls offered temporary resistance before Rameez Aziz removed Afzaal, triggering a slide in which Sialkot lost five wickets for 58.
Saqib finished with match figures of 9-165 from 44 overs while Mushtaq Ahmed and Rameez Aziz chipped in with two wickets apiece.
Karachi built their victory on commanding batting displays: 340 in the first innings, led by Abdullah Fazal’s 88 and Usman Khan’s 82, followed by a towering 458 in the second innings where Haroon Arshad (116) and Fazal (114) struck centuries.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi distributed prizes.
Scores (Day 5)
Final: Karachi Blues beat Sialkot by 218 runs, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Target: Sialkot 533
Karachi Blues 1st innings: 340 all out (Abdullah Fazal 88, Usman Khan 82; Mohammad Ali 4-79)
Karachi Blues 2nd inns: 458 all out (Haroon Arshad 116, Abdullah Fazal 114; Usama Mir 5-98)
Sialkot 1st inns: 266 all out (Mohsin Riaz 71; Saqib Khan 4-79)
Sialkot 2nd inns: 314 all out (Afzaal Manzoor 63, Abdullah Shafique 59; Saqib Khan 5-86)
Player of the final: Abdullah Fazal
Player of the tournament / best batsman / best wicket-keeper: Saad Baig (1000 runs, 30 dismissals (25 catches, five stumpings); best bowler: Ali Usman *Multan, 48 wickets).
