Nauman snares 11 wickets as CP crash to second straight loss

KARACHI: Central Punjab were humiliated for the second time on the trot as the reigning Quaid-e-Azam Trophy champions were left clueless on their way to a nine-wicket drubbing against the wily Northern skipper Nauman Ali, who grabbed seven wickets — and 11 for the match — at the NBP Sports Complex here on Monday.

Coming on the heels of their six-wicket defeat to Sindh last Wednesday at the National Stadium following captain Azhar Ali’s sporting declaration, Central Punjab were comprehensively outplayed by last season’s runners-up Northern on a spinning track within three days of play.

Bowled out for a paltry 159 on Saturday’s opening day and then seeing their opponents — who had started the season with an innings and 96-ruin thrashing against Southern Punjab at the same venue — take a commanding 195-run lead on the first innings.

Resuming at 64-2, Central Punjab’s second innings was terminated at 227 with Azhar emerging as the top-scorer. The Test captain scored 63 from 150 deliveries during a stay of 227 minutes, while former Pakistan stalwart Kamran Akmal hit up 49. Nauman recorded his third mach bag of 10 or more wickets as the 34-year-old slow left-armer from Sanghar ended with a rich haul of 7-53 from 25.3 overs in the second innings, giving overall analysis of 11-108 in 44.5 overs.

Left with a small chase of 33, Northern got over the line at 35-1 in only five overs to pick up 26 points, including six bowling and four batting points.

Meanwhile, Southern Punjab staged a magnificent comeback to leave their fixture against Balochistan wide open after an incredible 18 wickets tumbled at the National Stadium. After falling 41 runs behind on the first innings when they were dismissed for 331, Southern Punjab bounced back brilliantly to bundle out Balochistan for 112 in the second innings.

Leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood triggered Balochistan’s collapse with 4-20 in 6.3 overs, while leaving Southern Punjab requiring 154 on Tuesday’s last day for their second win on the trot.

Earlier, all-rounder Agha Salman narrowly missed out on scoring his seventh first-class hundred as the 26-year-old got out for 97 (141 balls, 13 boundaries) after putting 115 for the sixth-wicket with Imran Rafiq, who remained on 56. Balochistan captain and Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah added two more wickets to his overnight tally before finishing with 5-115 in 28.2 overs — his 33rd five-for.

Sindh gained a handy first-innings lead of 54 by restricting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to 307 all out after the latter began the day on 136-4 at the UBL Sports Complex. Wicket-keeper Rehan Afridi contributed a gutsy 53 while Pakistan paceman Usman Khan Shinwari made 49.

Off-spinner Ashiq Ali was the standout performer for Sindh as the 25-year-old snared his maiden five-for in first-class cricket by claiming 5-94 in 32.4 overs. Veteran Pakistan speedster Sohail Khan took 3-46 in 18 overs.

By stumps on the penultimate evening, Sindh had reached 74-3 in their second innings to extend their overall lead to 128 runs and setting up an intriguing final-day action on Tuesday.

Close of play scores and result on Monday (day three of four):

First XI, second round:

At National Stadium, Karachi: BALOCHISTAN 327 in 104.3 overs (Imran Farhat 116, Imran Butt 92, Taimur Ali 86 not out, Amad Butt 21; Zahid Mahmood 3-101, Mohammad Ilyas 2-60) and 112 in 31.3 overs (Imran Butt 32, Amad Butt 27, Imran Farhat 21 not out; Zahid Mahmood 4-20, Mohammad Abbas 2-24, Dilbar Hussain 2-39); SOUTHERN PUNJAB 331 in 92.2 overs (Agha Salman 97, Shan Masood 62, Imran Rafiq 56 not out, Umar Siddique 47, Hussain Talat 39; Yasir Shah 5-115, Khurram Shehzad 2-55, Taj Wali 2-66).

At UBL Sports Complex, Karachi: SINDH 361 in 127.5 overs (Sarfaraz Ahmed 131 not out, Fawad Alam 91, Saud Shakeel 38, Asad Shafiq 26, Ashiq Ali 24; Khalid Usman 3-108, Sajid Khan 2-132) and 74-3 in 34 overs (Omair Bin Yousuf 36; Sajid Khan 2-27); KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA 307 in 105.4 overs (Israrullah 67, Rehan Afridi 53, Usman Khan Shinwari 49, Khalid Usman 33, Adil Amin 25, Kamran Ghulam 20; Ashiq Ali 5-94, Sohail Khan 3-46).

At NBP Sports Complex, Karachi: Northern beat Central Punjab by nine wickets.

CENTRAL PUNJAB 159 (Ali Zaryab 78, Qasim Akram 25; Nauman Ali 4-55, Raza Hasan 3-27, Waqas Ahmed 2-35) and 227 in 64.3 overs (Azhar Ali 63, Kamran Akmal 49, Ahmed Safi 35, Ahmed Shehzad 27; Nauman Ali 7-53); NORTHERN 354 in 100 overs (Umar Amin 94, Asif Ali 65, Hammad Azam 56, Umair Masood 36, Sarmad Bhatti 36, Raza Hasan 24; Ahmed Safi 5-106, Hasan Ali 2-36) and 35-1 in 5 overs (Umair Masood 21).