ISLAMABAD - Thanks to a superb unbroken 248 runs opening stand between Abdul Samad and Zain Abbas, Faisalabad thrashed Islamabad by 10 wickets in the Brighto Paints Present Cool & Cool National One Day Cup - Regions 2017-18 second round match played here at Diamond Cricket Ground on Saturday.
Faisalabad region skipper won the toss and invited Islamabad to bat first. Despite a superb batting display by home hero Faizan Riaz, who once again lived up to the expectations and scored 68 off 82 deliveries, hitting 7 boundaries. Abid Ali also batted well for his 54 and Shahid Yousaf 49 and Shan Masood 35 were the other notable scorers. Islamabad posted 247 for the loss of 8 wickets in 50 overs. M Imran captured 4 for 41 and Ahmed Shafi 2 for 44.
Faisalabad achieved the target in 45.5 overs without losing a wicket. Abdul Samad scored 130 with the help of 10 fours and 2 sixes while Zain Abbas scored 112, hitting 9 fours.
At Pindi Stadium, Lahore Region Blues hammered Peshawar by 81 runs. Batting first, Lahore were all out for 324 in 50 overs. Sami Aslam made stylish 120, Raza Ali Dar remained unbeaten on 40 and skipper Kamran Akmal made 34. Azizullah and Zohaib took 2 wickets apiece conceding 61 and 69 runs respectively.
Chasing 325 for victory, Peshawar could score 243 for the loss of 9 wickets in allotted overs. Zohaib scored polished unbeaten 71 and Israrullah 45. Salman Ali took 3 for 48, Aizaz Cheema and Raza Ali Dar took 2 wickets each giving away 19 and 42 runs respectively.
At National Ground, Fata and Lahore Whites played out highly sensational tie match. Fata batting first were all out for 236 in 47.1 overs. Sohail Akhtar made 44 and Hammad Azam 32. M Irfan took 4 for 35 and Waqas Ahmed 3 for 29. Lahore Region White also scored 236 for the loss of 9 wickets. M Irfan made 63, Rizwan Hussain 39 and M Mohsin 29. Khushdil Shah took 4 for 29 and Asif Afridi 3 for 4.
At KRL ground, Karachi Whites beat Rawalpindi by 7 wickets. Batting first, Rawalpindi thanks to Naved Malik’s 83 posted massive 300 for the loss of 7 wickets. Saud Shakeel (54), Azhar Ali (47) and Iftikhar Ahmed (46) were other notable runscorers. Rahat Ali took 4 for 55.
Chasing 301, Karachi reached home in 48.5 overs losing 3 wickets in the process. Asad Shafiq hammered stylish 140 while Akbar-Ur-Rehman also batted well for his 114.