ISLAMABAD: Rawalpindi’s medium pacer Saad Altaf created a new national record on Friday by taking 16 wickets in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match against FATA at Mirpur Stadium in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. 33-year old Saad got 8 for 62 in the first innings and 8 for 79 in the second innings to complete his match figures of 16-141, the best ever by any bowler in Pakistan’s first-class cricket.
He surpassed Test cricketer Sohail Khan, who previously held the record of best bowling figures with 16-189, achieved in 2007. Saad is only the second Pakistan player to get 16 wickets in a first-class match. The left arm medium fast bowler from Margala has played 97 first-class matches since his debut in the 2001-02 season and has taken 393 wickets. This was only the fifth 10-wicket match figure for Saad in his first-class cricket career.
Published in Daily Times, November 4th 2017.