Daily Times

RAWALPINDI: A five-wicket haul from off-spinner Haseeb Gul Mohammad guided Southern Punjab to a seven-wicket win over Sindh in the third round match of the PCB National Under-16 One-day Tournament, being played in Rawalpindi, on Wednesday. In the other two matches, half centuries from Raja Balaj and Ubaid Shahid scripted Central Punjab’s three-wicket win over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while Balochistan beat Northern by two wickets.

Sindh v Southern Punjab at Ayub Park Ground: An all-round performance from Arafat Ahmed and a five-fer from Haseeb Gul Mohammad helped Southern Punjab U16 to a comprehensive seven-wicket win over Sindh U16 at Ayub Park Ground in Rawalpindi. Batting first, Sindh were bowled out for 149 in 36 overs. Wahaj Riaz top-scored with a 29 off 47 balls, hitting three fours. For Southern Punjab, Haseeb ended-up with match figures of five for 21 in nine overs which included two maiden overs. Arafat took two wickets for 27 runs. In reply, left-handed Arafat’s unbeaten 86 off 74 balls, helped Southern Punjab chased down the target in 24.1 overs for the loss of three wickets. Arafat innings included 14 fours and a six. For Sindh, Romail Ahmed grabbed three wickets for 39 runs.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa v Central Punjab at Rawal Cricket Ground: Half-centuries from Raja Balaj and Ubaid Shahid helped Central Punjab to a three-wicket win over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Chasing 198 to win, Central Punjab were reeling at 17 for three before Raja and Ubaid got together and contributed 116 runs for the fourth wicket. Raja top-scored with a 97-ball 69, hitting seven fours and two sixes. Ubaid contributed 59 off 101, laced with six fours. For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, right-arm fast Mohammad Ayyaz took five wickets for 28. Earlier, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after being put into bat were restricted to 197 for nine in 45 overs. Ahmed Hussain (38 off 70), Mohammad Tahir (37 off 48) and Adnan Khan (36 off 51) were significant run scorers. Central Punjab’s Ubaid Ullah took three wickets for 30, while Awais Ali and Ibtisam Rehman took two wickets apiece.

Balochistan v Northern at Pindi Cricket Stadium: Abdul Saboor’s half century led Balochistan to a two-wicket win over Northern, handing them the first win in the tournament. After opting to bat first, Northern were bowled out for 173 in 41.1 overs. Raja Hamza Waheed coming to bat at number four top-scored with 55 off 81, which included four boundaries. Shamyl Hussain, who scored 103 in Northern’s win over Central Punjab in the second-round match managed to score 36 off 76. For Balochistan, Anwar Shah and Mohammad Qasim took three wickets apiece, while Ikram Ullah took two wickets for 30. Balochistan chased down the target in the 41st over for the loss of eight wickets. Abdul top-scored with a 61-ball 62, hitting seven fours and three sixes. Off-spinner Saad Masood took four for 30 in nine overs. At the end of third-round matches, Northern’s Amir Hassan is leading the bowling charts with nine wickets from three matches, with five for 40 his best match figures coming in Northern’s six-wicket win over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Southern Punjab’s Arafat Ahmed is the leading run-scorer with 275 from three matches at an average of 137.50. His best 118 off 113 balls helped Southern Punjab to a 30-run win over Balochistan in the second-round match.

Scores in brief:

1: Southern Punjab beat Sindh by seven wickets

Sindh 149 all out, 36 overs (Wahaj Riaz 29, Saad Baig 25, Arbaz Khan 24; Haseeb Gul Mohammad 5-21, Arafat Ahmed 2-27) VS Southern Punjab 150-3, 24.1 overs (Arafat Ahmed 86 not out; Romail Ahmed 3-39)

2: Central Punjab beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by three wickets

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 197-9, 45 overs (Ahmed Hussain 38, Mohammad Tahir 37, Adnan Khan 36; Ubaid Ullah 3-30, Ibtisam Rehman 2-25, Awais Ali 2-41) VS Central Punjab 198-7, 44.1 overs (Raja Balaj 69, Ubaid Shahid 59; Mohammad Ayyaz 5-28)

3: Balochistan beat Northern by two wickets

Northern 173 all out, 41.1 overs (Raja Hamza Waheed 55, Shamyl Hussain 36; Anwar Shah 3-16, Mohammad Qasim 3-31, Ikram Ullah 2-30) VS Balochistan 177-8, 40.3 overs (Abdul Saboor 62, Ikram Ullah 35, Adil Ahmed 32; Saad Masood 4-30, Atif Zafar 2-29).