Quaid-e-Azam Trophy: Sarmad Bhatti’s Century Highlights Day One

RAWALPINDI: Islamabad Region’s Sarmad Bhatti delivered a remarkable performance, scoring 144 runs off 214 deliveries, which included 19 boundaries. His century stabilized Islamabad’s innings after an initial stumble against Bahawalpur Region in their Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match at the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Islamabad concluded the first day with a score of 344-5 after playing 90 overs.

Islamabad’s Innings

Shamyl Hussain and Abdul Faseeh began steadily for Islamabad, building a 44-run partnership. Shamyl scored 28 runs from 31 balls, hitting five boundaries before being dismissed by Gulfam Aziz.

Abdul Faseeh was soon bowled out by Mubasir Khan for 17, and Faizan Riaz was trapped LBW by Gulfam Aziz for a mere two runs.

Raja Hamza Waheed and Sarmad Bhatti then collaborated to strengthen the innings, forming a 75-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Hamza contributed 60 runs off 64 balls before being caught out by Mohammad Azab.

Sarmad Bhatti continued to dominate, scoring 144 runs off 214 balls with 19 boundaries, eventually falling to Azab. Mohammad Hammad Khan provided solid support, remaining unbeaten at 80*, along with Rizwan Ali, who scored four runs off 14 balls.

For Bahawalpur, Mohammad Azab and Gulfam Aziz each claimed two wickets, while Mubasir Khan took one.

Other Matches

At the Diamond Cricket Ground in Islamabad, Abbottabad’s top order shone, with three batsmen achieving half-centuries.

Shahzaib Khan and Yasir Khan opened with a 101-run stand, Yasir scoring 56 off 99 balls before being dismissed by Mohammad Rameez Jr. Shahzaib (74 off 161) and skipper Fakhar Zaman (53 off 109) formed important partnerships before Rameez Jr’s five-wicket haul reduced Abbottabad to 273-7 in 83 overs. Saad Nasim also secured two wickets for Lahore Whites.

At the Imran Khan Cricket Stadium in Peshawar, Faisalabad scored 203-5 in 77 overs, with Faham-ul-Haq (51) and Atiq-ur-Rehman (81) scoring half-centuries. Early setbacks included Hasan Raza’s dismissal for nine and Asim Ali Nazir’s run-out for one. Muhammad Ali’s double-strike further hampered Faisalabad, leaving them at 160-5. Muhammad Awais Zafar (42*) and Ali Shan (9*) stabilized the innings. Mohammad Ali and Athar Mehmood each took two wickets for Sialkot.

At Marghzar Cricket Stadium in Islamabad, Multan were bowled out for 260 in 70.5 overs, with Arafat Minhas (77) and Waqar Hussain (50) leading the charge. Bismillah Khan added 41, and Faisal Akram contributed 24. Karachi’s bowling attack was led by Muhammad Umar, Saqib Khan, Rameez Aziz, and Danish Aziz, each taking two wickets. Karachi finished the day at 49-1 in 10 overs, trailing by 211, with Saad Baig unbeaten on 30 and Omair Bin Yousuf at 11.

At Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Peshawar were bowled out for 271 in 63 overs. Israrullah scored 91, Iftikhar Ahmed made 78, and Niaz Khan contributed 47. For FATA, Sameen Gul, Shahid Aziz, Akif Javed, and Zahid Mahmood each took two wickets, while Khushdil Shah claimed one. FATA ended the day at 60-0 in eight overs, with Mohammad Farooq (34) and Mohammad Naeem (24) at the crease.