KARACHI: Emerging opener Azan Awais and Ashir Mehmood scored magnificent centuries to give Sialkot an early advantage over Lahore Whites on the opening day of the final triangular stage fixture of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT) 2024-25 here at the National Bank Stadium on Friday.
Skipper Amad Butt’s decision to bat first bore fruit as Sialkot had amassed 336 runs for the loss of just four wickets by the conclusion of the first day of the all-important fixture.
Sialkot, however, had a contrasting start to their innings as emerging opener Mohammad Huraira (16) and number three batter Fahad Jamil (23) perished cheaply, reducing the team to 87/2.
Following the early hiccup, Azan was joined by Ashir in the middle and together they raised a commanding 214-run partnership, with both scoring centuries.
The marathon partnership eventually culminated with Ashir’s dismissal of Hikmatullah.
The right-handed batter scored 101 off 152 deliveries with the help of eight fours and a six.
Hikmatullah then posed another dent to Sialkot’s batting charge by getting rid of middle-order batter Abdul Rehman, who scored 11 off 37 deliveries.
Meanwhile, Azan then put together an unbeaten 15-run partnership with Mohsin Riaz until Stumps were drawn.
Azain remained the top-scorer for Sialkot with an unbeaten 163 off 289 deliveries with the help of 18 boundaries.
The duo will resume Sialkot’s first innings from 336/4 on the second day of the all-important triangular-stage fixture.
For Lahore Whites, Hikmatullah bagged two wickets, while Ubaid Shah and Mohammad Ahsan, chipped in with a scalp apiece.
It is pertinent to mention that this is the must-win match for Lahore Whites to qualify for the QEAT final as they lost their first fixture of the decisive stage by a massive margin of runs.
