By The Newspaper’s Sports Reporter

Copyright dawn

KARACHI: Faisalabad, Lahore Blues and Karachi Blues secured emphatic victories as three of the six fourth-round fixtures of the Hanif Mohammad Trophy concluded on Thursday.

Faisalabad overpowered Quetta by an innings and 92 runs at the Multan Cricket Stadium, Lahore Blues crushed Karachi Whites by 257 runs in Bahawalpur, while Karachi Blues thrashed Larkana by an innings and 134 runs at the SBP Sports Complex.

Faisalabad wrapped up their second triumph of the campaign as Quetta, facing a 229-run deficit, were bundled out for 137 in 33.3 overs. Asad Raza took 4-30, with Ahmed Safi Abdullah, Mudasar Zunair and Shehzad Gul sharing the remaining spoils. Earlier, Faisalabad added 45 runs to their overnight total, closing at 416 all out.

At Bahawalpur’s Dring Stadium, Lahore Blues registered their first win in style. Defending a mammoth 561-run target, they dismissed Karachi Whites for 203 in 61 overs, Sajjad Khan claiming 5-56. Imran Butt struck 102 for Lahore Blues, while Karachi’s Maaz Khurram produced a hat-trick in a losing cause.

At the Abbasia Sports Complex, Rahim Yar Khan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir reached 76 without loss in their second innings, trailing Hyderabad by 47 runs at stumps. Hyderabad, replying to AJK’s 359, had earlier posted 482, built around Danyal Hussain Rajput’s unbeaten 136.

Karachi Blues proved too strong for Larkana, sealing an innings and 134-run victory. Test pacer Mir Hamza spearheaded the attack with 4-18 as Larkana folded for 120 in their second innings. Mushtaq Ahmed’s brisk 39 offered brief resistance, but Larkana never recovered after being bowled out for 81 in their first innings against Karachi’s 335.

At the UBL Sports Complex, Multan ended the day at 16 without loss in pursuit of 214 against Fata. Earlier, Multan managed 231 in their first innings after resuming on 160-3, with Zain Abbas falling just short of a century on 98. Fata, in turn, collapsed to 160 all out, Faisal Akram taking 4-39.

Meanwhile, at the National Bank Stadium, Dera Murad Jamali reached 170-5 in their second innings, still trailing Rawalpindi by 87 runs. Dawood Khan anchored the innings with 69 not out. For Rawalpindi, Mubasir Khan took 3-45 after his side had posted 377, with Abdul Faseeh scoring 161 and Aqib Shah 104, building on their commanding first-innings lead of 257.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2025