LAHORE: Haroon Arshad waited five matches to score his second century, but he picked the most important match to do it — the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final — and his effort has put Karachi just 90 overs away from lifting the most coveted and prestigious domestic trophy for the 22nd time. Karachi has competed in this event under various names, including Karachi A, Karachi Blues, Karachi Whites and Karachi Urban.

Resuming on 55 on the fourth morning at the Gaddafi Stadium, Haroon completed a well-crafted 116, steering Karachi to a commanding second-innings total of 458. With a 74-run first-innings lead, Karachi set Sialkot an almost impossible victory target of 533.

In reply, Sialkot reached 12 for no loss at stumps and are effectively out of the title race, as they will require another 521 runs on the final day. Youngsters Mohammad Huraira (5) and Azan Awais (7) will resume Sialkot’s unlikely run chase.

Haroon had earlier scored 101 against Faisalabad in the opening match of the tournament in October. His 116 in the final came from 236 balls and included 10 fours. He finished the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy with 436 runs from seven matches at an average of just over 31.

Haroon added 170 for the second wicket with Abdullah Fazal, who added 10 more runs to his overnight score before falling to Hamza Nazar for an excellent 114.

He then shared an 84-run third-wicket stand with Pakistan captain Shan Masood, who struck a fluent 76 off 107 balls with nine fours before becoming one of Mohammad Hasnain’s three victims.

Later in the innings, Usman Khan and Rameez Aziz contributed 47 (57b, 4×4, 3×6) and 30 (65b, 2×4, 1×6), respectively, helping Karachi stretch their lead to a match-controlling position.

Sialkot captain Usama Mir claimed his third five-wicket haul of the tournament, finishing with 5 for 98 from 28.4 overs. He ripped through Karachi’s middle order by removing Saud Shakeel (6), Usman Khan, Rameez Aziz, Kashif Bhatti (1) and Mohammad Umar (2).

Yet Usama’s effort remained overshadowed by the composure and impact of the young JDW batter Haroon Arshad.

FINAL: Scores in brief (day 4 of 5):

Karachi set Sialkot 533 runs victory target, Gaddafi Stadium

KARACHI 340 all-out (Abdullah Fazal 83, Usman Khan 82, Saad Baig 39, Saqib Khan 33, Rameez Aziz 22; Mohammad Ali 4-79, Mohammad Hasnain 2-70, Hasan Ali 2-94) and 458 all-out (Haroon Arshad 116, Abdullah Fazal 114, Shan Masood 76, Usman Khan 47, Saad Baig 31, Rameez Aziz 30; Usama Mir 5-98, Mohammad Hasnain 3-91)

SIALKOT 266 all-out, 71.5 overs (Mohsin Riaz 71, Hamza Nazar 64, Hasan Ali 41, Abdullah Shafique 32, Mohammad Umar 4-79, Saqib Khan 4-79) and 12-0