LAHORE: Opener Abdullah Fazal and middle-order batter Usman Khan stroked half-centuries to steer Karachi to 285 for six against defending champions Sialkot on the opening day of the five-day Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final at the Gaddafi Stadium on Monday.

Abdullah Fazal was dismissed after scoring 83, while Usman Khan was batting on 80, alongside Kashif Bhatti (11 not out), after Sialkot had won the toss and opted to field first.

For Sialkot, fast bowlers Mohammad Hasnain and Hasan Ali took two wickets each, conceding 70 and 75 runs, respectively.

Abdullah faced 149 balls, hitting 10 fours and a six, and reached his half-century off 108 balls, with six fours. Together with Saad Baig — who needed 70 more runs to complete 1,000 runs in the tournament — Abdullah put on 80 runs for the opening wicket. Saad was dismissed by Hasan Ali for 39 off 59 balls (eight fours), still 31 runs short of the four-figure mark.

After the dismissal of Saad, Karachi lost Shan Masood (13), Haroon Arshad (15) and Saud Shakeel (0) cheaply, slipping to 125 for four.

However, Usman Khan held the innings together and was still batting on 80 off 107 balls (10 fours, one six). He brought up his half-century off 56 balls, striking eight fours and a six.

Along with Rameez Aziz (22), he added 98 for the fifth wicket to revive the innings.

Scores in brief (day 1 of 5):

Karachi vs Sialkot, Gaddafi Stadium. TOSS: Sialkot

KARACHI 285-6, 71.1 overs (Abdullah Fazal 83, Usman Khan 80 not out, Saad Baig 39, Rameez Aziz 22; Mohammad Hasnain 2-70, Hasan Ali 2-75) vs Sialkot