LAHORE: The top-three sides on the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy points table – defending champions Sialkot, wild card entrants and 20-time champions Karachi, and Faisalabad – won their penultimate-round matches inside two days. Last year’s finalist Peshawar, who shared third position with Faisalabad before the start of the latest round, and seventh-placed Lahore were sensing crucial victories when play ended on Tuesday.

Sialkot defeated FATA by seven wickets at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Karachi routed Islamabad by an innings and 104 runs at the Diamond Cricket Ground, and Faisalabad made short work of Abbottabad by 178 runs at the Marghzar Cricket Ground.

At the Imran Khan Cricket Stadium, Multan, set a 282-run target by hosts Peshawar, were two for one, and Lahore, chasing 136 for victory against Bahawalpur at the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, were 58 for four when stumps were drawn.

The latest results mean Sialkot are on top with 149 points after eight rounds, while Karachi are second with 138 points, followed by Faisalabad with 132. Peshawar were on 109 points before their match against Multan.

With two sides progressing to the five-day final starting 29 November at the Gaddafi Stadium, the race for the finalists will go down to the wire when Sialkot and Karachi meets at the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium, Faisalabad faces Bahawalpur at the Marghzar Cricket Ground, and Peshawar takes on Islamabad.

The last-round matches, starting Sunday, will also confirm the two relegated sides from Islamabad, Lahore, Bahawalpur, Abbottabad and Multan. The position of these four sides will become clearer on Wednesday following the outcomes of the Peshawar-Multan and Lahore-Bahawalpur matches.

In the ninth and final round, Islamabad will play Peshawar, Lahore meet FATA, Bahawalpur clash with Faisalabad, and Multan face Abbottabad.

SIALKOT BEAT FATA

After 20 wickets fell on the opening day, 13 more tumbled on the second as FATA, resuming their second innings at 10 without loss and trailing by 76, were dismissed for 226. Usama Mir followed his four for 11 with five for 56, while Hamza Nazar claimed three for 44. Salman Khan Junior top-scored with 52.

Set 151 to win, Sialkot cruised home for the loss of three wickets, thanks to Test opener Abdullah Shafique’s 95 not out off 85 balls (14 fours, four sixes).

KARACHI BEAT ISLAMABAD

Pakistan vice-captain Saud Shakeel’s 130 and Kashif Bhatti’s match haul of eight wickets were key to Karachi’s innings and 104 runs victory.

Karachi, resuming on 294 for six in reply to Islamabad’s 161, added 74 more to finish on 368, earning a 207-run lead. Islamabad then crumbled to 103 in their second innings, with Hasan Nawaz top-scoring with 35. Opener Shamyl Hussain was absent hurt.

Saud, who resumed on 88, made 130 off 164 balls (15 fours, three sixes). His 117-run stand with Kashif Bhatti (40) for the seventh wicket and 58 runs added by the last two wickets proved decisive.

For Islamabad, Shayan Sheikh and Arsal Sheikh picked up three and two wickets, respectively.

FAISALABAD BEAT ABBOTTABAD

After 22 wickets on day one, another 18 fell on day two as Faisalabad won by 178 runs.

After conceding a two-run first-innings lead and resuming on 97 for two, Faisalabad posted 279 in their second innings. Mohammad Awais Zafar starred with 83 (116 balls, 10 fours, three sixes), adding 64 for the fifth wicket with Ali Asfand (65) and 61 for the sixth with Raees Ahmed (47 not out).

Usman Ali claimed five for 92, following his seven for 42 in the first innings.

Chasing 277, Abbottabad folded for 99 in 41 overs. Hasan Raza took four for 40, while Ali Asfand and Ahmed Safi Abdullah grabbed three wickets apiece. Opener Shahzaib Khan top-scored with 39.

PESHAWAR v MULTAN

Multan, chasing 282 to win, closed the day on two for one. Earlier, they resumed on 27 for five, replying to Peshawar’s 239 and were bowled out for 125. Peshawar, with a 114-run lead, added 167 in their second innings.

Bismillah Khan (40), Zeeshan Ashraf (32) and Ali Usman (22 not out) resisted for Multan, while Sajid Khan bagged four for 29.

In Peshawar’s second innings, Waqar Ahmed made 45 and Mohammad Amir Barki and Abbas Ali scored 24 each. Ali Usman completed a 10-wicket match haul (5-79 and 5-42).

LAHORE v BAHAWALPUR

Bahawalpur’s Mohammad Umair claimed all four wickets as Lahore ended the day at 58 for four in pursuit of 136 runs target. Tayyab Tahir (20) and Hussain Talat (3) were unbeaten at stumps.

After bowling Bahawalpur out for 140, Lahore resumed at 132 for seven and reached 181. Mohammad Junaid took three for 25, while Umair, Mohammad Younus, and Mohammad Imran Randhawa claimed two wickets each.

Trailing by 41, Bahawalpur scored 176 in their second innings, with contributions from Mohammad Imran Randhawa (44), Mohammad Ammar (40) and Saifullah Bangash (35).

Lahore’s wickets were shared by Mohammad Abbas (3-8), Aamir Jamal (3-27), Haseeb-ur-Rehman (2-44) and Noman Ali (2-54).

SCORES IN BRIEF (EIGHTH ROUND, DAY 2 OF 4):

Sialkot beat FATA by seven wickets, Abbottabad Cricket Stadium

FATA 110 all-out, 33.5 overs (Khushdil Shah 37, Rehan Afridi 20; Usama Mir 4-11, Hamza Nazar 2-14, Mohammad Ali 2-16) and (overnight 10-0) 226 all-out (Salman Khan Jnr 52, Mohammad Farooq 34, Refan Afridi 30, Khushdil Shah 30, Mohammad Usman 23; Usama Mir 5-56, Hamza Nazar 3-44, Mehran Mumtaz 2-48)

SIALKOT 186 all-out, 50.4 overs (Mohsin Riaz 33, Azan Awais 29, Mohammad Huraira 28, Ayaz Tasawar 27, Asif Afridi 5-48, Hayatullah 3-69) and 151-3 (Abdullah Shafique 95 not out, Azan Awais 37; Asif Afridi 2-39)

Karachi beat Islamabad by an innings and 104 runs, Diamond Cricket Ground

ISLAMABAD 161 all-out, 37.2 overs (Shamyl Hussain 85, Hasan Nawaz 31; Kashif Bhatti 5-61, Mohammad Asghar 4-34) and 103 all-out (Hasan Nawaz 35, Kashif Bhatti 3-15, Saqib Khan 3-21, Mohammad Umar 2-15)

KARACHI (overnight 294-6, 57 overs) 368 all-out, 71.5 overs (Saud Shakeel 130, Abdullah Fazal 73, Saad Baig 46, Kashif Bhatti 40; Hasan Nawaz 3-58, Shayan Sheikh 3-98, Jawad Ali 2-73, Arsal Sheikh 2-77)

Faisalabad beat Abbottabad by 178 runs, Marghzar Cricket Ground

FAISALABAD 121, 31.3 overs (Faham-ul-Haq 21; Khalid Usman 7-42, Kamran Ghulam 2-31) and (overnight 97-2) 279 all-out (Mohammad Awais Zafar 83, Ali Asfand 65, Raees Ahmed 47 not out, Faham-ul-Haq 45; Khalid Usman 5-92, Mehrooz Rasheed 2-48, Mansoor Ali 2-79)

ABBOTTABAD 123 all-out, 39.3 overs (Shahzaib Khan 53, Ahmed Khan 31; Ali Asfand 5-31, Sardar Hasan Raza 3-36) and 99 all-out (Shahzaib Khan 39, Shahab Khan 23 not out; Hasan Raza 4-40, Ali Asfand 3-7, Ahmed Safi Abdullah 3-41)

Peshawar v Multan, Imran Khan Cricket Stadium

PESHAWAR 239 all-out, 57.4 overs (Abbas Ali 116, Sajid Khan 60; Ali Usman 5-79, Mohammad Ismail 2-49, Kashif Ali 2-50) and 167 all-out (Waqar Ahmed 45, Mohammad Amir Barki 24, Abbas Ali 24; Ali Usman 5-42, Ghulam Haider 3-38)

MULTAN (overnight 27-5, 16 overs) 125 all-out, 44 overs (Bismillah Khan 40, Zeeshan Ashraf 32, Ali Usman 22 not out; Sajid Khan 4-29, Razaullah 2-22, Niaz Khan 2-31) and 2-1 (victory target: 282)

Lahore v Bahawalpur, Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium

BAHAWALPUR 140 all-out, 49.1 overs (Saad Khan 37, Mohammad Imran Randhawa 21, Rana Mohammad Burhan 21; Noman Ali 4-51, Aamir Jamal 3-26, Mohammad Abbas 2-18) and 176 all-out (Mohammad Imran 44, Mohammad Ammar 40, Saifullah Bangash 35; Mohammad Abbas 3-8, Aamir Jamal 3-27, Haseeb-ur-Rehman 2-44, Noman Ali 2-54)

LAHORE (overnight 132-7, 32 overs) 181 all-out, 43.2 overs (Hussain Talat 58, Ali Zaryab Asif 39, Noman Ali 22; Mohammad Junaid 3-25, Mohammad Umair 2-34, Mohammad Younus 2-52, Mohammad Imran Randhawa 2-36) and 58-4 (Mohammad Umair 4-27) (victory target: 136)