Web Desk(National Times)- Mohammad Rizwan made a commanding unbeaten double century on the second day of the opening round of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy Gold tournament, putting Peshawar Blues in a strong position against Faisalabad at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium and delivering a timely response after a turbulent period following Pakistan’s disastrous Test series in England.
The wicketkeeper-batter, who was among seven players sent home after the second Test at Lord’s and remains under investigation by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency over matters linked to the tour, finished the day unbeaten on 200 off 252 balls, hitting 35 fours and one six.
His innings helped Peshawar declare at 503 for four in 115.2 overs after resuming the day at 306 for three. Overnight centurion Najab Khan scored 133, while Mohammad Haris contributed an unbeaten 70 off 69 balls, including nine fours and two sixes.
Rizwan’s innings marked a significant personal milestone — his second double century in first-class cricket — and came shortly after the Pakistan Cricket Board cleared him to resume domestic cricket.
The former Test regular had endured a lean run with the bat in England, scoring just 61 runs in four innings before the squad overhaul and subsequent investigation into alleged dressing-room issues and related matters.
In reply, Faisalabad reached 118 for two in 35.2 overs at stumps. Both openers, Faham-ul-Haq (31) and Sameer Saqib (25), were dismissed leg-before-wicket by Mohammad Adnan.
Asim Ali Nasir (35 not out) and Atiq-ur-Rehman (24 not out) will resume their innings on Thursday.
Lean outing for Babar
Elsewhere, Babar Azam endured another modest outing, scoring just 28 as Lahore Whites were bowled out for 234 in 49.2 overs against Fata at the Diamond Cricket Ground in Islamabad, conceding a first-innings lead of 128 runs.
Fata had earlier been dismissed for 362, with debutant Fawad Arshad scoring 115. Teenage fast bowler Hammad Aziz claimed six for 97 for Lahore Whites.
Shaheen Shah Afridi and Afaq Afridi took three wickets apiece for Fata, with the latter dismissing Babar. Fata ended the day at 22 for one.
At the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi, Multan recovered from a middle-order collapse that left them struggling at 88 for five to reach 249 for seven in reply to Islamabad’s 215.
Imran Rafiq led the recovery with an unbeaten 93, while Sharoon Siraj scored 82. Musa Khan took three for 31 for the hosts.
At the National Ground in Islamabad, Karachi Blues scored 280 to secure a slender first-innings lead of 39 runs over Sialkot Blues, who closed the day at 13 without loss. Mohammad Ghazi Ghori top-scored for Karachi with 88.
