Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, 5th round, 1st day

Pakistan Customs shot out for 73

Group A

Azharullah's 6 for 35 prompted a collapse in the Pakistan Customs batting order and they crumbled to 73 inside 35 overs against Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) at the Jinnah Stadium. Bilal Shafayat, the Nottinghamshire batsman playing for Customs, top scored with 20, while nine batsmen registered single figures. WAPDA gained a 50-run lead by the end of the day, with Aamer Sajjad scoring 52 before he was bowled by Yasir Shah, who took 2 for 30 in his ten overs.

Habib Bank Limited (HBL) couldn't hold on to the advantage they had gained by bowling out Faisalabad for 144, when they ended day one of their match at 0 for 2 at the Sargodha Stadium. Shahid Nazir, Fahad Masood and Dilawar Khan took three wickets each, as the highest partnership for Faisalabad was 35 for the fourth wicket. Captain Ijaz Ahmed jnr top scored with 33. Faisalabad's new-ball pair Ahmed Hayat and Ali Raza then removed HBL openers Rafatullah Mohmand and Khaqan Arsal for ducks in the seven balls bowled before stumps.

At the Multan Cricket Stadium, Sui Southern Gas Corporation (SSGC) batted the day for 206 for 7 against Multan. Opener Mohtashim Ali got a half-century and added 94 with Imran Abbas before he was caught behind off Zulfiqar Babar. SSGC took 82 overs for their 206, scored at 2.51 runs an over. Babar was among the most economical bowlers, giving away two runs an over for his two wickets.

Hyderabad medium-fast bowler Naeem-ur-Rehman took six wickets as Lahore Ravi was bowled out for 187 at the Lahore City Cricket Association ground. Lahore Ravi had stumbled to 81 for 6 before Junaid Zia, unbeaten on 52, and Waqas Ahmed, who scored 35, staged a recovery with a 63-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Zia and Ahmed followed it up with two wickets each as Hyderabad closed the day on 57 for 4.

Half-centuries by Asad Shafiq and Afsar Nawaz took Karachi Whites to 218 for 5 against National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) at the NBP Sports Complex in Karachi. Shafiq made 51 off 98 balls but did not receive any support from the other top-order batsmen. Nawaz, though found a worthy partner in wicketkeeper Javed Mansoor and the two came together for an unbeaten partnership of 121 after Karachi Whites stumbled to 97 for 5. Wahab Riaz took three of those wickets for 44 runs.

Group B

Rawalpindi opener Umar Amin made a memorable first-class debut with 89 in his side's day one total of 215 for 8 against Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) at the Khan Research Laboratory ground in Rawalpindi. The hosts were at 97 for 5 before Amin added 45 for the sixth wicket with Usman Saeed (19). For PIA, medium-fast bowler Aizaz Cheema took 3 for 44.

Quetta were well-placed at 311 for 7 in their match against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) at the Bugti Stadium in Quetta. While opener Shoaib Khan jnr was unlucky to miss out on what would have been his fifth first-class hundred, after he was caught behind off Bilal Asad for 98, Nasim Khan, the No. 7 batsman, is likely to reach his century tomorrow, having closed the day on 96 not out. Nasim's 99-ball 96 included 12 fours and a six. Both Shoaib jnr and Nasim had scored big hundreds in Quetta's previous game . Offbreak bowler Saeed Ajmal was KRL's most successful bowler with 4 for 101.

Yet another low first-innings total in the fifth round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy came from Lahore Shalimar who were bowled out for 172 by Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) at the Gaddafi Stadium. Lahore Shalimar began well, with a 53-run opening partnership between Asif Khan and Kashif Ali. But after Junaid Nadir removed Asif for 19, Mohammad Khalil got stuck into the Lahore batting order, taking 5 for 48, including the wicket of Kashif, who made a fighting 41 off 99 balls. ZTBL openers batted out the one remaining over in the day for one run.

Peshawar gained a first-innings lead of 24 after they made up for their low total of 117, by bowling out Abbottabad for 93 at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar. While left-arm fast bowler Junaid Khan took 6 for 31 for Abbottabad, the Peshawar opening bowlers - Riaz Afridi and Nauman Habib - bowled unchanged and shared nine Abbottabad wickets between them in the space of 31 overs. Peshawar ended the day at 4 for 0 in their second innings.

Opener Raheel Majeed's 75 powered Islamabad to 295 for 9 against Karachi Blues at the Diamond Club ground in Islamabad. Majeed and Umair Khan added 122 for the first wicket, but after that wickets fell steadily and the next highest partnership was the unbeaten one for 40 runs by the No. 10 and No. 11 batsmen Shehzad Azam and Mir Usman. Tariq Haroon, who dismissed the two openers, and Azam Hussain took three wickets each.