Mohammad Taha’s four wickets inspire Sindh to victory against Balochistan

Lahore: In the fifth-round of the National U19 50-over tournament, a four-wicket haul from Mohammad Taha guided Sindh to a four-wicket win against Balochistan, while Central Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa defeated Southern Punjab and Northern, respectively.

At Naya Nazimabad Ground in Karachi, Sindh defeated Balochistan by four wickets. Balochistan, after opting to bat, were bowled out for 163 in 43.3 overs. Mohammad Junaid struck an 58-ball 47 with four fours and a six.

For Sindh, Mohammad Taha took four wickets for 33 runs.

Chasing 164, Sindh achieved the target for the loss of six wickets in 40.5 overs.

Taha Mehmood top-scored with an unbeaten 43 off 66, which included two fours.

For Balochistan, Abu Huraira and Mohammad Junaid grabbed two wickets apiece.

At Dring Stadium in Bahawalpur, Central Punjab after being put to bat were dismissed for 267 in 48.5 overs. Mohammad Huraira top-scored with 77 off 79 balls, he hit eight fours and two sixes.

For Southern Punjab, Mehboob Ahmed took three wickets for 51.

In return, Southern Punjab managed to score 218 for six in 43.3 overs when play was stopped due to bad light, they lost the match on DLS method by five runs.

Basit Ali scored an unbeaten 93 off 119 balls which included eight fours and three sixes.

For Central Punjab, Ali Imran took three wickets for 48.

In the third match at Rana Naveed Cricket Academy in Sheikhupura, half centuries from Salman Khan and Salman Khan junior inspired Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to a 49 run victory over Northern.

Earlier, the match was reduced to 43 overs due to bad weather. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, after being put into bat, were bowled out for 267 in 40.5 overs.

Salman Khan Junior batting at number three scored 55 off 67 balls, which was studded with five fours and a six. Salman Khan scored 51 off 68 balls laced with eight fours.

For Northern, Aqib Liaqat took six wickets for 64 runs in 7.5 overs.

In reply, Hassan Abid (62) and Ziad Khan (54) kept Northern alive in the run-chase and put up a 115-run partnership for the first wicket.

After the departure of both batsmen, Northern kept losing wickets at a regular interval and managed to score 218 for six in 43 overs.

Maaz Sadaqat was the most successful bowler for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with match figures of 2 for 36 in nine overs.

Sindh and Balochistan will feature in the final of the 50-over tournament at Rana Naveed Cricket Academy in Sheikhupura on 6 November.

Scores in brief:

Sindh U19 v Balochistan U19, Naya Nazimabad Ground, Karachi

Balochistan U19 163 all-out, 43.3 overs (Mohammad Junaid 47, Muhammad 35; Mohammad Taha 4-33)

Sindh U19 164-6, 40.5 overs (Taha Mehmood 43 not out, Jahanzaib Sultan 32; Abu Huraira 2-27, Mohammad Junaid 2-32)

Result: Sindh won by four wickets

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 v Northern U19, Rana Naveed Cricket Academy, Sheikhupura

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 267 all-out, 40.5 overs (Salman Khan jr 55, Salman Khan 51, Maaz Sadaqat 45; Aqib Liaqat 6-64)

Northern U19 218-6, 43 overs (Hassan Abid 62, Ziad Khan 54; Maaz Sadaqat 2-36)

Result: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 won by 49 runs

Central Punjab U19 v Southern Punjab U19, Dring Stadium, Bahawalpur

Central Punjab U19 267 all-out, 48.5 overs (Mohammad Huraira 77, Saif Ali Khan 38; Mehboob Ahmed 3-51, Faizan Zafar 2-50, Haris Javed 2-56)

Southern Punjab U19 218-6, 43.3 overs (Basit Ali 93 not out, Mohammad Asif 41, Abdul Hadi 33; Ali Imran 3-48, Ali Mustafa 2-23)

Result: Central Punjab U19 won by five runs (DLS)