An unbeaten 102 from Hussain helped Northern clinch a three-wicket win over Central Punjab in National U19 50-over second-round match Thursday.

At Rana Naved ul Hasan  Cricket Academy in Sheikhupura, after being put to bat, Central Punjab scored 239 for nine in 50 overs. Afzal Manzoor coming to bat at number nine scored an unbeaten 51 from 42 balls, hitting three fours and four sixes.  Hasnat Abbas (47) and Bilal Munir (42) were other notable scorers. For Northern, Mubasir Khan took four wickets for 30, while Sajjad Khan grabbed three wickets for 36 runs. In reply, Northern lost three wickets for 77 runs on the board, but Abdul Faseeh (55 from 70 balls, 11 fours) contributed a 86-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Hussain. Hussain’s unbeaten knock of 102 came from 84 balls, smashing nine fours and six sixes. For Central Punjab, Umar Eman picked two wickets for 21.

At LCCA Ground in Lahore, Southern Punjab after being put to bat were bowled out for 168 in 38.3 overs against Balochistan.

For Balochistan, right-arm fast bowler Aurangzaib grabbed four wickets for 42 runs in 9.3 overs, while Hikmat Ullah and Mohammad Ibrahim Senior took two wickets apiece. Southern Punjab’s Mubashir Ali top-scored with a 48-ball 37, hitting three fours and a six. Faizan Zafar and Mohammad Shehzad chipped in with 36 and 33 runs, respectively. In return, Sindh chased down the target in 38.2 overs, thanks to Haseebullah’s knock of 46 from 73 balls which included six fours and a six. Yasir Khan was also amongst the runs scoring a 40-ball 32 smashing three fours and two sixes. Both contributed 48 runs for the opening wicket in the run chase.  For Southern Punjab, Faisal Akram grabbed two wickets for 31 runs.

In the third match of the day, Sindh defeated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 38 runs at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

After being put to bat, the defending champions Sindh were dismissed for 204 in the 49th over. Adeel Meo who was the star performer for Sindh in the opening round match against Balochistan taking six wickets, shined again, but this time with his bat. He top-scored with a 71-ball 54, laced with four fours. Shahryar Rizvi (32) and Rizwan Mehmood (29) were other notable scorers.

For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Izhar Ahmed took four wickets for 25 runs, while Ahmed Khan and Shahid Khan grabbed two wickets each. In reply, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were bowled out for 166 in 46 overs courtesy Aaliyan’s four wickets. The off-spinner gave away 35 runs in 10 overs. Kashif Ali and Zeeshan Zameer took two wickets each for the winning team. Mohammad Farooq’s 50 from 77 balls, hitting five fours and a six went in a losing cause.

BRIEF SCORES:

Northern U19 v Central Punjab U19, Rana Naved ul Hasan Cricket Academy, Sheikhupura

Central Punjab U19 239-9, 50 overs (Afzal Manzoor 51 not out, Hasnat Abbas 47, Bilal Munir 42; Mubasir Khan 4-30, Sajjad Khan 3-36)

Northern U19 241-7, 45.5 overs (Hussain 102 not out, Abdul Faseeh 55, Mohammad Raza ul Mustafa 29; Umar Eman 2-21)

Result: Northern won by three wickets

Balochistan U19 v Southern Punjab U19, LCCA Ground, Lahore

Southern Punjab U19 168 all out, 38.3 overs (Mubashar Ali 37, Faizan Zafar 36, Mohammad Shehzad 33; Aurangzaib 4-42, Hikmat Ullah 2-26, Mohammad Ibrahim Snr 2-37)

Balochistan U19 169-5, 38.2 overs (Haseebullah 46, Yasir Khan 32, Basit Ali 21; Faisal Akram 2-31)

Result: Balochistan U19 won by five wickets

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 v Sindh U19, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Sindh U19 204 all out, 48.1 overs (Adeel Meo 54, Shahryar Rizvi 32, Rizwan Mehmood 29, Talha Ahsan 25; Izhar Ahmed 4-25, Ahmed Khan 2-26, Shahid Khan 2-43)

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 166 all out, 46 overs (Mohammad Farooq 50, Abbas Ali 28, Nasir Faraz 28; Aaliyan Mehmood 4-35, Kashif Ali 2-9, Syed Zeeshan Zameer 2-16)

Result: Sindh won by 38 runs