The fourth round of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy concluded on Monday with some nail-biting finishes. Northern and Balochistan put on a classic as the match ended with a draw at the end of day’s play. Northern were set a target of 394 in the fourth innings and they almost chased it down, posting 385/8 at the end of the final day.
Defending champions, Central Punjab, couldn’t turn their fortunes and are still winless after four games as they succumbed to their third defeat of the season.
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Sindh and Southern Punjab’s match also ended in a draw but some fine batting display was on offer. Veteran middle-order batsman, Asad Shafiq, and youngster Omair Bin Yousuf scored a century in the first innings. Sharjeel Khan came back into form with a quick-fire century in the third innings.
Let’s take a look at the top performer’s in Quaid-e-Azam trophy after the conclusion of the fourth round:
Leading Run-Scorers
Hussain Talat of Southern Punjab is still the leading run-scorer of the tournament, despite not featuring in the fourth round due to international commitments. Hussain’s stay at the top looks in danger as he will be busy with the national team during the upcoming rounds.
| Player | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | Highest Score |
| Hussain Talat (Southern Punjab) | 3 | 5 | 441 | 88.20 | 253 |
| Hammad Azam (Northern) | 4 | 7 | 410 | 68.33 | 100* |
| Saud Shakeel (Sindh) | 4 | 8 | 387 | 55.28 | 174 |
| Umar Amin (Northern) | 4 | 7 | 340 | 48.57 | 123 |
| Asad Shafiq (Sindh) | 4 | 8 | 333 | 55.50 | 141 |
Leading Wicket-Takers
Sajid Khan of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has overtaken Northern captain, Nauman Ali, after taking 10 wickets in the match against Central Punjab. Sajid took 4 wickets in the first innings and 6 wickets in the second innings as KPK defeated Central Punjab by 5 wickets.
| Player | Matches | Wickets | Average | 5w |
| Sajid Khan (KPK) | 4 | 32 | 21.09 | 3 |
| Nauman Ali (Northern) | 4 | 29 | 21.68 | 3 |
| Zahid Mehmood (Southern Punjab) | 4 | 25 | 20.80 | 1 |
| Ahmed Safi Abdullah (Central Punjab) | 3 | 18 | 18.16 | 1 |
| Yasir Shah (Balochistan) | 2 | 16 | 22.87 | 1 |
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Top Wicket-Keepers
Sarfaraz Ahmed still leads the pack for the top wicket-keepers in the tournament despite not participating in the fourth round. Sarfaraz has been selected in the national squad for the tour of New Zealand so will be unavailable for the upcoming rounds.
| Player | Matches | Dismissals | Catches | Stumpings |
| Sarfaraz Ahmed (Sindh) | 3 | 13 | 12 | 1 |
| Kamran Akmal (Central Punjab) | 3 | 12 | 11 | 1 |
| Umar Siddiq (Southern Punjab) | 4 | 11 | 10 | 1 |
| Bismillah Khan (Balochistan) | 3 | 11 | 11 | 0 |
| Rehan Afridi (KPK) | 4 | 8 | 3 | 5 |
