Pakistan Test spinner Sajid Khan took a second consecutive ten-wicket haul in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy to lead Peshawar to a handsome win.
Sajid Khan takes 20 wickets in two matches
In what was a spin-dominated penultimate round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy that saw only four scores of over 200 across 19 innings, Sajid Khan emerged as the hero for Peshawar, picking up ten wickets in their matchup against Multan.
Batting first, Peshawar were led by a century from Abbas Ali (116) and a fifty from Sajid (60), also the captain of the side, to post 239. Multan, in reply, lost wickets at regular intervals before Sajid ran down the tail to bowl them out for 125. He registered figures of 4-29, setting himself up for a potential 10-for.
Opener Waqar Ahmed’s 45 then enabled Peshawar to set Multan a target of 282. Not that it was his primary role, Sajid couldn’t contribute as heavily with the bat in the second innings as he did in the first. But he more than made it up with the ball.
Opening the bowling with left-arm spinner Azam Khan, he wreaked havoc on the Peshawar pitch, which offered sharp turn, dismissing four of the top five batters. Sajid took two more wickets to bowl Multan out for 92 and complete a second ten-wicket haul in two games.
Match 39, Peshawar vs Multan
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Sajid was among the wickets in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy’s previous round of games as well. Opening the bowling in the first innings against Lahore Whites, he returned 5-82 to give Peshawar a crucial 15-run lead.
Set a target of 252, Lahore Whites were once again undone by Sajid’s off-spin, who dismissed both their top scorers: Ari Zaryab (43) and Khawaja Abdullah (52). He also ran through the tail in style to complete a second five-for in the game and register a 10-wicket haul.
Sajid Khan’s back-to-back ten-wicket hauls also pushed him into the top five wicket-takers of the ongoing season of Pakistan’s premier first-class tournament. He now has 27 wickets in eight innings, at an average of 18. Notably, all four bowlers above him in the list have bowled in 12 or more innings so far this term.
