Pakistan quick Naseem Shah began the 2025-26 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy with a five-wicket haul.
Naseem Shah takes five-wicket haul in first Quaid-e-Azam Trophy game
The first round of the 2025-26 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy kicked off on October 6. At the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi, Lahore Whites took on Islamabad. After day one was washed out, the match began belatedly yesterday (October 7). Batting first, Islamabad openers Shamyl Hussain and Abdul Faseeh put on a 39-run stand before Faseeh was bowled by Aamir Jamal for a 70-ball nine.
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Thereafter, it was the Naseem Shah show. The Pakistan international ripped through Islamabad's middle-order. Wicketkeeper Rizwan Ali was bowled for 18, Faizan Riaz and Sarmad Bhatti faced seven balls put together and failed to open their accounts, and captain Hasan Nawaz was caught for 14. That left Islamabad 113-5.
There was some lower-order resistance from Haris Rauf (34) and Musa Khan (35), but Naseem cleaned up the former to claim his fifth wicket of the innings. Islamabad were eventually bowled out for 256 in 76.4 overs. Naseem finished with 5-34, and opener Shamyl Hussain top-scored with 86.
Match 2, Lahore Whites vs Islamabad
vs
- Ball by ball Over
This was Naseem's fifth five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, and his first in nearly four years. In October 2021, he took 5-53 for Pakistan Shaheens against Sri Lanka A. That, in fact, was his first five-for in red-ball cricket in two years at that point. He has taken one in Test cricket; 5-31 against Sri Lanka in December 2019.
Naseem Shah: First-class bowling record
| Matches | 37* |
| Wickets | 123 |
| Average | 27.2 |
| Strike Rate | 45.5 |
| 5WI | 5 |
| 10WM | 0 |
| BBI | 5-31 |
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