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Rawalpindi found the going tough as they struggled to reach 199 for eight wickets in their first innings against Faisalabad on the opening day of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy match at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Monday.

Mohammad Zubair was batting on 12 (49 balls) with one four and Test pacer Mohammad Akram (3) were at the crease when play ended with 15 overs still to be bowled. Faisalabad's slow bowling rate and half an hour loss due to fog in the morning allowed only 66 overs to be completed.

Put into bat, the hosts never found it easy to score runs. Experienced Shahid Javed yet again came good scoring a patient 60 spiced with seven fours. He faced 166 balls spanning 220 minutes. Javed reached his fifty off 134 balls with six fours. For the fifth wicket, Javed shared a 57 runs stand in 69 minutes with Pervez Aziz (20 off 39). Haider removed Javed leg before which prompted a sudden collapse in the last session when four quick wickets fell. The hosts were 133 for four at tea. Earlier, Rawalpindi lost opener Asif Mahmood (7) at the total of 14 to medium pacer Shahid Nazir. Naveed Qureshi and Shahid Javed saw off the new ball to carry the total to 47 when opener Naveed snicked one to wicket-keeper Mohammad Salman off Wasim Haider just before lunch. Naveed scored 20 off 47 balls spanning 86 minutes, his knock included four boundaries.

Naseer Ahmed (16) and Test batsman Mohammad Wasim (4) yet again failed. Wasim was trapped leg before by Shahid Nazir.

The hosts were aided by healthy pile of 43 extras. Shahid Nazir over stepped 16 times, Nadeem Afzal eight, Wasim Haider three and Moazzam Ali one.

© Dawn