KARACHI: Zone IV compiled a big 144-run victory over Zone I in the 2008-09 National Inter-District Senior Karachi Region Cricket Championship first round three-day match, as it ended here at the Landhi Gymkhana Ground on Thursday.

Zone IV, batting first after having won the toss, made scores of 367 and 254-9 in their two innings and dismissed Zone I for 228 and 246 when it was their turn to bat.

Zone IV skipper Khalid Latif, who has appeared in a One-day International for Pakistan, shone with a century in his team’s first innings, his 109 runs coming off only 99 balls with eight fours and as many as nine sixes.

Slow left-arm bowler Azam Hussain, who was asked to

open the Zone IV bowling in either innings, excelled with a match haul of 12 wickets for 203 runs.

In the first innings, he picked up seven for 103 in 19.4 overs and in the second his return was 5-100 in 25.4 overs.

Experienced batsman Wasim Naeem hit an enterprising 122 off 151 balls with 22 fours and a six in Zone I’s small second innings total of 246 runs. His effort was obviously not enough.

Scores: Zone IV 367 in 81.4 overs (Khalid Latif 109, Umar Khan 36, Mohammad Waqas 56, Rashid Hanif 36, Azam Hussain 38; Sajid Afridi 3-50, Faheem Ahmed 3-111) and 254-9 dec in 42.4 overs (Aariz Kamal 47, Waqas Ausaf 70, Mohammad Bilal 34, Umar Khan 32; Faheem Ahmed 4-104, Israr-ul-Haq 5-70). Zone I 228 in 46.4 overs (Haafiz Asad Baig 79, Wasim Naeem 39, Faisal Hussain 32; Azam Hussain 7-103) and 246 in 50.4 overs (Kamran Hussain 39, Wasim Naeem 122; Azam Hussain 5-100).

While Zone IV will not be seen in action in the second round, being played from Saturday (July 5) to Monday, Zone I will be played against Zone V at the Landhi Gymkhana Ground on the same three days.