KARACHI: Karachi Blues registered a big 180 runs first innings lead over Faisalabad, on the second day of their second-round, Pool B 2008-09 National Inter-Region Under-19 Three-day Cricket Championship match, here at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Academy Ground on Saturday.

After having dismissed Faisalabad for a rather small score of 167 runs on Friday’s opening day, Karachi Blues took their overnight 84 for two to an eventual 347 yesterday.

By the close of play, Faisalabad had made 66 runs in their second innings and lost two wickets.

The visitors are thus still 114 runs in deficit with eight wickets in hand.

For Karachi Blues, one-drop Ammar Hasan top-scored with 89 runs, that came off 134 balls in two hours 39 minutes with the help of 14 fours. With Abdul Jabbar, whose 52 took 79 balls to make with seven boundaries, Ammar’s third-wicket stand was worth 122 runs.

Later, Hasan Sajjad scored 44 runs off just 58 balls with seven fours and a six while Latif Junejo’s 38 was attained off 41 deliveries with a four and a six.

For Faisalabad, their slow left-armer Hasan Mahmood proved to be the most successful bowler, taking four wickets for 94 runs in 22 overs.

Saqib Suleman followed his first innings 36 with an unbeaten knock of 32, off 62 balls with five fours, when Faisalabad batted a second time.

Karachi Blues are looking for their first points in the three-day competition, as they went without any in the first-round match against Rawalpindi, who earned three points after a draw last week.

Scores: Faisalabad 167 in 60.2 overs (Wasif Ahmed 43, Saqib Suleman 36; Abdul Ameer 4-74, Shahzaib Khan — and not Shahzaib Hasan as erroneously reported in ‘The News’ yesterday — 4-38) and 66-2 in 22 overs (Saqib Suleman 32*). Karachi Blues 347 in 80.5 overs (Shahzaib Hasan 43, Ammar Hasan 89, Abdul Jabbar 52, Hasan Sajjad 44, Latif Junejo 38; Hasan Mahmood 4-94).

Umpires: Aslam Bareach and Haider Lehri. Match referee: Masood Anwaar. Official scorer: Syed Salman Hussain Kazmi.