Azhar, Umar put Central Punjab in command against Northern.

LAHORE -- Azhar Ali and Umar Akmal centuries strengthened Central Punjab's position against Northern in their final of the first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy at National Stadium, Karachi on Saturday.

Central Punjab hit a mammoth score of 466 for five and set an imposing 212-run first innings lead at the close of play on day two of the five-day contest. The day started with the pair of Azhar and Salman Butt-who made 74 with 14 boundaries, pushed the Northern bowlers on backfoot and denied any early inroad, as they added 38 runs in their second-wicket partnership of 95 runs.Azhar, who is Pakistan Test team captain, added 102 runs to his overnight score and completed his first-class career's 39th century. He made 119 runs from 212 balls, out of which 14 were dispatched for boundaries. After Salman's wicket in the first session, Azhar...