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Karachi, Oct 25: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) looked set for a possible victory in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy Grade-I Championship when they left Pakistan Customs with a mountain to climb here on Monday at the National Stadium.

When the stumps were drawn for the third and penultimate day's play, Pakistan Customs were 149 for five in their second innings after PIA had secured a 42-run first innings lead.

That left Customs just 107 runs with their last recognized pair of Azam Khan and Naveed Lateef at the crease. Azam was batting on 22 while Naveed had seven to his name.

The two-hour morning sessions play will be crucial for both the teams and it will determine the fate of the match.

Nadeem Khan, the left-arm spinner, picked up two important wickets of Azhar Shafiq and Ali Naqvi to put PIA on track for a victory which looked remote when Customs took the tea at 96 for one.

Nadeem had Azhar caught down the leg side by wicket-keeper Ahmad Zeeshan Malik and soon destroyed the castle behind Ali Naqvi with an arm ball that reduced Customs to 107 for three. Ali Gohar, the pacer who bowled without luck, trapped Rana Qayyumul Hasan in front of the wickets to make Customs 110 for four.

But Customs suffered a body blow when a terrible mix-up between Aamir Bashir and Azam Khan resulted in the run-out of the former at the total of 130. Azam, after pushing the ball

at square-leg, took a couple of steps forward in his follow-through which forced Aamir Bashir to leave the blocks in

anticipation of a chicky single. Consequently, both the batsmen finished at the striker's end leaving the PIA fielders a simple run-out opportunity.

Openers Ali Naqvi and Javed Sami had provided Customs a solid start of 73 runs in 103 minutes before Javed found his stumps shattered by Asfandyar. Javed scored 27.

Ali Naqvi continued with his good form with the bat to follow up his first innings 48 with another flawless 56. He could have easily converted his half century into his second century in successive matches if he had not shown rush of blood.

Naqvi, who had scored 110 in the first round match, struck eight sweetly timed boundaries in his 116-ball innings that consumed 163 minutes.

Earlier, PIA, resuming their first innings at 247 for four, crashed out for 310. In 100 minutes of batting, PIA could add only 63 runs.

Only Sohail Jaffar, who scored 1,700 runs three seasons back, chipped in with a graceful 43-ball 36 that included six boundaries. Zahid Fazal, who started today at 11, lasted only seven balls before being bowled while trying to play across the line.

Aamir Wasim bowled intelligently by attacking the three sticks to be rewarded with four wickets that cost him 84 runs from 37 overs. Nadeem Iqbal, Mohammad Sami and Azhar Shafiq equally shared the remaining six wickets between them.