Bengaluru, Jun 29 (IANS): Pacer Avesh Khan and left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar took three wickets each in an inspired bowling show to help Central Zone take upper hand over East Zone in their Duleep Trophy quarter final at the Alur Cricket Ground, here on Thursday.

Starting the day with East Zone trailing Central Zone by 150 runs, Avesh and Saurabh took 3/34 and 3/46 respectively to bowl out East Zone for just 122 and take a 60-run lead.

Central Zone openers Himanshu Mantri and Vivek Singh then put up an unbroken 64-run stand to extend the lead to 124, before rain forced an early end to the day’s play.

Earlier, overnight batters Sudip Kumar Gharami and Shahbaz Nadeem began by continuing their promising stand before Saurabh trapped the former lbw in his first over. From the other end, seamer Yash Thakur had Anustup Majumdar caught behind on his first ball of the morning session.

Saurabh continued to strike, taking out Nadeem and Kumar Kushagra in his successive overs. All-rounder Riyan Parag smashed five fours and a six in his 33 off 46 balls, though Avesh castled Shahbaz Ahmed from the other end.

Parag and Manisankar Murasingh, who picked a five-wicket haul in first innings, hanged around to carry East Zone past hundred with a 40-run stand for the eighth wicket. But Parag holed out off Shivam Mavi and the Central Zone skipper took out Akash Deep, before Rinku Singh ran out Ishan Porel to end East Zone's innings on 122 in 42.2 overs.

With a 60-run lead in hand, Mantri and Vivek were cautious while hitting three boundaries between themselves to keep Central Zone in the driver's seat, before rain came just when tea break was to come and eventually forced early stumps.

Brief Scores: Central Zone 182 all out in 71.4 overs and 64/0 in 25.1 overs (Vivek Singh 34 not out, Himanshu Mantri 25 not out) lead East Zone 122 in 42.2 overs (Riyan Parag 33, Manisankar Murasingh 30 not out; Avesh Khan 3/34, Saurabh Kumar 3/46) by 124 runs.