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Lahore:As the battle to secure the top two spots on the points table continues to flare up, the ninth round of the four-day first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, which commences on Monday, 25 November, promises to keep the fans on the edge of their seats.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s big win by an innings and 122 runs over Balochistan has helped them leapfrog Southern Punjab and Northern to the second spot and another win in either of their next two matches will go a long way in guaranteeing them a berth in the final of the country’s premier first-class tournament.
They, however, have a challenging task at their hands as they face table-toppers Central Punjab, who have three wins in eight matches, at NBP Sports Complex, Karachi.
Central Punjab enter the match after securing a draw against Sindh on the back of second innings centuries by the Akmal brothers.
They were behind Sindh for the most part of the match as their star-studded batting line-up failed to live up to the expectations in the first innings. But, gutsy 122 and 166 by Umar and Kamran in the second innings ensured Central Punjab’s impeccable record stayed intact.
Uplifted by their maiden win of the tournament, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will try to take a leaf out of Sindh’s book and look to strangle Central Punjab’s batting upfront. That it was their bowling unit which delivered the win is something which will further add to the excitement when the two top-ranked teams go toe-to-toe.
Central Punjab captain Ahmed Shehzad said: “We are going to make sure that we don’t repeat the mistakes we made in the last game. Yes, there were hiccups, but we are learning every game and improving day-by-day.
“Our players are responding brilliantly under pressure. The beauty of first-class cricket is it provides you sessions to bounce back in the match. Sindh were ahead of us for two-and-a-half days after which we came back strongly with both bat and ball.
“We are at the backend of the first-class season now and we have been playing for two-three months so it is not about doing nets anymore. We want our players to be mentally relaxed and strong when we play Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who have recently started to pick up form.”
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa head coach Kabir Khan said: “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has had a decent run in the season. Our batsmen and bowlers were delivering and we often found ourselves in control of the matches, but we weren’t able to translate that into win.
“However, we were the only side that drew all their games and we knew that a win in the latter stage of the tournament will provide us a boost. Central Punjab have been going well but that we have secured a comprehensive victory before our match against them has given us confidence as a unit.
“This year’s Quaid-e-Azam Trophy has been very competitive and the two top teams on the points table playing at this stage of the tournament is going to add to the excitement for our next fixture.”
Southern Punjab v Sindh, National Stadium, Karachi
Sindh, placed fifth on the points table, need a win to stay alive in the tournament. But, that they are facing a side to whom they have lost previously is bound to add to the pressure in a match which will be live-streamed on the PCB’s YouTube channel.
Sindh made an impressive comeback, putting up performances in both batting and bowling departments, in the last round after their loss to Northern, who then were languishing at the bottom of the points table. Four of their batsmen scored half-centuries, including captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, with the bowling unit, spearheaded by Tabish Khan, tightening the screws around the Central Punjab batsmen.
They will look to build on their performance in the last match against third-ranked Southern Punjab, who succeeded in securing a draw against Northern after being forced to follow-on thanks to Umar Siddiq’s brilliant second innings century, which was supported by half-centuries from Zeeshan Ashraf and Sohaib Maqsood.
So, along with working out the strategy to ensure the highest run-getter of the tournament, Sami Aslam, is not allowed the time to adjust, Sarfaraz will also have to draw plans for Umar, Zeeshan and Sohaib.
Sindh captain Sarfaraz Ahmed said: “We realise that they have a strong batting line-up and Sami Aslam is in good form. We aim to get their wickets early on which will help us in keeping the flow of runs in check.
“It is obviously important for us to win from here to stay alive in the tournament. We have had close games but haven’t been able to cross the line. We are getting closer, but our target remains to win the next two matches.”
Southern Punjab captain Bilawal Bhatti said: “We have an upper hand over Sindh as we have beaten them by a big margin [an innings and 129 runs] when the last time we came face to face.
“Our batsmen are in prime form which is a good omen. Sami Aslam is having a wonderful season. Unfortunately he couldn’t get going in the last match. But, it is heartening to see other batsmen around him like Zeeshan Ashraf, who has graduated from Second XI, and Umar Siddiq, who couldn’t get a good start to the season, are among the runs now.
“If a side’s top three or four batsmen start putting up runs consistently it makes life easy for the bowlers. Our spinners have been doing well, with Left-arm-spinner Mohammad Irfan taking wickets almost every match. Pitches in Karachi are useful for the spinners, but the sea-breeze provides assistance to the pacers as well in the last session of the day.
“It is going to be an exciting match and we are looking forward to it.”
Balochistan v Northern, UBL Sports Complex, Karachi
Northern followed up their maiden win of the season in the seventh round with an imposing performance against Southern Punjab at KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi. Their batting line-up scored 463 runs at an impressive run-rate of 4.22 and their bowlers, by taking 14 wickets, tightened the screws to enforce a follow-on.
They play Balochistan, who are at the bottom of the points table after a crushing defeat, and will look to make the most of the pressure on the Imran Farhat-led side. Like Sindh, Balochistan have to win their last two matches to stay in contention.
There was, however, a silver lining for Balochistan from the previous match as Mohammad Asghar recorded six for 121 – fifth best bowling figures in an innings this tournament – as he continues to impress at the first-class level. His captain will be pinning hopes on him to deliver come Monday.
Balochistan captain Imran Farhat said: “We have had a good run with the bat and it was the first time in the tournament that our batting collapsed. Though our batsmen have delivered, it is our bowling which has not really clicked as a unit, which is pertinent to win first-class matches.
“The next two games are important for us and we awill go in those games with the mindset of winning them.”
Northern captain Nauman Ali said: “We realise another win here will consolidate our position on the points table. For this very purpose, we have travelled to Karachi two days earlier to get acclimatised to the conditions.
“We desperately needed a win when we entered the seventh round and that match against Sindh has gelled us as a unit. Unfortunately, due to bad light in Rawalpindi, we lost overs and it rained on the final day because of which couldn’t win despite enforcing follow-on.
“But, the mood in the camp is great and we are looking forward to our next match.”
Pre-match press conferences at National Stadium, Karachi
On Sunday, a squad member from each of the six teams will hold pre-match press conferences in the press conference area on the third floor of the National Stadium, Karachi, from 11am onwards.
Upcoming fixtures (25-28 Nov)
Balochistan v Northern, UBL Sports Complex, Karachi
Southern Punjab v Sindh, National Stadium, Karachi
Central Punjab v Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, NBP Sports Complex, Karachi