KARACHI, April 9: With the unbeaten PIA already assured of their place in semifinals of the Patron’s Cup one-day cricket tournament, there is a clear-cut battle for the remaining berths in Sunday’s last-round matches.
Wapda, currently second on net run-rate in Pool ‘A’, need a big win against Allied Bank in their match at the National Stadium.
The fourth-placed bankers themselves are still in the running if they secure a comprehensive victory and hope that fellow contenders PTCL beat ZTBL by a small margin in the other vital Pool ‘A’ fixture at the Asghar Ali Shah Stadium.
PIA, meanwhile, have nothing to play for when they meet the winless – and luckless – KPT in an otherwise inconsequential tie at the UBL Sports Complex.
In Pool ‘B’, leaders Pakistan Customs and second-placed Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) only need to beat their respective opponents to go through to the last-four stage since both have three matches prior to the final round.
Customs take on Sui Gas, who caused the biggest of upsets when they toppled reigning champions Habib Bank on Friday, at the Gymkhana Club Ground in Okara.
KRL are hoping that Shoaib Akhtar, the Pakistan fast bowler, is available for their fixture against fourth-placed National Bank at the Qadhafi Stadium in Lahore. Shoaib returned to active cricket after three months with four wickets against Sui Gas at the same venue on Wednesday before skipping Friday’s fixture against Defence Housing Authority (DHA).
Habib Bank, meanwhile, can only hope that both Customs and KRL lose and they themselves score a massive win against DHA at the Sheikhupura. That just might put the bankers into the semifinals on net run-rate.
But the likely semifinal combinations may well see Customs playing Wapda on Wednesday in Lahore with PIA taking on KRL at the National Stadium on Thursday.
Fifth round schedule (April 10):
Pool ‘A’: PTCL v ZTBL at Asghar Ali Shah Stadium (Karachi); Allied Bank v Wapda at National Stadium (Karachi); PIA v KPT at UBL Sports Complex (Karachi).
Pool ‘B’: KRL v National Bank at Qadhafi Stadium (Lahore); Pakistan Customs v Sui Gas at Gymkhana Ground (Okara); Habib Bank v DHA at Sheikhupura Stadium (Sheikhupura).
Standings
(Tabulated under played, won, lost, no-result, tied, points, net run-rate):
