LAHORE, Jan 3: While changing its earlier decision of holding the incomplete final round of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy championship matches all over again, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has instead cancelled them altogether, allowing Habib Bank Limited (HBL) and Sui Northern Gas Pipe Lines (SNGPL) to play their final at Karachi from Jan 7 to 11.

The matches, being played all over the country, had to be stopped on the third day as a result of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination on Dec 27. But the PCB later decided to organise the last round again on the pretext of deciding the various teams’ final standing.

“We reviewed the earlier decision under the light of our rules in the meeting today and it turns out that there is no provision for holding the last round again. Our departments and regional associations share this view.

“The Zimbabwe team is also due to arrive here on Jan 12 as per schedule which does not permit us with enough time to reorganise the last round, so it was decided that the last round be cancelled in favour of just holding the final,” PCB Director Cricket Operations (DCO) Zakir Khan, who also attended the high-level board meeting that was chaired by Dr Nasim Ashraf on Thursday, told Dawn.

The meeting was attended by the national selection committee too.

According to the new decision, HBL from pool ‘A’ and SNGPL from ‘B’ will play the final, while dashing the hopes of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP). The bankers needed to win their last match against Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and also for Karachi Whites to defeat HBL in order to reach the final.

Zakir added that no discussion was made about the fate of the six cricketers banned from domestic cricket for playing in the unrecognised Indian Cricket League (ICL).

“We have imposed a ban on them and will be referring the decision to the Governing Board (in the next meeting in Karachi on Jan 25) for a final approval,” he said while denying reports about the board advising its affiliated regional bodies not to allow them to even play club cricket.

Taufiq Umar, Imran Farhat, Shabbir Ahmed, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Azhar Mahmood and Abdul Razzaq face the ban as they have all played for the ICL. Some of them intend to go to court regarding the matter.

A two-day training camp would be held in Karachi from Jan 12 soon after the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy final and it will be attended by all those who performed well in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy.

Moreover, the PCB again put off the national Twenty20 championship for an indefinite period from Feb 9. The earlier date for the popular domestic cricket show was Jan 10 but then it had to be postponed till Feb 9. According to sources, sponsors for the tournament, a leading private bank, is unwilling to hold the event without live TV coverage.

The government, due to political reasons, has suspended transmission of a private sports TV channel, which had bought telecasting rights for the competition, and the sponsors want to delay it till the transmission is restored.

Zakir said in place of the Twenty20 Cup, the PCB has decided to start a Pentangular tournament, another first class event in the domestic circuit from Feb 10. The second round of the tournament will commence from Feb 22 due to the general elections on Feb 18.

The entire domestic season was also discussed in detail at the meeting.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s forthcoming tour of Pakistan hangs in the balance, according to Zakir. They are still scheduled to arrive in Karachi on Jan 12. Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson is also due back here the same day.