April 07, 2008	Monday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 29, 1429

KARACHI, April 6: The National One-day Cup semi-final being played between National Bank and Habib Bank here at the National Stadium (NSK) on Monday will be an all-day affair because of a TV-coverage hassle.

Some of the earlier matches played at the National Stadium were telecast live after a private TV channel bought rights from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

The PCB had planned to stage the semi-final at the NSK as a day/night fixture but since the TV channel had prior commitments on Monday evening, this idea was dropped at the last hour so that the game could be covered live.

The final will be played on Thursday at the NSK.

Meanwhile, Monday’s second semi-final between Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) is slated to be played, as per schedule, at the NBP Sports Complex.

The tournament has already lost its attraction due to unavailability of Pakistan stars in the knockout stage.

As many as 11 players, belonging to the four remaining teams, are on national duty as they prepare for the One-day International series against Bangladesh.

The National Bank are the hardest hit by lack of stars with Kamran Akmal, Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed, Fawad Alam and Wahab Riaz all missing. Their opponents Habib Bank are without their skipper Younis Khan, hard-hitting all-rounder Shahid Afridi and strike bowler Umar Gul.

The KRL would miss all-rounder Sohail Tanvir and the recalled Bazid Khan, while SNGPL’s solitary loss is Pakistan vice-captain Misbah-ul-Haq.