SNGPL set to clinch final berth as PQA, Wapda vie for other spot

KARACHI: While Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) have, more or less, ensured themselves of playing in the Gold League final of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship later this month in Karachi, the race for the other finalist is very much on.

Given the form that SNGPL are in at the moment with seven victories in nine matches thus far, it seems certain that it would be a Herculean task for their remaining league-round opponents — Port Qasim Authority (PQA) and Wapda — to catch up with the leaders as the championship moves south owing to the onset of winter and shorter playing time in the north.

With Test players Azhar Ali, Yasir Shah and Taufiq Umar available after the New Zealand series for the upcoming fixtures, SNGPL have the panache to march into the Dec 22-26 final at the National Stadium here.

In head coach Basit Ali SNGPL have a shrewd individual who had overseen his charges clinch consecutive first-class titles when departments featured in the President’s Trophy in the past two seasons. Such is the respect for the former Pakistan batsman that no player has refused to turn up for the department whenever he is free from international duty.

PQA — the only unbeatable side in the competition thus far with six wins and three draws — are on a roll at the moment thanks to the deadly new-ball partnership of Sohail Khan and a resurgent Abdur Rauf. Sohail has been in phenomenal wicket-taking form and his 55 wickets in nine games are the most by any one in the competition.

Gold League final set to begin from Dec 22

The only other bowler with more than 50 victims is Islamabad Leopards’ strike weapon Shehzad Azam Rana who has 52 in nine appearances this season.

Rauf is not far behind with 45 in seven matches, with the Wapda duo of Waqas Maqsood (50) and Mohammad Ali Bhutta (46) and Karachi Dolphins’ left-arm paceman Mir Hamza (46) lying above the soon-to-be 36 right-armer from Renala Khurd.

Therefore, PQA have the bowling to make somewhat tough for SNGPL at the picturesque Arabian Sea Country Club when the top two teams meet from Saturday. But they should keep in mind that SNGPL, despite being denied the services of Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez, still have a decent batting line-up.

Naeemuddin at the top of the order and Khurram Shehzad have both been in great nick of late with the left-handed Naeemuddin emerging as the second highest run-getter in the competition with 764 runs, 12 behind Wapda’s Iftikhar Ahmed. National Bank skipper Kamran Akmal (709) is the only other man to cross the 700-run mark.

Wapda stand a good chance of moving up the ladder considering United Bank’s unpredictable form of late. The bankers wind up their league schedule with two ‘home’ games at the UBL Sports Complex with Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) being their last-round opponents.

Of all teams ZTBL must be feeling the heat as the possibility of relegation looms upon their camp. Currently they are the bottom-placed departmental outfit with just 19 points under their belt. Even the presence of Shoaib Malik as the captain has not worked well for them.

Therefore ZTBL have to both their matches to go at least above United Bank and survive the drop. However, their first mission against National Bank at the latter’s home ground won’t be a cakewalk particularly when someone like Fawad Alam very keen to remind the national selectors that he remains a strong contender for inclusion in the World Cup squad despite being shockingly overlooked for the first two ODIs against the Black Caps.

Buoyed by their draw against Islamabad Leopards on Wednesday, Karachi Dolphins are relieved to be playing again at the National Stadium as they prepare to take on Peshawar Panthers.

10th round schedule (Dec 6-9): Karachi Dolphins vs Peshawar Panthers National Stadium, Karachi; United Bank vs Water and Power Development Authority (UBL Sports Complex, Karachi); National Bank vs Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (NBP Sports Complex, Karachi); Port Qasim Authority vs Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (Arabian Sea Country Club, Karachi); Lahore Lions vs Rawalpindi Rams (Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad) Multan Tigers vs Islamabad Leopards (Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan).

Current standings

(Tabulated under: played, won, lost, drawn, points):

SNGPL 9 7 1 1 63

Port Qasim 9 6 0 3 56

National Bank 9 4 1 4 47

Wapda 9 5 1 3 45

United Bank 9 3 3 3 32

Rawalpindi Rams 9 3 3 3 27

Islamabad Leopards 9 2 2 5 27

Karachi Dolphins 9 2 4 3 26

Lahore Lions 9 2 6 1 21

ZTBL 9 2 3 4 19