KARACHI: The 53rd edition of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship gets under way from Saturday with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) retaining the format of the last season with two of the 13 regional teams battling with nine strong departmental sides in one pool.

However, unlike the previous two seasons, the PCB’s domestic cricket think tank has confirmed that two departmental outfits finishing bottom in Group ‘A’ in the country’s most prestigious cricket championship will be relegated to the non first-class tier in the 2010-11 season with the finalists of next year’s Feb 27-April 4 Patron’s Trophy Grade-II tournament replacing them.

Even if Karachi Whites and Lahore Shalimar — the senior teams of their representing their respective regions — were to take the last two slots in Group ‘A’, they will continue to participate in the premier first-class tournament the following season.

It means Pakistan Customs, who were rooted at the bottom of Group ‘A’ standings after remaining winless in the previous edition, will have to produce a miracle in the coming weeks to keep their dream alive of playing first-class cricket next season, if they do not repeat their horrendous run of 2008-09 when they lost seven of the 10 pool matches and gained not a single point.

The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) are another side that find themselves in trouble this time after having failed to win a single game last season.

In sharp contrast and despite the presence of formidable departmental teams, it was the tremendous success of Sialkot, who went the entire championship undefeated, that made the headlines last season when the regional side defeated the Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) by four wickets in the final played at their own backyard — Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot from March 3 to 7.

The prize-money of Rs1.75 million for the coming edition is the same as was for the last season with the eventual champions of the Dec 20-24 final between the winners of the two groups taking home Rs1 million and the runners-up Rs500,000.

In addition, the Royal Bank of Scotland — the sponsors of domestic cricket in the country — has put up individual prizes of Rs50,000 each for the best batsman, bowler, fielder and wicket-keeper as well as the man-of-the-match in the final. Meanwhile, as usual a majority of Pakistan stars will be confined to make sporadic appearances whenever there is adequate respite from what is going to be a pretty hectic period for the national squad with a major chunk of the season coming in direct collision with the tours of New Zealand and Australia, which are to be preceded by an offshore limited-overs series against the Black Caps in the United Arab Emirates.

But at least for the start of the championship most of the big names are expected to be in action for their respective teams. Unfortunately, Pakistan captain Younis Khan is forced to sit out the opening two games that Habib Bank play since he is still recuperating from a finger injury sustained during the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa.

First two matches which are to be played in Peshawar have been shifted to other cities due to prevailing law and order situation in the NWFP capital.

A PCB press release said the match between Karachi Blues and Peshawar will now be played from Sunday at the KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi, instead of Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar.

Similarly, Peshawar will meet Quetta at the National Cricket Ground, Islamabad.

Pools:

‘A’: National Bank of Pakistan, PIA, Habib Bank, KRL, Wapda, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), Pakistan Customs, Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), Karachi Whites, Lahore Shalimar.

‘B’: Sialkot, Karachi Blues, Lahore Ravi, Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Multan, Quetta, Abbottabad.

Schedule:

Oct 10-13: Karachi Whites v Habib Bank (NBP Sports Complex); PIA v KRL (National Stadium, Karachi); Pakistan Customs v SSGC (UBL Sports Complex, Karachi); Lahore Shalimar v National Bank (Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore); SNGPL v Wapda (Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad); Abbottabad v Quetta (Abbottabad Cricket Stadium); Islamabad v Hyderabad (Diamond Club Ground, Islamabad); Lahore Ravi v Multan (LCCA Ground, Lahore); Sialkot v Faisalabad (Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot).

Oct 11-14: Peshawar v Karachi Blues (KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi).

Oct 16-19: Habib Bank v KRL (National Stadium, Karachi); Karachi Whites v Pakistan Customs (Southend Club Cricket Stadium, Karachi); PIA v SSGC (UBL Sports Complex, Karachi); National Bank v Wapda (Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore); Lahore Shalimar v ZTBL (LCCA Ground, Lahore). Abbottabad v Karachi Blues (Abbottabad Cricket Stadium); Faisalabad v Multan (Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad); Rawalpindi v Hyderabad (Diamond Club Ground, Islamabad); Lahore Ravi v Sialkot (Lahore Country Club, Muridke); Peshawar v Quetta (National Cricket Ground, Islamabad).

Oct 22-25: Karachi Whites v KRL (National Stadium, Karachi); PIA v Pakistan Customs (NBP Sports Complex, Karachi); Habib Bank v Wapda (Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore); Lahore Shalimar v SNGPL (LCCA Ground, Lahore); National Bank v ZTBL (Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad). Abbottabad v Hyderabad (Abbottabad Cricket Stadium); Faisalabad v Peshawar (Sports Stadium, Sargodha); Islamabad v Karachi Blues (Diamond Club Ground, Islamabad); Sialkot v Multan (Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot); Rawalpindi v Quetta (National Ground, Islamabad).

Oct 28-31: Karachi Whites v PIA (National Stadium, Karachi); Habib Bank v National Bank (Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore); KRL v ZTBL (KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi); Lahore Shalimar v Wapda (LCCA Ground, Lahore); SNGPL v SSGC (Sheikhupura Stadium). Abbottabad v Sialkot (Abbottabad Cricket Stadium); Faisalabad v Lahore Ravi (Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad); Islamabad v Quetta (Diamond Club Ground, Islamabad); Rawalpindi v Karachi Blues (National Ground, Islamabad); Peshawar v Hyderabad (Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar).

Nov 3-6: Habib Bank v ZTBL (Marghzar Cricket Ground, Islamabad); KRL v SNGPL (KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi); Lahore Shalimar v Pakistan Customs (Lahore Country Club, Muridke); National Bank v SSGC (Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad); PIA v Wapda (Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore). Karachi Blues v Multan (National Stadium, Karachi); Islamabad v Faisalabad (Diamond Club Ground, Islamabad); Lahore Ravi v Hyderabad (LCCA Ground, Lahore); Rawalpindi v Peshawar (National Ground, Islamabad); Sialkot v Quetta (Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot).

Nov 9-12: Lahore Shalimar v Karachi Whites (Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore); National Bank v PIA (Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad); Pakistan Customs v SNGPL (Marghzar Cricket Ground, Islamabad); Habib Bank v SSGC (KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi); Wapda v ZTBL (Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala). Karachi Blues v Lahore Ravi (National Stadium, Karachi); Islamabad v Rawalpindi (Diamond Club Ground, Islamabad); Faisalabad v Quetta (Sports Stadium, Sargodha); Abbottabad v Peshawar (Abbottabad Cricket Stadium); Hyderabad v Multan (Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad).

Nov 15-18: Karachi Whites v Wapda (NBP Sports Complex, Karachi); Habib Bank v SNGPL (Diamond Club Ground, Islamabad); KRL v National Bank (KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi); Lahore Shalimar v SSGC (Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore); Pakistan Customs v ZTBL (Marghzar Cricket Ground, Islamabad). Karachi Blues v Faisalabad (National Stadium, Karachi); Lahore Ravi v Quetta (LCCA Ground, Lahore); Multan v Abbottabad (Gymkhana Club Ground, Okara); Peshawar v Islamabad (Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar); Sialkot v Rawalpindi (Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot).

Nov 21-24: Karachi Whites v SNGPL (National Stadium, Karachi); SSGC v ZTBL (Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore); Habib Bank v PIA (Marghzar Cricket Ground, Islamabad); KRL v Wapda (KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi); National Bank v PIA (National Ground, Islamabad). Hyderabad v Faisalabad (Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad); Islamabad v Abbottabad (Diamond Club Ground, Islamabad); Lahore Ravi v Rawalpindi (LCCA Ground, Lahore); Multan v Quetta (Gymkhana Club Ground, Okara); Peshawar v Sialkot (Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar).

Dec 3-6: Karachi Whites v ZTBL (UBL Sports Complex, Karachi); Habib Bank v Pakistan Customs (Diamond Club Ground, Islamabad); Lahore Shalimar v KRL (Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore); PIA v SNGPL (Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala); SSGC v Wapda (Sheikhupura Stadium). Hyderabad v Karachi Blues (Municipal Sports Complex, Mirpurkhas); Faisalabad v Rawalpindi (Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad); Lahore Ravi v Abbottabad (Lahore Country Club, Muridke); Multan v Peshawar (Multan Cricket Stadium); Sialkot v Islamabad (Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot).

Dec 9-12: National Bank v Karachi Whites (NBP Sports Complex, Karachi); Lahore Shalimar v PIA (Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore); KRL v SSGC (KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi); Pakistan Customs v Wapda (Diamond Club Ground, Islamabad); SNGPL v ZTBL (Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala). Karachi Blues v Quetta (National Stadium, Karachi); Hyderabad v Sialkot (Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad); Rawalpindi v Abbottabad (National Ground, Islamabad); Multan v Islamabad (Multan Cricket Stadium); Peshawar v Lahore Ravi (Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar).

Dec 15-18: Karachi Whites v SSGC (Southend Club Cricket Stadium, Karachi); Lahore Shalimar v Habib Bank (Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore); National Bank v SNGPL (Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad); KRL v Pakistan Customs (KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi); PIA v ZTBL (Diamond Club Ground, Islamabad). Karachi Blues v Sialkot (National Stadium, Karachi); Hyderabad v Quetta (Municipal Sports Complex, Mirpurkhas); Lahore Ravi v Islamabad (LCCA Ground, Lahore); Faisalabad v Abbottabad (Sports Stadium, Sargodha); Multan v Rawalpindi (Multan Cricket Stadium).

Dec 20-24: Final, Group ‘A’ winners v Group ‘B’ winners (venue to be decided).