KARACHI: The fifth-round of the National One-day Cup for Regions fell prey to rain as all four matches scheduled for Monday were abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Continuous rains which pelted down in Rawalpindi and Islamabad just after midnight left the three venues of the twin cities heavily saturated, leaving the match officials with the formality of calling off the fixtures.

Karachi Whites, who were due to play the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) at the Diamond Club Ground in Islamabad, are now confirmed as the first regional outfit to qualify for the semi-finals.

Coached by former Test paceman and ex-national selector Saleem Jaffer, Karachi Whites had previous game against hosts Peshawar also abandoned without any play at the Arbab Niaz Stadium on Saturday.

With eight points from five fixtures, Karachi Whites top the standings. Islamabad, who trailed the leaders by a single point, are also all but through to the knockout round after their Monday’s clash with Lahore Blues in the televised fixture at the Pindi Cricket Ground in Rawalpindi being called off.

The other two fifth-round matches were slated between Peshawar and Karachi Blues at the Arbab Niaz Stadium and the Rawalpindi-Lahore Whites tie at the Marghazar Cricket Ground in the federal capital.

With more rain forecast for Tuesday, the sixth and penultimate round of fixtures is in serious danger being badly affected.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) domestic managers, despite being fully aware that the weather at this time of year in the northern regions of the country is not ideal at all for cricket, were adamant in staging the national competition. As feared, almost all matches in the event thus far had been reduced to farcical affairs with curtailed action or no play at all.

And yet the PCB top hierarchy remains least concerned, while letting a handful of influential officials who were the masterminds behind the staging of the tournament, do as they please without caring for the players who have braved the hardships just to take part in the most adverse possible weather.

It is an irony that not just a couple of weeks ago the PCB had successfully organised the National One-day Cup for Departments in Karachi and Hyderabad. The departmental competition enabled the national selectors to recall Mohammad Hafeez and Junaid Khan as late inductees for Pakistan’s ongoing One-day International series in Australia.

Published in Dawn January 17th, 2017