KARACHI: With Karachi Blues all but assured of their place in the triangular phase of the PCB Under-19 Inter-region National Cricket Championship, the battle for other spots intensifies when the last-round matches are played from Friday.

The high-flying Karachi Blues are currently enjoying a nine-point cushion atop Group ‘A’ before taking on outgoing champions Rawalpindi here at the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Sports Complex in North Nazimabad.

The Blues just need one point to qualify for the next stage provided as long as second-placed Peshawar, who have 28 points to Blues’ 37 after round four, don’t win their game against Hyderabad at the Niaz Stadium in Hyderabad by an innings.

The situation in Group ‘B’ cannot be more complicating with all six teams still in contention to make the cut.

At this point in time, Abbottabad and Bahawalpur have 15 points before they face each other at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium.

Third-positioned Quetta (12 points) travel to Faisalabad to tackle fifth-placed hosts (10 points) at the Bohranwala Ground, while Lahore Blues, presently fourth with 11 points, entertain last-placed Larkana (nine points) on their home territory at the LCCA Ground.

Arguably the biggest encounter of the fifth round takes place at the neutral venue of Jinnah Stadium in Gujranwala where current Group ‘C’ leaders Islamabad (28 points) take on Karachi Whites who are just four points behind the boys from the federal capital.

After being held up by poor weather, Karachi Whites have simply put them in contention with back-to-back victories in the last two rounds.

Lahore Whites, who are third with 19 points, could come into the equation if Islamabad drop points in a draw. In that case, Lahore Whites must defeat Sialkot by an innings at the picturesque Mirpur Cricket Stadium in Azad Kashmir, which is also the venue for the triangular series.

Fifth-round schedule (Sept 22-24):

Group ‘A’: Karachi Blues vs Rawalpindi (SBP Sports Complex, Karachi); Fata vs Azad Jammu Kashmir (NBP Sports Complex, Karachi); Hyderabad vs Peshawar (Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad).

Group ‘B’: Faisalabad vs Quetta (Bohranwala Ground, Faisalabad); Lahore Blues vs Larkana (LCCA Ground, Lahore); Abbottabad vs Bahawalpur (Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Abbottabad).

Group ‘C’: Karachi Whites vs Islamabad (Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala); Multan vs Dera Murad Jamali (KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi); Lahore Whites vs Sialkot (Mirpur Cricket Stadium, Mirpur).

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2017