KARACHI: The Brighto Paints’ Cool & Cool National T20 Cup suffered a second straight day of sheer frustration on Wednesday as the rain washed out all but 33 balls of play at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi.

With more rain forecast for Thursday in the upper regions of the country, it appears an increasingly gloomy picture for the already- truncated tournament that concludes on Nov 26.

And despite claims by a match official, who requested anonymity, that there are chances of some play in the two fixtures slated for day six of the competition, the prospects of even one full match looks as bleak as the current weather in the garrison city.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department reported on Wednesday evening that Rawalpindi, which recorded 12 millimetres of rain in the past 24 hours, is among one of several areas to be hit by a thunderstorm on Thursday despite predictions of being a clear day. But the good news for the PCB organisers is that the forecast from Friday to next Tuesday is for clear and sunny days.

While the late afternoon clash between the winless Karachi Whites, who are being skippered by Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed, and Mohammad Hafeez-led Lahore Blues was called off without a ball being bowled. Wednesday’s first match lasted just 5.3 overs during which Faisalabad — who now top the eight-team standings with five points — scored 29-2 after the start was delayed by 15 minutes owing to wet conditions after Lahore Whites’ captain Salman Butt opted to field first upon winning the toss.

But Salman’s hopes of restricting Faisalabad to a manageable total for his team to chase were dashed when the rain began pelting down after only 26 minutes of play, forcing the players and umpires, Shozab Raza and Imtiaz Iqbal, scurrying off the sodden field.

Wednesday’s results:

FAISALABAD 29-2 in 5.3 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 14 not out, Sohaib Maqsood 13; Wahab Riaz 1-6, Asif Ali 1-12) vs LAHORE WHITES — no result (washed out).

KARACHI WHITES vs LAHORE BLUES — match abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Thursday’s fixtures: Islamabad vs Peshawar (12:00 noon); Rawalpindi vs Fata (4:00pm).

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2017