KARACHI: The focus shifts back to first-class action after nearly two weeks when the Super Eight phase of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship starts from Wednesday here in Karachi.

Originally the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had planned stage the business end of the competition in Lahore, Faisalabad, Islamabad and Rawalpindi but after sensing that playing hours would be drastically curtailed at this time of the year in the Punjab, the domestic managers opted to reschedule the event in order to ensure the 12 Super Eight matches are played to the distance.

Fresh from their title-winning feat in the Quaid-i-Azam One-day Cup with a convincing 62-run win in the final at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium against Salman Butt-led Wapda at the weekend, Habib Bank Limited (HBL) will be eying the biggest domestic prize on offer as they bid to qualify for the title-deciding fixture at the venue yet to be finalised by the PCB.

HBL are in a pole position to advantage of the favourable draw with two of the three regional outfits — Karachi Whites and Peshawar — pitted against them in Group-II. Moreover, HBL should also benefit from playing all three fixtures at the UBL Sports Complex where the conditions usually suit their style of play, particularly when they have ex-Pakistan and UBL fast bowler Saleem Jaffer as their head coach.

With one silverware already bagged in his first season with the bankers, Saleem will be feverishly working at this point to complete a grand double, particularly with most of the rival teams struggling to field their best XIs in the wake of call-ups for Pakistan and Pakistan ‘A’ teams.

Even HBL themselves have been depleted by the absence of their first-choice stars such as Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan and Abid Ali but they the knack of clawing back when the chips are down. However, they shouldn’t lose over having to face Karachi Whites first up.

But defending champions Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) will have their cut out to retain the title. Their first-round opponents are Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) — the side they defeated in the final at the National Stadium last December on the back of an 11-wicket haul grabbed by veteran left-arm paceman Samiullah Khan Niazi — at the SBP Sports Complex.

SNGPL will be somewhere close to fielding a strong XI against Wapda with the likes of Pakistan stars Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali and Mohammad Abbas likely to be available before they leave for Dubai on Sunday to team up the Test squad for the three-match New Zealand series which starts from Nov 16.

The Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) will be seeking to make amends for their failures in recent seasons. The biggest plus point for them is the presence of Mohammad Amir in their ranks.

According head coach Atiq-uz-Zaman, the Pakistan left-armer is enjoying his break from international cricket after a wicketless stint during the Asia Cup.

“I think Amir needed this [break] to revitalize his energy and get over the trauma of not being able to reproduce the form of old,” Atiq said while talking to Dawn on Tuesday on eve of their clash against Peshawar at the Southend Club. “I’m pretty sure he’ll be back to his best sooner than expected because he is starting to get the ball to swing. In the two first-class games he played since being dropped [by Pakistan], Amir is more relaxed, something that was missing since his comeback in 2016. I think he will be ready for South Africa [tour].”

Atiq further revealed that Sami Aslam has rejoined the team after being overlooked by Pakistan ‘A’ for the ongoing second and final Unofficial Test against New Zealand ‘A’.

In the first-round tie, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) meet Lahore Blues at the NBP Sports Complex.

With the immediate future of departmental teams still in ambiguity after PCB top brass declared unofficially last month to adopt a policy of organising domestic tournaments for regional sides, it remains to be seen who’ll ultimately make the final of the country’s premier first-class event this time.

Super Eight stage round:

Pools:

Group-I: Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), Lahore Blues.

Group-II: Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL), Habib Bank Limited (HBL), Peshawar, Karachi Whites.

Schedule:

Nov 7-10: SNGPL vs Wapda (SBP Sports Complex, Karachi); KRL vs Lahore Blues (NBP Sports Complex, Karachi); HBL vs Karachi Whites (UBL Sports Complex, Karachi); SSGCL vs Peshawar (Southend Club, Karachi).

Nov 13-16: SNGPL vs Lahore (NBP Sports Complex, Karachi); KRL vs Wapda (SBP Sports Complex, Karachi); SSGCL vs HBL (UBL Sports Complex, Karachi, Karachi); Karachi Whites vs Peshawar (Southend Club, Karachi).

Nov 19-22: SNGPL vs KRL (SBP Sports Complex, Karachi); Wapda vs Lahore Blues (NBP Sports Complex, Karachi); Peshawar vs HBL (UBL Sports Complex, Karachi); SSGCL vs Karachi Whites (Southend Club, Karachi).

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2018