KARACHI, July 30: The third segment of the KCCA Annual Talent Hunt Scheme gets under way from Sunday with the start of the under-17 Inter-zonal cricket tournament at the TMC ground. KCCA Zone-VI Whites will meet Zone-IV Greens in the opening match of the 16-team competition.

The teams have been divided into the following four groups with two teams from five zones and three each from Zone-II, and Zone IV:

Group ‘A’: Zone-VI Whites, Zone-VII Blues, Zone-V Blues, Zone-lV Greens.

Group ‘B’: Zone-I Whites, Zone-II Whites, Zone-IV Blues, Zone III-Blues.

Group ‘C’: Zone-VII Whites, Zone-III Whites, Zone-II Blues, Zone-VI Blues.

Group ‘D’: Zone-IV Whites, Zone-V Whites, Zone-I Blues and Zone-II Greens.

The top two teams from each group will automatically qualify for the quarterfinals.

Each team shall be allowed to bat for a maximum of 50 overs with no restriction of number of overs to be bowled by a single bowler. To encourage fast bowling the first 10 overs will have to be bowled by fast bowlers with at least 12 strides.

Such fast bowlers will not be allowed to bowl spinners later in the same innings.

Players born on or after Sept 1, 1988 are eligible for the tournament.

All zones have been asked to direct their cricketers to report to either Mehdi Hasan (chairman, tournament committee) or Touseef Siddiqui (secretary) for inaugural ceremony and facial scrutiny at 11.00am on Sunday.

The players are further advised to bring along their age and educational documents, form ‘B’, photocopy of CNIC of head of the family and two passport size photographs pasted on the prescribed form.—APP