KARACHI: Humiliated by Northern in the previous round, Sindh are now battling to revive what has been a wretched First XI in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy as they prepare to take on leaders Central Punjab in their eighth-round clash at the National Stadium from Monday.

Northern — who were languishing in last place before defeating Sindh at the same venue by 145 runs for their first victory in the championship — have surged to fourth spot on the back of 24 points against Sarfraz Ahmed’s charges.

Sindh, who earned only six points against Northern, are in hot soup at the bottom with just 58 points. Head coach Azam Khan is already a disturbed man following the passing away of his mother a couple of days before the Northern fixture.

The real issues for Sindh are multiple. After being unceremoniously stood down as the Pakistan captain, Sarfraz has yet to contribute much with the bat. His last four innings in the competition since being sacked has fetched the 32-year-old wicket-keeper/batsman relatively modest scores of 0, 54, 22 and 16.

With just three rounds to go before the Dec 27-31 final in Karachi, Central Punjab, who have a significant lead of 26 points at the top with a tally of 108, have almost guaranteed themselves a tilt at the title, if they manage to chalk up a fourth victory this season.

Second-place Southern Punjab will have work cut out as they travel to KRL

Stadium in Rawalpindi to face a buoyant Nauman Ali-led Northern side. However, the weather could result in a curtailed encounter.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — the third place side who have involved in seven successive draws thus far — were due to host Balochistan at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium but the onset of winter — leading to shortened daylight in Abbottabad — has forced the PCB to shift this fixture to the UBL Sports Complex in Karachi.

Schedule (Nov 18-21):

First XI:

Seventh round; Sindh vs Central Punjab (National Stadium, Karachi); Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Balochistan (UBL Sports Complex, Karachi); Northern vs Southern Punjab (KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi).

Current standings

(Tabulated under played won, lost, drawn, points):

Central Punjab 7 3 0 4 108

Southern Punjab 7 1 0 6 82

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 7 0 0 7 74

Northern 7 1 2 4 71

Balochistan 7 0 1 6 66

Sindh 7 0 2 5 58

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2019