KARACHI: With the combined 35-man Pakistan and second-string Shaheens squads due to leave for New Zealand in a couple of days from now, the focus shifts back to the Quaid-a-Azam Trophy’s First XI competition that resumes from Friday with the fourth-round matches with all six sides making wholesale changes to their respective outfits.

The country’s premier first-class event had a long break of 11 days following the conclusion of round three fixtures on Nov 9 because of the staging of the just-ended Pakistan Super League’s fifth edition playoffs at the National Stadium.

Barring Nauman Ali, who will continue to lead second-placed Northern, the other five teams have forced changes on the leadership front as the first-choice skippers Azhar Ali (Central Punjab), Shan Masood (Southern Punjab), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Sindh), Mohammad Rizwan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Haris Sohail (Balochistan) are all preparing to embark on the New Zealand tour.

Asad Shafiq’s unceremonious axing from the Pakistan side means the senior Test batsman will now attempt to rediscover his form in the remaining seven rounds of the championship as he leads Sindh — currently fourth on the table — against leaders Southern Punjab, who have named Umar Siddique as their new captain, in the televised match at the National Stadium.

Sindh will also be without Fawad Alam and Sohail Khan -- their experienced campaigners in New Zealand-bound tourists.

Former Test opener Imran Farhat, who will retire from the game after the ongoing season, takes over Haris Sohail as captain for Balochistan as the third-placed team take on Northern at the NBP Sports Complex.

Reigning champions Central Punjab — who have yet to register victory this season after having lost two of their three matches — are rooted at the base of the six-team standings and will seek to improve their chances of moving up the ladder when injury-prone Pakistan paceman Hasan Ali takes charge as captain for their fixture against fifth-placed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the UBL Sports Complex.

Revised squads:

SOUTHERN PUNJAB: Umar Siddique (captain), Imran Rafique (vice-captain), Ali Shafiq, Bilawal Bhatti, Dilbar Hussain, Maqbool Ahmed, Mohammad Ilyas, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Irfan (spinner), Mohammad Umair, Mukhtar Ahmed, Saif Badar, Umar Khan, Zahid Mahmood, Zain Abbas, Zeeshan Ashraf.

NORTHERN: Nauman Ali (captain), Hammad Azam (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Ali Sarfaraz, Asif Ali, Athar Mahmood, Faizan Riaz, Farzan Raja, Mohammad Nawaz, Munir Riaz, Nasir Nawaz, Salman Irshad, Sarmad Bhatti, Umair Masood, Umar Amin, Waqas Ahmed.

BALOCHISTAN: Imran Farhat (captain), Bismillah Khan (vice-captain), Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Akbar-ur-Rehman, Akhtar Shah, Ali Waqas, Ayaz Tasawwar, Azeem Ghumman, Kashif Bhatti, Khurram Shahzad, Najibullah Achakzai, Taimur Ali, Taj Wali, Umaid Asif, Usama Mir.

SINDH: Asad Shafiq (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Ali, Abrar Ahmed, Ashiq Ali, Azizullah, Hasan Mohsin, Jaahid Ali, Mir Hamza, Muhammad Hasan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saad Ali, Shahnawaz Dahani, Sharjeel Khan, Shehzar Mohammad, Tabish Khan.

KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA: Khalid Usman (captain), Israrullah (vice-captain), Adil Amin, Arshad Iqbal, Imran Khan, Irfanullah Shah, Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Ibrahim, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Wasim, Musadiq Ahmed, Rehan Afridi, Sajid Khan, Sameen Gul, Samiullah., Zohaib Khan.

CENTRAL PUNJAB: Hasan Ali (captain), Usman Salahuddin (vice-captain), Ahmed Safi Abdullah, Ahmed Shahzad, Ali Shan, Ali Zaryab, Bilal Asif, Bilawal Iqbal, Ehsan Adil, Mohammad Saad, Qasim Akram, Rizwan Hussain, Saad Naseem, Tayyab Tahir, Waqas Maqsood.

Current standings

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

Southern Punjab 3 2 1 0 55

Northern 3 2 1 0 52

Balochistan 3 1 1 1 44

Sindh 3 1 1 1 36

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 3 1 1 1 33

Central Punjab 3 0 2 1 16

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2020