LAHORE: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be eyeing a treble when they take on Balochistan in the Pakistan Cup final at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Friday.

The defending champions have already won the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy — Pakistan’s premier First Class tournament — and the National T20 Cup in the 2021-22 season, which concludes with the 50-over tournament finale.

While KP have performed extraordinarily at the top-most level, their junior sides have also annexed titles at the U-13, U-16 and U-19 levels, which means triumph in the Pakistan Cup will be their overall sixth title of the season.

Balochistan, on the other hand, will look for their first trophy since the Pakistan Cricket Board’s revamping of the domestic structure in 2018-19, which saw the formation of six provincial association teams.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa confirmed a place in the Pakistan Cup finale when they beat Central Punjab by six wickets while Balochistan overpowered Sindh by 13 runs in the second semi-final.

“We have played some outstanding cricket during the season and we would like to end it on a winning note,” KP captain Khalid Usman was quoted as saying in a PCb press release on the eve of the match.

“The players have responded well in different conditions and different formats, and I hope they will do well in the final.

“Balochistan is a good side and they have performed well in crunch situations and so, we are hoping that fans are up for a good contest tomorrow.”

The two sides came up against each other twice during the tournament’s league round. In the first clash, Balochistan were the victors, crushing KP by eight wickets, courtesy unbeaten half-centuries by opener Imran Butt and veteran middle-order batter Asad Shafiq.

Pacers Amad Butt and Khurram Shehzad’s three wickets apiece also helped the Yasir Shah-led Balochistan.

The return fixture, however, saw KP hit back and beat Balochistan by 49 runs, thanks to Adil Amin’s 92 and Khalid’s three wickets.

Balochistan’s Haseebullah is the second highest run-getter in the tournament with 569 runs from 11 matches at an average of 56.90 while Asad currently occupies fourth spot in the batting charts with 489 runs at 97.80.

“I am really proud of the players; the way they have responded in this tournament,” said Yasir.

“Our combination is really good and I am hopeful of lifting the title on Friday.

“Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is a great side, but we have the resources to beat them in all departments of the game.”

KP’s Kamran Ghulam holds the seventh spot in the batting charts with 461 runs from 11 matches at 41.91. The 2020 Domestic Cricketer of the Year was named player-of-the-match in the first semi-final against Central Punjab for his 120-ball 109.

Amongst the bowlers, KP captain Khalid leads the table with 23 wickets from 11 matches. Khalid is followed by his rival captain Yasir, who has taken 20 wickets from 11 matches.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2022