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KARACHI, March 7: The star-studded PIA, led by former Pakistan skipper Moin Khan and bolstered by Wasim Akram, Saqlain Mushtaq and Azhar Mahmood from the onset, are tipped to lift the National One-day Cricket Championship which gets under way from Friday.
The tournament features a record 99 matches, culminating with the day-night final at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore April 7, with 28 teams appearing in the month-long event.
There will be a total of 84 fixtures in the league round that concludes March 20 with the teams divided in four pools of seven each.
The eight-team final round is scheduled from March 29 to 31. The top two sides from the two groups of that phase will then qualify for the semifinals, both being day-night ties, at Karachi (April 4) and Lahore (April 5).
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has delayed announcing tournament’s prize-money as it is seeking sponsors.
PIA, winners of the one-day title on numerous occasions when it was known as Wills Cup, have the services of other national stars such as pacer Fazle Akbar, who finished the first-class season with 95 wickets, Ghulam Ali and Mohammad Zahid (who like Saqlain was released from the Asian Test Championship squad).
Abdul Razzaq, Yousuf Youhana and Shoaib Malik will further strengthen PIA when they come back from Test duty next week.
Habib Bank are probably the next best outfit in the championship with the likes of Hasan Raza, Imran Farhat, Saleem Elahi in their ranks while Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan and Taufiq Umer will join them at the conclusion of the Lahore Test against Sri Lanka.
FIRST ROUND SCHEDULE (MARCH 8):
POOL ‘A’: Pakistan Customs v Rest of Sindh at UBL Sports Complex, Karachi; PIA v Bahawalpur at Asghar Ali Shah Stadium, Karachi; Karachi Whites v Lahore Whites at National Stadium, Karachi.
POOL ‘B’: Gujranwala v Karachi Blues at Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala; Sialkot v Pak PWD at Saga Ground, Sialkot; National Bank v Sui Gas at Lahore Country Club, Muridke.
POOL ‘C’: Lahore Blues v Faisalabad at LCCA Ground, Lahore; Sheikhupura v Sargodha at Sheikhupura; Habib Bank v Wapda at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad.
POOL ‘D’: Rawalpindi v Allied Bank at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi; Peshawar v ADBP at Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar; KRL v Islamabad at KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi.
