KARACHI: The political uphea­val in the northern region of the country with an opposition party, led by World Cup-winning skipper Imran Khan, set to shut the federal capital next week, has forced the PCB to reschedule some fixtures of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship.

As a result of this development, one out of eight matches in the fifth round will begin from Friday instead of Saturday when the remaining ties start.

Therefore, HBL and SSGC will now lock horns at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar from Friday instead of the originally-announced Diamond Club Ground in Islamabad. Currently separated by just two points in the top half of Pool ‘A’, both the sides are keen to put up a good show.

HBL, in particular, will be hoping for a good finish after being stunned by Lahore Blues in the fourth-round encounter at Faisalabad. The docile nature of the pitch at the National Stadium meant SSGC took only three points against Karachi Blues.

PIA got the taste of victory in the nick of time against Rawalpindi earlier in the week because from onwards there won’t be any room for performing poorly since their next three opponents are the three top teams at the head of Pool ‘B’.

PIA’s first major challenge is against third-placed NBP at the rescheduled venue of Multan Cricket Stadium from Saturday. The Rawalpindi game keeps alive PIA’s aspirations for a place in the Super Eight round.

SNGPL and KRL will be battling for supremacy in the top-of-the-table clash at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium. KRL had been planning the downfall of the champions at their home ground in Rawalpindi had the PCB not relocated this fixture.

Another match attracting attention will be the Wapda vs UBL clash at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot with 10 points being the difference between them in Pool ‘A’.

Karachi Blues will fancy their chance of scoring points for the first time this season when they entertain Islamabad at the National Stadium, while Karachi Whites will be expecting nothing but a victory against Rawalpindi at the NBP Sports Complex after giving SNGPL a real fright last Monday.

Meanwhile, the country’s premier tournament will be barren by more absentees after the PCB on Thursday gave green signal to the Bangladesh Premier League signees.

With the top stars already forced to skip the championship altogether because of international matches, 15 players will ply their talent in the T20 league that runs from Nov 4 to Dec 9 after issued NoC.

Further, SNGPL talisman Basit Ali won’t be available to guide his charges since the former Pakistan batsman has been entrusted with the task of being the head coach of Pakistan women’s squad that leaves for New Zealand and Thailand in a couple of days time.

Fifth-round schedule:

Pool ‘A’:

Oct 28-31: HBL vs SSGC (Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar).

Oct 29-Nov 1: Karachi Blues vs Islamabad (National Stadium, Karachi); Lahore Blues vs Peshawar (Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, D/N); Wapda vs UBL (Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot).

Pool ‘B’: Karachi Whites vs Rawalpindi (NBP Sports Complex, Karachi); NBP vs PIA (Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan); KRL vs SNGPL (Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad); Lahore Whites vs Fata (LCCA Ground, Lahore).

Current standings

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

Pool ‘A’

Wapda 4 4 0 0 34

UBL 4 2 0 2 24

HBL 4 2 1 1 18

SSGC 4 1 0 3 16

Lahore Blues 4 1 2 1 7

Islamabad 4 0 3 1 3

Karachi Blues 4 0 2 2 0

Peshawar 4 0 2 2 0

Pool ‘B’

SNGPL 4 3 0 1 27

KRL 4 2 0 2 24

NBP 4 1 0 3 13

Fata 4 1 1 2 9

Lahore Whites 4 1 1 2 9

Karachi Whites 4 1 2 1 9

PIA 4 1 3 0 9

Rawalpindi 4 0 3 1 3

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2016