CP, KP renew rivalry at start of Pakistan Cup action

KARACHI: Just three days after being involved in the high drama finale of red-ball cricket, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Central Punjab — the joint Quaid-e-Azam Trophy champions — will be action on Friday when they clash in the opening round of the 33-match Pakistan Cup 50-over tournament.

The decider of the country’s premier championship provided the first-ever first-class final in cricket history to conclude in an incredible tie at the National Stadium on Tuesday with sides equally sharing the teams’ prize-money of Rs15 million set aside for the final.

The iconic stadium won’t be staging the Pakistan Cup matches owing to South Africa’s historic tour of the country after a lapse of more than 13 years with the first Test slated to be played at the National Stadium from Jan 26 to 30. The SBP Sports Complex in North Nazimabad will be the major venue during the one-day event with 13 fixtures — including both semi-finals and the Jan 31 final — staged there to be televised live on PTV Sports and PTV National (when the Pakistan-South Africa Test takes priority on PTV Sports).

The remaining 20 league-round games will be split evenly between the UBL Sports Complex in Federal ‘B’ Area and the NBP Sports Complex in Clifton where Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Central Punjab come across against each other in round one.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — who won the 50-over title when the competition was last held in April 2019 at Rawalpindi — will be bidding to add a third trophy this season since they had also clinched the National T20 Cup crown in October last year when they outgunned Southern Punjab in the final.

Balochistan, who were the Pakistan Cup runners-up to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the previous edition, tackle Northern at the UBL Sports Complex on Friday, while Sindh — who had a disastrous time during the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and finished bottom — are desperately hoping for a change in their fortune under the youthful leadership of Saud Shakeel, who takes the captaincy from discarded Test batsman Asad Shafiq.

Sindh’s first-round opponents in the televised fixture at the SBP Sports Complex are the Sohaib Maqsood-led Southern Punjab.

Schedule:

Jan 8: Southern Punjab vs Sindh (SBP Sports Complex, Karachi); Balochistan vs Northern (UBL Sports Complex, Karachi); Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Central Punjab (NBP Sports Complex, Karachi).

Jan 10: Northern vs Central Punjab (SBP Sports Complex, Karachi); Balochistan vs Southern Punjab (UBL Sports Complex, Karachi); Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Sindh NBP Sports Complex, Karachi).

Jan 12: Balochistan vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (SBP Sports Complex, Karachi); Northern vs Southern Punjab (UBL Sports Complex, Karachi); Central Punjab vs Sindh (NBP Sports Complex, Karachi).

Jan 14: Central Punjab vs Southern Punjab (SBP Sports Complex, Karachi); Balochistan vs Sindh (UBL Sports Complex, Karachi); Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Northern (NBP Sports Complex, Karachi).

Jan 16: Northern vs Sindh (SBP Sports Complex, Karachi); Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Southern Punjab (UBL Sports Complex, Karachi); Balochistan vs Central Punjab (NBP Sports Complex, Karachi).

Jan 18: Northern vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (SBP Sports Complex, Karachi); Sindh vs Balochistan (UBL Sports Complex, Karachi); Southern Punjab vs Central Punjab (NBP Sports Complex, Karachi).

Jan 20: Sindh vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (SBP Sports Complex, Karachi); Central Punjab vs Northern (UBL Sports Complex, Karachi); Southern Punjab vs Balochistan (NBP Sports Complex, Karachi).

Jan 22: Central Punjab vs Balochistan (SBP Sports Complex, Karachi); Southern Punjab vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (UBL Sports Complex, Karachi); Sindh vs Northern (NBP Sports Complex, Karachi).

Jan 24: Sindh vs Southern Punjab (SBP Sports Complex, Karachi); Central Punjab vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (UBL Sports Complex, Karachi); Northern vs Balochistan (NBP Sports Complex, Karachi).

Jan 26: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Balochistan (SBP Sports Complex, Karachi); Southern Punjab vs Northern (UBL Sports Complex, Karachi); Sindh vs Central Punjab (NBP Sports Complex, Karachi).

Jan 29: First semi-final — No.1 vs No.4 (SBP Sports Complex, Karachi).

Jan 30: Second semi-final — No. 2 vs No.3 (SBP Sports Complex, Karachi).

Jan 31: Final (SBP Sports Complex, Karachi).