Players unhappy with mini break after end of league

PCB blasted for not giving enough break between events.


Our Correspondent November 29, 2012

KARACHI: The start of the National Twenty20 Cup tomorrow – only a day after the final league phase of the President’s Trophy – has left several players lashing out at the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) poor planning.

The players blasted the board, arguing that ample time should have been given to get up to the demands of Twenty20 cricket instead of a single day. The confusion at the PCB headquarters was visible when the board announced a revised schedule of the event two days before the start of the event.

“It’s not easy to suddenly shift focus to the shortest version of the game,” one of the players told The Express Tribune. “There should be logic behind every move. The board should’ve given a break of three to four days at least for us to recover because T20 demands a lot physically and mentally.”

ZTBL win, weather affects three matches

Meanwhile, on the field, Junaid Nadir, Junaid Zia and Zohaib Khan took three wickets each as ZTBL thrashed UBL by an innings and 256 runs at the Marghzar Ground Islamabad.

Elsewhere, Faisal Iqbal and Shoaib Khan scored fighting tons to help PIA draw their last match against Wapda from a losing situation. Chasing 355, PIA ended the day on 291 for five in 84 overs after resuming on 101 for four. Iqbal remained unbeaten on 128 while Khan made a 253-ball 120.

The PQA versus HBL and SNGPL versus SBP matches were rained off but there was time for SNGPL – who will be playing for the trophy against HBL – to have their coach, Basit Ali, fined half his match-fee by the umpires for helping ground staff lift the covers for inspection of the pitch.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30th, 2012.

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