PCB squeezes T20 tournament before President’s Trophy final

17-team event to be played in Rawalpindi before World Twenty20.

KARACHI:

The President’s Trophy final will be played after a gap of three weeks after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided to stage a domestic Twenty20 tournament first.

The T20 event will be played from February 6-16 in Rawalpindi and will have 17 teams for the first time in the history of the competition.

This decision has been taken to accommodate the national selectors, who need to submit their final team for the World T20 in the third week of February.

According to details learnt by The Express Tribune, the 17 teams will be divided into four pools, with three groups consisting of four teams while the remaining pool will have five teams.

Newly formed regions Larkana, Dera Murad Jamali and Fata will join the leading regional teams in this edition of the tournament after Bahawalpur joined the ranks in the last edition.

“The President’s Trophy final will be played after the domestic T20 tournament in the third week of February,” a senior PCB official confirmed.

“The T20 tournament will have three new teams; Larkana, Fata and Dera Murad Jamali. The trio has been allowed to induct guest players in their line-ups to ensure strong squads.”

SNGPL sneak into final to join UBL

Defending champions SNGPL had to play out of their skin in their last league match to cement their place in the final of the departmental first-class competition, and will now lock horns with UBL for a shot at the title.

Left-arm spinner Imran Khalid was instrumental in their 89-run win against Wapda.

He claimed nine wickets in the crucial match while skipper Misbahul Haq also played his part with a century in the first innings.

SNGPL took a gamble on the fourth day by declaring their second innings on an overnight score of 222 for one, setting up a target of 272 runs.

They were rewarded for their bravery as Wapda were sent packing for 182 in 49 overs. Khalid added four more scalps to his first-innings five-wicket haul while Yasir Shah and Khurram Shehzad got two wickets apiece.

In another match, in-form UBL defeated PQA by 169 runs, courtesy of another five-wicket haul from their skipper Atif Maqbool, who has now become the leading wicket-taker with 53 wickets to his name.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th, 2014.

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