KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday unveiled the complete schedule of the domestic cricket season 2020-2021 which begins with the National T20 Cup to be hosted by Multan and Rawalpindi from September 30 to October 18.
“In a major shift from previous years and taking into account the upcoming three white-ball global events, the PCB has decided to hold First XI matches of the National T20 Cup and Pakistan Cup One-Day Tournament, and National Under-19 One-Day Tournament on a double-league basis. This will guarantee each side a minimum of 10 league matches in the three white-ball competitions,” the PCB said.
The top four sides in the senior events will progress to the semi-finals, and the top two sides in the juniors’ event will progress to the final.
The National Under-19 One-Day Tournament will be played in Lahore, Muridke and Sheikhupura from October 13 to November 2.
“The National T20 Cup and the National U19 One-Day Tournament have been scheduled at the start of the season to enable all the top performers to have the opportunity to attract interest from the franchises prior to the HBL PSL 2020 draft in November,” the PCB said.
The Pakistan Cup One-Day Tournament will be played from January 8-31. The domestic season will conclude with the PCB’s marquee event, the HBL Pakistan Super League 2021, starting in February.
Four-day first-class matches (Quaid-e-Azam Trophy) will start from October 25 and the event will conclude with the five-day final starting on 1 January.
Second XI three-day matches (QT) will be played from October 18 to December 13.
“Due to Covid-19 precautions, travel for players and officials will be restricted for all Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches during the 2020-2021 season, resulting in all matches being played at grounds in Karachi,” the Board said. “Staging the tournament in Karachi will help mitigate the risk of bad weather conditions, such as fog and dew, seriously intervening in matches at that time of year,” the PCB said.
While finalising the domestic cricket calendar, the PCB has also taken into consideration the commencement of Ramadan, which is likely to start around April 15, the Board said.
The schedule of events will be further populated after the confirmation of Boys Under-13 and Under-16 and women’s events, HBL PSL 2021 and home international series against Zimbabwe and South Africa.
“In the uncertain Covid-19 situation, I am pleased that we have been able to put together a complete domestic cricket schedule, which is challenging but will contribute significantly in getting the best out of all the players that, in turn, will uplift the quality and standard of our home cricket,” PCB Director High Performance Nadeem Khan said.
“The increase in number of matches will not only provide a fair and equal opportunity to all the talented players, it will increase their earnings,” he said.
National T20 Cup 1st XI (33 matches) September 30 to October 18 in Multan and Rawalpindi
National T20 Cup 2nd XI (15 matches) October 1-8 in Lahore
National U19 One-Day Tournament (31 matches) October 13 to November 2 in Lahore, Muridke and Sheikhupura
National U19 Three-Day Tournament (16 matches) November 5-29 in Lahore, Muridke and Sheikhupura
HBL PSL 2020 (4 matches) November 14-17 in Lahore
Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 1st XI (31 matches) October 25, 2020, to January 5, 2021, in Karachi
Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2nd XI (30 matches) October 18 to December 13 in Karachi
Pakistan Cup 1st XI (33 matches) January 8-31, 2021, in Karachi
Pakistan Cup 2nd XI (15 matches) December 16-24 in Karachi