KARACHI: A tough fight is expected as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa face Northern in the five-day pink-ball day-night final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 which begins here at the National Stadium from Saturday (today).
The match begins at 2pm.
Last season the final of the country’s first-class season was played between KP and Central Punjab which ended in a tie after a pulsating encounter here at the National Stadium. And so both the finalists shared the trophy.
In the group stage, after a few bad matches, Northern emerged as leaders with 152 points from ten matches. KP, who at one stage were at No4, made rapid progress to finish second with 150 points.
Sindh, who were on top of the points table leading into the last two rounds, lost their way and despite winning their tenth and final fixture against Southern Punjab, finished with 143 points.
The Karachi wickets proved to be highly supportive and produced results after the Punjab-leg which produced a single result in the first 15 matches.
As many as 14 out of the 15 matches played across three Karachi venues produced results.
“We have peaked at the right time and due to an all-round effort secured a spot in the final,” Northern skipper Nauman Ali said. “I have been hugely impressed by the fight shown by our young players in the final few rounds which resulted in us topping the table. The pink-ball final though will be a different challenge for players from both sides with conditions expected to change especially under the lights.
“However, I am confident that we possess the skills and the depth to compete at our best against a formidable side like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” said Nauman, a left-arm Test spinner.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa captain Iftikhar Ahmed said his team fought bravely at times which mattered the most to make it to the final. “This year’s tournament has proven to be as competitive as the previous two editions in the revamped domestic system. I am really pleased about our performances and how we have managed to secure a place in the final despite stiff competition. Our batters and bowlers have done admirably and raised their game, especially in the Karachi-leg which has produced results in almost every game,” Iftikhar said.
“The pink-ball under the lights will be a big challenge for both sides and it in a way even things out. It is a bit of an unknown for both set of players so I feel the first two days will be crucial for both teams as they will seek to gain early advantage. I have full confidence in my players and I think they will rise up to the challenge as we seek our fifth consecutive domestic title across three formats,” said Iftikhar, who has played three Tests.
Test players Muhammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi are not available for the final to KP who have been reliant on opener Sahibzada Farhan. The 25-year-old batsman who has played three T20Is for Pakistan, occupies the number one spot in the run scorers chart with an impressive 924 runs, averaging 57.75.
Northern’s Mohammad Huraira has had a dream start to his first-class career. The 19-year-old right-hander who represented Pakistan in last year’s Under-19 World Cup in South Africa, has amassed 878 runs (three centuries, three half-centuries) including a sensational 311 against Balochistan in the 10th and final round.
Huraira currently occupies the second spot behind Farhan. Southern Punjab’s Tayyab Tahir finished the tournament with 811 runs at 47.71.
Southern Punjab’s left-arm-spinner Ali Usman finished with 43 wickets and is likely to finish as the top wicket-taker of the season.
Usman is followed by Central Punjab’s pacer Mohammad Ali and Sindh’s seasoned fast bowler Sohail Khan with 32 and 30 wickets, respectively.
Between the two finalists, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa pacer Sameen Gul is the leading wicket-taker with 29. Northern’s promising all-rounder Mubasir Khan has taken 25 wickets.
The winners will get richer by Rs10 million while Rs5m will be handed over to the runners-up. A purse of Rs500,000 each will be handed to the best batsman, the best bowler, the best stumper and the player of the tournament. The man of the final will get Rs50,000.
Asif Yaqoob and Faisal Afridi will supervise the match while Nadeem Arshad will act as match referee.