Originally, four matches were scheduled but the defending champions, United Bank, have decided to withdraw from the tournament after majority of their cricketers were sacked on Tuesday.
Consequently, a total of nine teams will now contest the championship that will be played concurrently with the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy Grade-I National Championship. Both these tournaments will continue until February next year.
It may be mentioned here that United Bank won their only Patron's Trophy Grade-I title last season.
Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) will make their first- class comeback after nine years when they face the formidable PIA at Gadhafi Stadium in Lahore. Last season's Patron Trophy Grade-II champions and the runners-up Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) earned promotion for the 1997-98 Grade-I championship under the new format. KRL, in fact, will be making their first-class debut on Friday when play against Agricultural Development Bank of Pakistan (ADBP) at KRL Stadium in Rawalpindi.
However, the clash between two former champions, Habib Bank and National Bank is the highlight of the first round. They face each other here at National Stadium.
Habib Bank, winners on five previous occasions, will be led by former Test off-spinner Akram Raza and have been strengthened by the availability of ex-Pakistan Test skipper Salim Malik. Habib Bank has named the following squad for the opening match: Akram Raza (captain), Salim Malik, Shakeel Ahmed, Moin-ul-Atiq, Mujahid Jamshed, Farhan Adil, Asadullah Butt, Majid Saeed, Naveed Anjum, Tahir Rasheed, Kabir Khan, Shahid Nazir, Nadeem Ghauri, Shahid Mahmood, Shaukat Mirza, Sohail Miandad, Imranullah and Tahir Andy. Ex-Test players Agha Zahid and Liaquat Ali are the manager and coach of the team respectively.
National Bank, who won the last of their four titles as long as 1986-87, again will be captained by opening batsman Shahid Anwar, who toured England with the senior Pakistan in 1996, with another ex-international Sajid Ali as his deputy.
The rest of the side comprise Saeed Azad, Tahir Shah, Akhtar Sarfraz, Ameer Akbar, Muhammad Javed, Naeem Khan, Maqsood Rana, Naeem Ashraf, Salman Fazal, Naeem Tayyab, Zafar Iqbal, Athar Laeeq, Wasim Arif, Tariq Muhammad, Ali Musa and Anis-ur-Rehman. Manager: Muhammad Jamil. Coach: Afzal Butt.