Karachi-W, despite drawing their last match against Rawalpindi and failing to add to their points, have retained their top position after the completion of the ninth round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (Grade-I), winning six of the 9 matches played so far. Lahore-B has won 6 of their nine matches and are second behind Karachi (75 points) with 63 points. Faisalabad finished the round with 48 points and stand third in the overall standings.

The ninth round of the Trophy was marred by bad weather in the Punjab. The matches at Lahore and Sheikhupura ended in draws without a single ball being bowled, as the grounds were rendered wet due to intermittent rains or foggy conditions.

Karachi-B, finding themselves at the bottom of the point's table before the 9th round, managed at last to earn 12 points after they defeated Islamabad by an innings at their home ground. Despite this victory, they are still facing the danger of finishing last. They still have to fight hard to surpass Islamabad (15 points) and Sheikhupura (12 points), so as to confirm their place in the next year's competition.

Several worthwhile performances, both with bat and bowl, have been witnessed so far during the tournament. Naved Latif, the Sargodha opener, hammered 394 against Gujranwala in a seventh round match played at the latter's ground. Owing to this brilliant batting display the Sargodha team registered 721 in their first innings, which is the highest total of the tournament so far. Naved's feat has earned him a place among the world's top ten individual run getters in first class cricket along with the likes of Lara (501*), Hanif Mohammad (499), and Sir Don Bradman (452*).

A fourth round match played between Gujranwala and Karachi-B saw some notable batting performances from both sides. Put into bat by the home side, Karachi scored 463 with the help of a magnificent 211 by the middle order batsman Farhan Adil. This was followed by a gutsy display with the bat by Gujranwala. Helped by the centuries of Rizwan Malik (156) and Majid Saeed (124), they amassed 557 in their first innings, earning their team three points on the basis of first innings' lead.

Another brilliant performance with the bat came in the sixth round when Asif Mujtaba, former Test player, piled up 202* for Karachi-W against Sheikhupura in his team's score of 543 for 4. In the same round, Lahore-W, owing to the brilliant knocks by Hamayun Farhat (188) and Farid Butt (166*) registered 532 for 9, which is so far there highest in the tournament. The performance of Mohammad Ramzan, the opening batsman from Faisalabad, stands above everyone else. He achieved the rare feat of scoring a double century (205) in the first innings followed by a century (102*) in the second innings in the second round match played against Sargodha.

Beside these remarkable batting performances, we also saw some drab performances with the bat. Peshawar recorded the lowest total of the tournament as they were bundled out for a paltry 67 in their match against Bahawalpur and went on to lose the match by an innings' margin. Faisalabad, Sheikhupura, and Gujranwala have also the infamous distinction of being out for a total below hundred.

So much for the batting, the tournament has also seen some good performances with the ball. Danish Kaneria, the young leg spinner from Karachi, along with Tabish Nawab (Karachi-B), Waqas Ahmed (Lahore-B), Arshad Khan (Peshawar), Waqar Ahmed (Peshawar), and Aqeel Ahmed (Faisalabad) all have the distinction of getting seven wickets in an innings.

According to a news item appearing in the local press, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has allowed various front line cricketers to represent their respective associations in the remaining two rounds of the tournament. These players include: Moin Khan, Saeed Anwar, Inzamam ul Haq, Waqar Younas, Saleem Elahi, Mushtaq Ahmed, Abdul Razzaq, Saqlain Mushtaq, Yousaf Youhana, and Imran Nazir. The proposed participation of these players in the tournament is going to be a great boost for domestic cricket in Pakistan, as they are bound to attract the general public towards these matches.

© CricInfo