After a hectic nine days of activities, the star-studded President’s Cup One-day cricket tournament has reached the three-match knockout stage with the semi-finals and final to be played here at the National Stadium Karachi.
In the first last-four six clash, Habib Bank Limited (HBL) meet Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) on Tuesday in a repeat of the first-class President’s Trophy Grade-I competition, while National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) take on Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) in the pre-final on Wednesday with the winners progressing to Friday’s final.
The biggest shock of the preliminary phase of the competition was the massive failure of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to qualify for the semi-finals from Group B after suffering three straight losses. The main beneficiaries of the national carrier’s sloppy show were Wapda who joined pool winners HBL in the last-four round.
The qualifiers from Group A were, more or less, straight forward with NBP and SNGPL making it to the semis as widely tipped given the star-billing of their outfits. Quite remarkably all teams qualifying won three and lost of their respective four matches.
First Semi Final: 16th Apr. Sui Northern Gas Vs Habib Bank at National Stadium Karachi – Start Time: 0830 hours
Second Semi Final: 18th Apr. WAPDA Vs National Bank at National Stadium Karachi – Start Time: 0930 hours
Final Match: 19th Apr. Winner of First Semi Final Vs Winner of Second Semi Final at National Stadium Karachi – Start Time: 0930 hours