Representative Image (Agencies Photos)
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has shifted ongoing President’s Trophy Grade 1 matches away from Peshawar and Abbottabad following the federal government’s announcement of a state of emergency and the imposition of governor’s rule in the politically troubled province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.The venue changes come amid escalating political tensions involving the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of former prime minister Imran Khan, which had been governing the province. According to a Cricinfo report, the PCB has moved fixtures originally scheduled at Imran Khan Stadium in Peshawar and Abbottabad Cricket Stadium to venues in Sheikhupura and Lahore.The decision has disrupted the schedule as the first-class competition approaches the end of its league stage.
Matches in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, the other two host cities, will continue as planned.
PCB revises venues as political tensions escalate
The emergency was announced following presidential approval of recommendations submitted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s federal cabinet. The political developments also led to the detention of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and some members of his cabinet, according to Pakistan’s junior interior minister Talal Chaudhry, who confirmed the detentions to Reuters.
Under the revised schedule, Ghani will face Hyderabad Kingsmen Academy at Rana Naveed Academy in Sheikhupura from October 14. The match between Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) has been moved to the LCCA Ground in Lahore, adjacent to Gaddafi Stadium, with the fixture also beginning on October 14.The current round is the penultimate one of the league stage, with the sixth round beginning on Monday.
The PCB has also pushed back the final round by a day, with matches now scheduled to begin on October 19.
Final-round fixtures also affected
The revised schedule includes further changes to the tournament’s closing fixtures. Lahore’s LCCA Ground will host the final-round encounter between Markhor IT Solutions and Pakistan TV.
In Islamabad, Hyderabad Kingsmen Academy will take on State Bank of Pakistan at the National Cricket Ground, while the Diamond Club ground will continue to serve as another venue in the capital.The venue changes come as the PCB has sought to expand domestic cricket beyond its traditional centres. Abbottabad has regularly hosted first-class fixtures, while Peshawar’s Imran Khan Stadium returned to the senior men’s domestic calendar last season after nearly seven years away, hosting nine Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches following renovation work.Peshawar had also been allocated its first Pakistan Super League match this year. However, the PSL was eventually restricted to Lahore and Karachi amid federal fuel-conservation measures introduced following the West Asia crisis.The latest changes underline how the political situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has affected the domestic cricket calendar, forcing the PCB to relocate fixtures during a crucial phase of the competition.