First-Class Matches Pakistan 1975/76 to 1979/80

geographical components, Sind and Punjab. Bonus points were awarded in the first innings only (which was limited to 70 8-ball overs, equivalent to 93.2 6-ball overs): a batting point for reaching 175 runs and every 25 thereafter, and a bowling point for each two wickets. PIA won all four of their matches to take the title, ahead of the season’s other outstanding team, National Bank. Pirzada Memorial Trophy : The final competition of the season, played from January through to March, brought together several leading teams (PIA not among them, however) into a further knockout. The first innings was limited to 70 overs, and the holders, National Bank, received a bye into the semi-finals, meaning that only three quarter-finals took place. National Bank retained the trophy by beating Karachi Blues on first innings in the final. There can be no doubt whatever that National Bank and PIA, claiming five of the six Trophies between them (and not entering the sixth), were the outstanding teams of the 1975/76 season. The left-arm pace bowler Liaqat Ali, who had made his Test debut in 1974/75, was the season’s leading wicket-taker with 66 victims at 18.54 in his appearances for Habib Bank, Karachi Whites, Sind and Sind A. But even more impressive were the figures for the promising young slow left-armer Iqbal Qasim, whose 65 wickets (all for National Bank or National Bank A) came at an impressive cost of only 13.52 apiece. In the course of a crowded season, four other bowlers exceeded fifty wickets: Parvez Mir (62), Naeem Ahmed (60), Abdur Raqib (59) and Imran Khan (52). Meanwhile Ghulam Abbas of PIA led the batting aggregates with 1069 runs at 56.26, form that might have allowed him, had there been any Tests during the season, to add to the solitary cap that he won on the tour of England back in 1967. Khalid Irtiza (1016) and Mohammad Shafiq (1014) also narrowly exceeded the thousand mark. Note that 8-ball overs were in use in Pakistan this season. Pentangular Trophy 1975/76: Final table P W L BatBP BowlBP Pts 10 0 1 Pakistan International Airlines 4 4 0 18 18 76 2 National Bank of Pakistan 4 3 1 23 19 72 3 Sind 4 2 2 15 20 55 4 Railways 4 1 3 17 18 45 5 Punjab 4 0 4 8 17 25 Abandoned matches: National Bank of Pakistan v Karachi Whites, Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad, 30, 31 August, 1, 2 September 1975. Karachi Whites walkover. National Bank of Pakistan v Baluchistan, Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad, 18, 19, 20, 21 November 1975. National Bank walkover. 8 Pakistan in 1975/76