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

Pakistan in 1978/79 The highlight of Pakistan’s season in 1978/79 was surely the resumption of Test cricket against India after an interval of nearly eighteen years during which relations between the two nations had been characterized by sustained mutual hostility, normally of a political and diplomatic nature but occasionally spilling over into the military version. Pakistan, in conformity with the cricket authorities’ world-wide ban, had dutifully omitted their Packer players from the home and away rubbers against England in 1977/78 and 1978. But against India, of all possible opponents, Pakistan would inevitably wish to put out the strongest possible side, especially since Packer’s recruiters had shown a surprising, but total, lack of interest in signing up Indian players. And so Pakistan recalled the Packer contingent, maximizing their prospects of success in the keenly-awaited rubber but dealing a fatal blow to the ICC ban. After the first Test had ended in the thirteenth consecutive draw between the two nations, the second provided the first definite result since November 1952. After India, put in to bat, had been dismissed for 199, a second-innings recovery was not enough to save them from going one down; and in the final Test Pakistan wore their opponents down, despite twin hundreds by Sunil Gavaskar, to claim a series-clinching win with only seven balls to spare. Thus it was that, from Pakistan’s point of view, the pleasure in resuming cricketing relations was all the greater on account of the result: a 2-0 victory for the home team. There was a risk that, after this, anything else might seem an anti-climax. But the side went on to show how effective it could be in less familiar conditions overseas. Three Tests in New Zealand resulted in a solid and well-earned 1-0 win for the visitors; and the two Tests that followed in Australia were divided 1-1, with Sarfraz Nawaz’s 9-86 in the second innings of the first Test a particular highlight of an acrimonious rubber. The structure of the domestic season was similar to the previous season, with the same three competitions as before. In all three competitions, each team’s first innings was limited to 78 8-ball overs (equivalent to 104 6-ball overs). BCCP Invitation Tournament : The Tournament, restructured as a knockout affair, was moved to the start of the season, taking place in September before the Indian tour. Ten sides took part, eight of which played four preliminary matches and two quarter-finals to decide who would join last year’s finalists, Habib Bank and PIA, at the semi-final stage. The final, in fact, proved to be between these same two sides; but bad weather washed out the last two days and prevented even a first-innings decision. The two sides therefore shared the title. The losing quarter-finalists Muslim Commercial Bank and Universities played friendly games against Baluchistan and North West Frontier Province respectively, but these were ruled not first-class. Quaid-e-Azam Trophy : Following the Indian tour, the QeA was meant to be played entirely during December but a dispute led to the late rearrangement of some matches and meant that the competition spilled over into January. The intended structure was that four teams (National Bank, United Bank and PIA, in addition to defending champions Habib Bank) would automatically qualify for the quarter-finals, leaving the other eight sides to play four preliminary matches for the remaining quarter-final places. In the event, one of the preliminary games fell away when Combined Services gave Railways a walkover; more seriously, however, Sind, complaining that the Pakistan Board was interfering in team selection, obtained a court order preventing its preliminary match against Baluchistan from being played. In the circumstances, the Board decided to give Habib Bank, now lacking a quarter-final opponent, a free pass into the semi-final stage, which was played on schedule in mid December. Theoretically, the competition could have proceeded to a final and been decided at this point, but the courts insisted that the preliminary game involving Sind must be rearranged. It was eventually played in mid January, being won by Sind, who then played the quarter-final against Habib Bank; the Bank was 191