FIrst-Class Matches Pakistan 1980/81 to 1983/84

215 Pakistan in 1983/84 Pakistan’s Test schedule in 1983/84 began with a tour of India in which, reverting to type for rubbers between these nations, all three Tests ended in draws. And this was a fair reflection of the cricket: a combination of slow batting and time lost meant that not a single second-innings wicket fell in the first two Tests, and the third, although making somewhat more progress, never approached a result. Pakistan’s next commitment, a tour of Australia, was honoured with a full five Tests. But the preparations for such a major enterprise were chaotic. Zaheer Abbas was appointed captain, reasonably enough, one might have thought, since he had led the side in India. But the BCCP President then overruled (and sacked) the selectors and appointed Imran Khan instead. Given the slowness of Imran’s recovery from a fractured shin this seemed a perverse decision and so it proved, as the notional captain took no part in the early stages of the tour and Zaheer Abbas led the side instead. Not until the fourth Test was Imran cleared to play, although as a batsman only. The loss of Pakistan’s most effective bowler was exacerbated by the non-selection of Sarfraz Nawaz, who was banned for disciplinary reasons (although the ban was lifted in time for him to join the side in the third Test). Not surprisingly in such circumstances the tourists got off to a shaky start when they suffered an innings defeat in the first Test and were saved from a similar fate in the second only by a rainstorm that washed out much of the fourth day and all of the fifth. Thereafter, however, the side’s fortunes improved, matching Australia run for run in high-scoring draws in the third and fourth Tests before succumbing to a ten-wicket defeat in the fifth, a match notable for bringing down the curtain on the illustrious Test careers of the hosts’ Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee and Rodney Marsh, and the visitors’Wasim Bari. Pakistan, with Zaheer now officially restored to the captaincy, returned home to face England. The first Test was hard fought by both sides but eventually, requiring only 65 for victory, Pakistan scraped home by three wickets. The second Test was a high-scoring draw and the third was also drawn as England, set 240 to win, ended on 217-6. Pakistan’s 1-0 win was, remarkably, their first successful rubber against England at the twelfth attempt. After a period of relative stability in the structure of domestic first-class cricket, there was a major change in the 1983/84 season as, after years of doubt and confusion (see the notes to the 1980/81 season), the BCCP definitively ruled the Patron’s Trophy first-class. Whatever one may think of this decision on its merits, because it was acknowledged at the time that the playing standards fell short of what had been hoped for, this was at last a clearcut decision and was accepted as such by statisticians. The Trophy’s 37 matches ensured that the season set a new record total of 88 first-class games, a total that would have been even higher had the PACO Cup not fallen victim to fixture congestion. Patron’s Trophy: The Trophy was played right at the beginning of the season and was concentrated into the month of October, with only the final extending the competition into early November. Ceasing to act as a qualifier for the QeA, it was reserved wholly for geographically-based sides. The 19 teams, several of them new to first-class cricket, were divided into three groups of five and one of four. The four group winners, who proved to be Karachi Blues, Karachi Greens, Lahore City Whites and Rawalpindi, went through to the semifinals, and in a closely-contested, low- scoring final Karachi Blues edged out Lahore City Whites by three wickets. Strong reservations were expressed about the overall standard of the competition, and its credentials as a serious event were further called into question when two group matches failed to take place at all: in Group D, Lahore Division were awarded a walk-over when Hazara did not turn up, while the Group A game between Hyderabad and Lahore City Blues simply failed to take place in circumstances that were, and remain, obscure. Neither side was awarded any points.