ACS Overseas First-Class Annual 2010

Pakistan in 2009/10 Continuing security issues meant that Pakistan’s international cricket took place wholly overseas in 2009/10. Following a demoralising 2-0 defeat in Sri Lanka in 2009 (see ‘Matches in 2009’), the Test side’s next commitment – theoretically a ‘home’ series – was played instead on the turf of the ‘visiting’ team and will be found in the New Zealand section. Despite the troubling background, the series resulted in some excellent, highly competitive cricket and was drawn 1-1. This was followed, however, by a disastrous tour of Australia that resulted in a 3-0 series whitewash. In particular, a winning position in the Second Test was thrown away in circumstances that gave rise to allegations of disharmony, even dysfunctionality, in the Pakistan side. By the end of the 2009/10 season, the way forward for Pakistan as a force in Test cricket was far from clear. In the circumstances, it was inevitable that the 2009/10 first-class season would consist entirely of domestic matches. The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy took place on the same format as before, with 22 sides taking part in two round-robin groups, followed by a final between the two group champions. These proved to be Habib Bank, which easily won Group A (consisting mainly of departmental sides), and Karachi Blues, which headed Group B (regional teams) ahead of the defending Quaid-e-Azam champions, Sialkot. Karachi Blues beat Habib Bank in the five-day final with two full days to spare. The other first-class competition, the RBS Pentangular Cup, which had opened the season in 2008/09, was switched to the end of the season in 2009/10. It retained the five-team format, but instead of the former provincial sides, it was contested by the top two teams from each Quaid-e-Azam Group plus a fifth side representing the Rest. The two departmental sides from Group A, Habib Bank and Sui Northern Gas, dominated the round-robin league before contesting the final. Sui Northern Gas won by seven wickets, leaving Habib Bank to rue the unwanted achievement of losing both national finals. It should have been Pakistan’s turn to host the Nissar Trophy game between the previous season’s Quaid-e-Azam and Ranji Trophy winners, but the match did not take place. Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2009/10: Final tables Group A P W WLF L DWF DLF ND Pts NetRR 9 6 0 3 0 0 1 Habib Bank Limited 10 6 2 1 0 1 0 66 0.631 2 Sui Northern Gas Pipelines 10 4 2 2 0 2 0 48 0.350 3 National Bank of Pakistan 10 4 1 3 2 0 0 48 -0.074 4 Pakistan International Airlines 10 4 0 2 3 1 0 45 0.117 5 WAPDA 10 3 1 1 3 1 1 42 0.061 6 Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited 10 3 1 2 3 0 1 42 0.370 7 Karachi Whites 10 3 1 5 1 0 0 36 -0.189 8 Khan Research Laboratories 10 1 1 3 2 3 0 21 0.044 9 Sui Southern Gas Corporation 10 1 0 4 1 4 0 12 -0.353 10 Pakistan Customs 10 1 0 9 0 0 0 9 -0.034 11 Lahore Shalimar 10 0 0 7 0 3 0 0 -0.918 235