Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will take on Southern Punjab in the final of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy IInd XI three-day tournament, the four-day affair will be played at the State Bank Stadium in Karachi on Tuesday (today).
The two sides have played each other twice in the round-robin stage of the tournament, both matches ended in a draw at the Hayatabad Sports Complex in Peshawar. In the first encounter between the two sides, Khushdil Shah and Mehran Ibrahim scored centuries for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the first innings, a PCB spokesman, said.
For Southern Punjab, Zulfiqar Babar was the star performer taking eight wickets in the match for 166 runs. In the second encounter played from 3 to 5 November, right-handed batsman Salman Ali Agha was the star performer for Southern Punjab, scoring the only century in the match.
In their ten group matches, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa topped the table with four wins having secured 37 points, while Southern Punjab with two wins and eight drawn matches is placed at the second spot with 31 points. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will pin their hopes on Mehran Ibrahim, who is leading the side. Mehran has scored 470 runs from ten matches with an average of 36.15. His highest score of 131 came against Central Punjab at Hayatabad Sports Complex in Peshawar, which led the team to an innings and 126 runs win in the match.
In the bowling department, left-arm spinner Asif Afridi will look to play an instrumental role in the final. He, in eight outings so far in the tournament, has bagged 26 wickets with an average of 20.92, with best figures of five for 41 in an innings. Southern Punjab will be led by 32-year old Navid Yasin. The left-handed batsman has scored 365 runs with an average of 30.42 from nine matches. He has scored one hundred and three half-centuries in the tournament so far.
Southern Punjab will be hoping Mukhtar Ahmed right-handed opening batsman will score big in the final. Mukhtar who is amongst the top-four in the tournament has scored 658 runs in 10 matches with an average of 38.71. He has scored one hundred and five half-centuries.
In the bowling department, Southern Punjab has the experience of Zulfiqar Babar, a veteran of 15 Tests, with 54 wickets. In the tournament, Zulfiqar with his left-arm spin has taken 87 wickets from 10 matches with an average of 19.21. He is the top wicket-getter in the tournament with best figures of six for 45 in an innings, possessing an impressive strike rate of 39.56.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa captain Mehran Ibrahim: "We have prepared well for the final and we are happy to have the services of Khushdil Shah who has just returned from featuring in the ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup. "The confidence given to us by the coaches has helped us perform, and we are thrilled to have topped the table. I am personally happy with my own form and look forward to performing well in the final and helping the side win the tournament. We have a settled team and have performed well in both departments of the game."
Southern Punjab captain Navid Yasin: "The morale of the team is high and we are looking forward to win the final against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. We had good outings against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in their own backyard in the tournament, and we are fully prepared to give our best in the final. The coaches have worked really hard with the players throughout the tournament, and the players have responded well, and played as a unit. Mukhtar Ahmed and Zulfiqar Babar has performed exceptionally well in the tournament, we expect them to give their best in the final and help the team lift the trophy."