All eyes will be on defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when they take on Balochistan in the final of the Pakistan Cup on Friday at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
The 50-over tournament will be the last tournament of the 2021-22 domestic cricket season, in which the Pakistan Cricket Board delivered 11 tournaments (280 matches).
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have already clinched the U13, U16, U19, National T20 Cup, and Quaid-e-Azam Trophy titles and if they succeed in winning on Friday, this will be their sixth title of the 2021-22 season and seventh in succession.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa qualified for the final after defeating Central Punjab by six wickets in the first semi-final on 28 March, while Yasir Shah-led Balochistan progressed to the title match after overpowering Sindh by 13 runs in the second semi-final on 30 March.
The winner will collect a cheque of Rs. 5 million, while the losing side will receive Rs. 2.5million. Separately, Rs. 1million will be distributed between the Player of the Tournament, Best Batter, Best Bowler, and Best Wicketkeeper, while the Player of the Final will receive Rs. 35,000.
On the eve of the final, both the captains spoke with PCB Digital.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa captain, Khalid Usman, said, “We have played some outstanding cricket during the season and we would like to end it on a winning note.”
“The players have responded well in different conditions and different formats, and I hope they will do well in the final. Balochistan is a good side and they have performed well in crunch situations and so, we are hoping that fans are up for a good contest tomorrow.”
Balochistan captain, Yasir Shah, said, “I am really proud of the players; the way they have responded in this tournament.”
“Our combination is really good and I am hopeful of lifting the title on Friday. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a great side, but we have the resources to beat them in all departments of the game.”
Both sides have met twice in the tournament before going into Friday’s final.
In the third-round match at the Multan Cricket Stadium on March 6, Balochistan claimed a crushing eight-wicket win over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Imran Butt and Asad Shafiq scored unbeaten half-centuries, while Amad Butt and Khurram Shahzad bagged three wickets apiece for the winning team.
In the return match at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on 26 March, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bounced back and won the match by 49 runs. Adil Amin’s 92 and captain Khalid’s three wickets played an instrumental role in the victory.
The toss will take place at 9:30 am and the first ball will be bowled at 10 am. The match will be live broadcast on PTV Sports and will be live-streamed on PCB’s YouTube channel. The entry is free for the public.
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