Published: Apr 18, 2016, 07:00 PM (IST)
Edited: Apr 18, 2016, 07:09 PM (IST)
Featuring 5 teams, yet another ODI domestic tournament named Pakistan cricket Cup 2016, which will be held in Pakistan. Now that cricket has entered the new millennium of T20 cricket, Pakistan is still persistent on playing more and more traditional format. This 50-over extravaganza will be held from April 19 to May 1, 2016. Teams such as Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad and Sindh will contest four league matches, and the two teams that manage to be at the top of the table will play the final on May 1. The tournament opener will be played between Brighto Paints Balochistan and Cookania Cake Rusk Punjab on April 19. Read: Pakistan Cup 2016: Shahid Afridi, Wahab Riaz out, Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif in
Overall 11 50-over games will be played at Faisalbad’s Iqbal Stadium, with Pakistan’s masterful cricketers presenting their superior skills. Considering the player welfare, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has scaled up player remunerations by 100% for the tournament.
| Date | Teams | Venue | Field Umpires | TV Umpire | R. Umpire | Referee | Scorer |
| 19-Apr | Punjab vs Balochistan | Iqbal Stadium Faisalbad | Ahsaan Raza – Khalid Mehmood Sr. | Asif Yaqoob | Ghaffar Kazmi | Mussadaq Rasool | Tahir Suhaib |
| 20-Apr | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Islamabad | Iqbal Stadium Faisalbad | Shozab Raza – Rashid Riaz | Muhammad Sajid | Riazuddin | Aziz Ur Rehman | Tahir Suhaib |
| 21-Apr | Sindh vs Balochistan | Iqbal Stadium Faisalbad | Ghaffar Kazmi – Khalid Mehmodd Sr. | Ahsan Raza | Asif Yaqoob | Aziz Ur Rehman | Tahir Suhaib |
| 22-Apr | Punjab vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Iqbal Stadium Faisalbad | Riazuddin – Muhammad Sajid | Shozab Raza | Rashid Riaz | Aziz Ur Rehman | Tahir Suhaib |
| 23-Apr | Sindh vs Islamabad | Iqbal Stadium Faisalbad | Ahsaan Raza – Asif Yaqoob | Khalid Mehmood Sr | Ghaffar Kazmi | Aziz Ur Rehman | Tahir Suhaib |
| 24-Apr | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Balochistan | Iqbal Stadium Faisalbad | Shozab Raza – Rashid Riaz | Riazuddin | Muhammad Sajid | Mussadaq Rasool | Tahir Suhaib |
| 25-Apr | Punjab vs Islamabad | Iqbal Stadium Faisalbad | Gaffar Kazmi – Khalid Mehmood Sr. | Asif Yaqoob | Ahsan Raza | Mussadaq Rasool | Tahir Suhaib |
| 26-Apr | REST | ||||||
| 27-Apr | Sindh vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Iqbal Stadium Faisalbad | Shozab Raza – Asif Yaqoob | Riazuddin | Muhammad Sajid | Muhammad Anees | Tahir Suhaib |
| 28-Apr | Balochistan vs Islamabad | Iqbal Stadium Faisalbad | Ahsan Raza – Ghaffar Kazmi | Shozab Raza | Khalid Mehmood Sr. | Muhammad Anees | Tahir Suhaib |
| 29-Apr | Punjab vs Sindh | Iqbal Stadium Faisalbad | Rashid Riaz – Riazuddin | Muhammad Sajid | Asif Yaqoob | Muhammad Anees | Tahir Suhaib |
| 30-Apr | REST | ||||||
| 1-May | FINAL: Top two teams in the Points Table | Iqbal Stadium Faisalbad | Ahsaan Raza – Shozab Raza | Asif Yaqoob | Khalid Mahmood Sr. | Musaddaq Rasool | Tahir Suhaib |
To make it more spectacular, weekend encounter will be battled between Misbah ul Haq’s ZIC Islamabad and Sarfaraz Ahmed’s Inverex Sindh, which is expected to be a jam-packed game. And, on super Sunday, Brighto Paints Balochistan will lock horns with Younus Khan’s Giggly Boom Boom Bubble Gum Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
As a matter of fact, this tournament will be a stepping stone for the aspiring cricketers, as it will give them a golden opportunity to rub shoulders with the ODI stalwarts who donned Pakistan’s jersey at the international level. Given Pakistan team has been in a downward surge since ICC World T20 2016, this tournament might produce superlative cricketers who can catch the selector’s attention.
