Pakistan moves President’s Trophy matches out of two cities

The Pakistan Cricket Board has relocated President’s Trophy Grade 1 matches from Peshawar and Abbottabad after emergency measures and governor’s rule were imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Cricinfo, cited by The Times of India, reported that affected fixtures would move to Sheikhupura and Lahore. Matches in Islamabad and Rawalpindi retain their existing arrangements.

From October 14, Ghani will face Hyderabad Kingsmen Academy at Rana Naveed Academy in Sheikhupura. Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited will play Oil and Gas Development Company Limited at Lahore’s LCCA Ground, beside Gaddafi Stadium, starting the same day.

The final round has been postponed by one day to October 19. Lahore will host Markhor IT Solutions against Pakistan TV. Hyderabad Kingsmen Academy will face State Bank of Pakistan at the National Cricket Ground in Islamabad, where Diamond Club remains another venue.

The changes follow the suspension of the provincial administration led by Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Federal authorities introduced emergency measures and governor’s rule.

Abbottabad has regularly staged first-class games. Peshawar’s Imran Khan Stadium returned to the senior men’s domestic calendar last season after nearly seven years away and hosted nine Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches following renovation.

Peshawar had also been allocated its first Pakistan Super League match this year. That competition was subsequently restricted to Lahore and Karachi under federal fuel-conservation measures. The latest relocation affects the separate President’s Trophy schedule.