Ranji Trophy-QA winners match postponed

Sialkot - winners of the 2005-06 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy © Getty Images

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has asked its Indian counterparts to postpone the first match of the annual clash between India's Ranji Trophy champions and the winners of the Quaid-e-Azam (QA) Trophy till September.

The inaugural tie of this series was to be played between Uttar Pradesh and Sialkot for the Mohammad Nissar Cup from May 4 to 8 in Dharamshala but Shaharyar Khan, the PCB Chairman, wrote to the Indians asking for a postponement.

Shaharyar requested the Indians on the grounds that players from Sialkot would be busy with Eurasia Cup being played in Abu Dhabi and league cricket in England and it would be better of if the match is held in September. The Indian board, naturally, had no objections to this request and have changed the schedule of the inaugural clash of the national champions.

However, the change has come as good news for even the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) who would've even been forced to field a second-strength side. "Our players have already left for England, "Rajeev Shukla, General Secretary of UPCA said. And some would've been resting before the West Indies tour, so it is better that we've the match at the start of the next season.''

The Indian Board will now decide on a date and venue at the next working committee. "Earlier we had scheduled the match at Dharamshala since the heat in May would've been unbearable. But now we'll have to choose some other place,'' added a BCCI official. The annual match between the two domestic champions was agreed upon after the PCB put forward this proposal to Sharad Pawar regime after they took charge last year.