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With group leaders Karachi Whites and Lahore Blues not in action, Sheikhupura, Peshawar, Faisalabad and Bahawalpur will be anxious to close the gap on the points table in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy Grade-I cricket championship.

The fifth round of matches, starting Saturday, therefore assumes great importance for the team lying below Karachi Whites and Lahore Blues in the two pools.

Sheikhupura are in excellent position to topple Lahore Blues at the top of Group-II if they can overcome Rest of NWFP at Sheikhupura Stadium with maximum points. Sheikhupura will then also have a psychological edge of the Blues because both of them are pitted against each in the next round from Feb 1.

In the other group, Karachi Whites, who were runners-up to Lahore Blues last season, have a comfortable lead on the ladder with a difference of 24 points over four teams.

Fifth round schedule (Jan 26-29):

*Hyderabad v Gujranwala at Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad (Umpires: Sadiq Mohammad and Nadeem Ghauri. Match referee: Naeem Ahmed).

*Sargodha v Karachi Blues at Sports Stadium, Sargodha (Umpires: M. Nazir Junior and Iqbal Butt. Match referee: Khalid Niazi).

*Faisalabad v Rest of Sindh at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad (Umpires: Asad Rauf and Siddique Khan. Match referee: Musaddeq Rasool).

*Bahawalpur v Rest of Balochistan at Bahawalpur Stadium. (Umpires: Athar Zaidi and Ijaz Ahmed. Match referee: Fahimuddin Alvi).

*Lahore Whites v Rest of Punjab at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore (Umpires: Salim Badar and Khalid Mahmood Sr. Match referee: Shafiq Ahmed).

*Sialkot v Rawalpindi at Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot (Umpires: Mian Aslam and Afzaal Ahmed. Match referee: Azhar Khan).

*Peshawar v Islamabad at Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar (Umpires: Islam Khan and Aleem Dar. Match referee: Ehteshamuddin).

*Sheikhupura v Rest of NWFP at Sheikhupura Stadium (Umpires: Feroz Butt and Z.I. Pasha. Match referee: Azmat Rana).

© Dawn