Eighth round of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy begins on Monday.

LAHORE -- Following three exciting results in the previous round, the eighth round of the first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, which commences tomorrow Monday, promises to sustain the momentum as teams fight for the top two slots which will enable their qualification for the five-day new year's final.

As anticipated, the points table further spiced up following Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's rise to the top after a stellar innings and 37 runs victory against Sindh, which helped them grab as many as 25 points, the most for any team in the seventh round.

Central Punjab's resurgence has put the title defenders on the fourth spot from the bottom of the points table after two back-to-back wins.

Southern Punjab, who slipped to third spot following their defeat to Northern in the sixth round after spending four rounds at the top of the table, are just one point behind second-ranked Northern following their thumping win over Balochistan, who slipped one place to fifth position.

Sindh continue to have a poor run of form following their win in the season opener. In their six matches since, they have lost three; two of those defeats have come in their last two matches, and drawn three.

With only two rounds remaining after this one, Sindh, captained by Asad Shafiq, will be eager to accumulate maximum points and finish on a high.

Balochistan v Central Punjab at State Bank Stadium:

Central Punjab have staged an impressive comeback with two big wins against Sindh (by 227 runs in the sixth round) and Northern (by six wickets in the seventh round) and will be eager to further stretch this winning streak when they take on Balochistan, who also have lost three of their last six matches following their solitary win in their first match of the 2020-21 first-class season.

Captain Hasan Ali regaining fitness and form and spearheading the bowling attack since his return to the side has played a vital role in Central Punjab's change of fortune. The pacer has taken 15 wickets in the last three matches and now sits at the eighth spot in the list of the highest wicket-takers with 20 scalps at an average of 21.05.

Contributions from Waqas Maqsood, who is the leading wicket-takers amongst the pacers to date with 28 wickets at 21.43, and 23-year-old left-arm orthodox Ahmed Safi Abdullah (28 wickets at 21.61) further strengthens the team's bowling unit. Waqas is ranked third and Ahmed is ranked fifth in the list of bowlers with most wickets.

Hasan, however, would be hoping that their...