Tag: Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

Lahore Blues registered their first win of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy QEAT 2023/24 season with a nine-wicket victory over FATA Region while the rest of the second-round matches failed to produce a result.

FATA started the day at 127-4. They got to 214, before being bowled out by the Imran Butt-led side. A five-wicket-haul by Ali Shafiq was crucial to the Blues’ performance in the innings.

Khushdil Shah’s 73 and Mohammad Salman Khan’s 71 were the only fight put up by the FATA side, which otherwise could not steady themselves during the innings.

Trailing by just 40 runs, captain Imran Butt scored the bulk of the runs in the last innings ensuring that the game ended in their favour. His 22 runs were supported by nine runs from Umar Siddiq and four runs from Usman Salahuddin before the target was met.

Lahore Blues, thus, registered their first win of the season by nine wickets.

Meanwhile, the second-round QEAT match between Lahore Whites and Rawalpindi was drawn, owing to the last day getting washed out by rain.

Rawalpindi ended day three at 232-1. However, play could not resume on the last day, owing to heavy rain in Lahore. Play was called off, and the match was drawn.

Watch QEAT 2023/24 Live on ARY ZAP

In another second-round fixture of the ongoing QEAT season, Karachi Whites, despite enforcing a follow-on, could not force a result and had to settle for a draw against Faisalabad. Multan and Peshawar too ended up with a drawn game.

At the start of the day, Faisalabad were at 63-6, trailing by 371 runs. Ghulam Mudassar notably bagged a five-wicket haul, which helped the Sarfaraz Ahmed-led side. After the Karachi bowlers bowled them out for 122, a follow-on was enforced.

Faisalabad fared better in their second batting innings. They only lost one wicket, and accumulated 103 runs, with Mohammad Huraira, Ali Shan and Ali Waqas contributing to the cause.

However, considering that the match had entered the last session, and Faisalabad had nine wickets still in hand, the match was drawn.

In the fifth match of the QEAT 2023/23, Multan began their batting on the final day of the rain-impacted game. Trailing by 263, Multan batted through the day to ensure that the deficit between the two teams was reduced, even if a result seemed unlikely.

A 62 by opener Zain Abbas, and later a 70 by Sharoon Siraj helped their cause. However, Peshawar kept counter-attacking by taking periodic wickets. Particularly, four wickets by Abbas Afridi and two wickets by Mohammad Ilyas kept the Multan batting conscious throughout.

The side ended up with 286-7 after batting for 90 overs, effectively drawing the game.

READ: ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 official anthem to be released tomorrow

Unbeaten centuries from Asad Shafiq and Sarfaraz Ahmed placed Karachi Whites comfortably after the first innings on day three of round two of the ongoing QeAT 2023-2024.

Karachi Whites as well as Lahore Whites both declare innings after posting scores over 400, in their games respectively.

In the fifth match of the QeAT 2023-2024, only 10.3 overs were bowled on the second day after which play was called off owing to rain and the wet conditions of the ground. The side was 407-3, at the time of stumps.

Saad Nasim declared the innings on the third day, without adding more runs to their overnight score as the play was not possible in the first session of day three due to a wet outfield.

Rawalpindi had a steady start to their innings. A partnership of 107 runs between the openers placed them comfortably.

Even after Hasan Raza got out, Abdul Faseeh and Ashfaq Ahmed remained steady on the crease, getting a century and a half-century respectively.

Rawalpindi ended the day at 232-1.

Meanwhile, in the seventh game of the ongoing QeAt between Karachi Whites and Faisalabad, veteran Asad Shafiq was joined on the crease by Sarfaraz Ahmed at the end of day two.

Thereafter, Karachi started day three with their two most experienced batters on the crease, as the scorecard read 203-5.

Asad and Sarfaraz, who scored 108* and 128* respectively, took their side from 203 to 434. The brilliant 234-run stand between the two most experienced batters of the side ensured that the side was considerably ahead of their opponents.

Faisalabad bowlers had no luck on day three, as they could not get either of the two set batters out.

Trailing by a mammoth 434, Faisalabad batters had a task ahead of them. Falling victim to the pressure of the scorecard, Faisalabad batters could not stick to the crease.

They ended their day deep in trouble, at 63-6.

Watch QEAT 2023/24 Live on ARY ZAP

Peshawar on the other hand ended the first day of the sixth game of the ongoing QeAT season at 43-2 after batting 17 overs. The second day of play was called off due to rain and ground conditions.

Thus, Peshawar started the third day at 43-2. Sahibzada Farhan-led side struggled to sustain a long partnership for most of the day. Eventually, 73 runs produced between Kamran Ghulam and Abbas Ali helped bring some relief. However, Mohammad Imran broke the partnership by removing Abbas.

Kamran’s knock reeked of reliability as his 117 runs helped Peshawar get to 263, before they were bowled out. Medium pacer Sirajuddin got a four-wicket haul to his name while Majid Ali bagged three wickets.

Multan will begin their batting tomorrow.

In the eighth game of QeAT, Lahore Blues began their day at 83-3, with Qasim Akram and Hussain Talat at the crease. While Hussain was removed shortly after, Qasim’s half-century helped his side’s cause.

A half-century by Waqas Ahmed and a 49 by Junaid Ali further helped Imran Butt’s men to post 314 on the board, getting a lead of 174 runs.

FATA, already behind in the game, lost four early wickets and found themselves in a deep hole. Khushdil Shah and Salman Khan Jnr began the rebuilding job; by the end of the day, two had produced an unbeaten partnership of 79 runs.

FATA ended the day at 127-4.

READ: Misbah-ul-Haq backs Pakistan team despite ‘mistakes’ in Asia Cup 2023

Rain played an important role on the first day of play of the second round of games in the QeAT 2023-2024 with only the match between Lahore Whites and Rawalpindi that did not suffer a delay.

Whereas the three venues in Abbottabad and Rawalpindi duly influenced play.

In the eighth match of the QEAT, Rawalpindi won the toss and elected to field first. Playing on the batting-friendly conditions of Gaddafi, openers Ahmed Shahzad and Ali Zaryab Asif took charge from the get-go. Getting a century each, the duo put pressure on the opposition bowlers.

The 210-run between the two was eventually broken by when Ahmed retired hurt at 102. A brilliant 182 by Ali remained the highlight of the day.

Despite veteran Abid Ali getting out for just five runs and captain Saad Nasim getting out on a duck, Lahore ended the day in a commanding position.

By the time stumps were called, the Saad-led team was squarely ahead in the game; their scorecard boasting a healthy total of 349 at the expense of 3 wickets.

The toss of another second-round QEAT fixture was delayed significantly due to overnight rain and consequently, a wet outfield. Faisalabad won the toss and invited Sarfaraz-led Karachi Whites to bat first.

Watch QEAT 2023/24 Live on ARY ZAP

Veteran Khurram Manzoor lost his wicket cheaply. Opener Ammad Alam was then joined by the up-and-coming Omair Bin Yousuf. The two batted together for over a hundred runs, both getting half-centuries.

At the end of the day’s play, Karachi stood at 141, having lost just one wicket. Omair and Ammad remained unbeaten at the crease.

Multan won the toss and chose to field first, on the rain-shortened first day of the sixth match of the QEAT.

Sahibzada Farhan and Israrullah opened the batting for Peshawar. While the latter got out for a duck, Farhan contributed 22 runs before he was removed by Majid Ali.

Kamran Ghulam retired hurt after scoring 6 runs. Waqar Ahmed and Mohammad Ilyas, sent as a night watchman, remained on the crease by the end of the day. Peshawar ended their day at 43-2.

Meanwhile, no play was possible in the seventh match of the ongoing QEAT 2023/24 between FATA Region and Lahore Blues due to a wet outfield.

READ: Major blow for Sri Lanka as Maheesh Theekshana out of Asia Cup final

Faisalabad registered their first victory of the season, after chasing 186 on the final day of the first round of the QeAT 2023-2024, while Karachi Whites won over Peshawar by a margin of 116 runs.

Lahore Whites and Lahore Blues drew their game at Gaddafi Stadium after the former could not bowl out the latter in the second batting innings. FATA and Rawalpindi match also ended in a draw.

In the third game of the ongoing QeAT, Multan started the day at 155-5 after 52 overs, leading by 119 runs. After amassing 66 runs in the first session, they were bowled out for 221.

Faisalabad was thus asked to chase 186 on the final day. Openers Mohammad Huraira and Azeem Ghumman set the tone for the chase by going for a 63-run partnership. Even as wickets fell, the side remained in command of the chase without faltering.

Experienced batter Asif Ali, retaining his form from the previous batting innings, scored an unbeaten 42 which secured the game for his side.

They won the game by five wickets after chasing the target in 51.3 overs.

Meanwhile, in another game of QeAT, Lahore Blues stood at 61-2 in 26 overs, at the start of the day’s play, with Rizwan Hussan and Umar Siddiq at the crease.

A 92-run-stand between Umar and Rizwan, followed by a 47-run-stand between Umar and Hussain Talat helped Imran Butt-led side recover the deficit caused by the mammoth total accumulated by the opposition.  An unbeaten century by the prodigal Qasim Akram effectively took the side into the lead.

With the Blues at 329-8 in their second innings in the last session of the game, it was deduced that the game would not have a definitive conclusion.

The captains shook their hands as a draw was called.

Watch QEAT 2023/24 Live on ARY ZAP

In the second match of the QeAT, Karachi began the day with Sarfaraz Ahmed at the crease alongside Aftab. The scorecard read 249-6. After getting to 329, Sarfaraz declared the innings, inviting Peshawar to chase 360 in the final innings of the game.

Peshawar, chasing a big total, had a shaky start; opener Israrullah failed to score more than one run and captain Sahibzada Farhan was removed after scoring 28 runs. Although a 68-run-stand between Kamran Ghulam and Waqar Ahmed helped their side gain some momentum, it was short-lived with the specialist spinner Abrar Ahmed getting both of them out before they could produce any significant damage.

The Sahibzada-led team could not sustain any solid partnerships after that and kept faltering on the crease. Sajid Khan, who had retired hurt earlier, came to bat at the end, Batting alongside Imran Khan Snr, the spinner tried to keep the game alive for his side.

Eventually, they were bowled out for 244 runs, with the Sarfaraz-led side seizing a 116-run victory.

In the fourth QEAT match, Rawalpindi started the day at 16-0 after batting for eight overs the previous day. Chasing a mammoth total of 400 in the final innings, the Umar Waheed-led team had a stellar start to their innings.

The openers Hasan Raza (79) and Abdul Fasih (65) had a brilliant partnership, expanding for 140 runs before Zeeshan Ahmed provided the breakthrough. Despite losing wickets periodically, Rawalpindi’s scorecard kept flowing. A half-century from Haider Ali and a 33-run-knock from Mubasir Khan helped their case.

Although the Khushdil-led team countered the plans set in motion by the opposition, Rawalpindi were determined not to give in. A four-wicket haul by Akif Javed destabilized Rawalpindi but not sufficiently enough to bring out their loss.

With Rawalpindi at 293-7 after 98 overs, stumps were called and the match was drawn.

READ: Asia Cup 2023: Pakistan make five changes to the Playing XI for Sri Lanka fixture

Faisalabad’s Ahmed Safi Abdullah impressed with his all-round performances in the first round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT) 2023-2024, backing his gritty half-century with 10 wickets against Rawalpindi Region.

After Ahmed scored a gritty half-century in the second innings against Rawalpindi, he picked up two wickets in the third innings, effectively grabbing ten wickets in the game.

Playing at the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi, he produced an extraordinary performance with bat and ball alike, rising as the most valuable player for his side thus far in the game.

Faisalabad started the third day of the ongoing first round of the QEAT, at 178 for the loss of five wickets with Asif Ali and Ahmed Safi Abdullah at the crease.

After Asif lost his wicket early in the day, as the set batter on crease Ahmed took on the mantle to keep the runs flowing. His partnership of 59 runs with Ali Shan helped his side retain their momentum.

Once that partnership was broken, the tail was cleaned up by the Multan bowlers. Faisalabad ended their innings at 269.

Captain Zain Abbas was removed cheaply at the start of Multan’s innings. Imran Rafiq and Sharoon Siraj subsequently steadied the innings batting together for 58 runs. Once this was broken, the Zain-led side suffered a flurry of wickets.

Multan ended the day at 155-5 after 52 overs, leading by 119 runs.

In the first match of the ongoing edition of the QEAT, Lahore Whites stood at 254-7 at the start of day three of the match. All-rounder Aamir Jamal lost his wicket early in the day, after which centurion Saad Nasim was joined by Mohammad Irfan on the crease.

Saad and Irfan displayed an extraordinary batting partnership, expanding for 130 runs. The right-handed batter churned out a magnificent double century, batting over two days. The Saad-led team was bowled out after scoring a mammoth 432.

The Imran Butt-led team began the third innings, trailing by 184 runs. The captain and senior batter Usman Salahuddin both lost their wickets early on.

At the end of the day’s play, Lahore Blues stood at 61-2 in 26 overs, with Rizwan Hussain and Umar Siddiq at the crease.

At the start of Day 3 of another first-round fixture of the QEAT, Peshawar stood at 231 for the loss of five wickets. They lost three wickets early in the day, with Abuzar Tariq, Sajid Khan and Abbas Afridi falling periodically.

Peshawar was then bowled out for 301 runs. Medium pacer Ghulam Mudassar bagged a very important three-wicket haul.

Habibullah, the Karachi opener, lost his wicket cheaply at the start of their second batting innings.

Danish Aziz and Ammad Alam could not stay on the crease for long either. Omair bin Yousaf and Asad Shafiq displayed a reliable partnership of 113 runs which brought back stability for the Sarfaraz-led side.

However, then Omair was run out. Following which, two more wickets fell.

At stumps, Sarfaraz Ahmed was at the crease alongside Aftab. The scorecard read 249-6.

In the fourth QEAT match, Rawalpindi began the day at 129-8. The Umar Waheed-led side scraped to 144 before being bowled out by the opposition.

After losing both their openers for a run each, captain Khushdil Shah built a 63-run partnership with Salman Khan Jr.

Although wickets fell on the other end, Salman stood firm and completed a glorious century. Khushdil declared the innings at 225-6, giving the opposition a target of 400.

Abdul Faseeh and Hassan Raza opened the batting for Rawalpindi and were on the crease at the time of stumps, having scored 7 and 9 respectively.

Rawalpindi ended the day at 16-0 after batting for 8 overs.

READ: Sri Lanka spin web to book India on 213 in Asia Cup 2023

Faisalabad spinner Ahmed Safi Abdullah bagged an eight-wicket haul on the second day of play of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QeAT) 2023-2024, effectively backing the Multan batting line-up which, in turn, folded for 233 in the first innings.

Bowling at the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi, Ahmed produced an inspiring performance with the ball.

Multan started the second day of their QEAT campaign at 145-2 after having played 43 overs the previous day. Batters Imran Rafiq and Sharoon Siraj were at the crease the time play started, however, both of them lost their wickets early in the day.

Multan were bowled out for 233, with the Faisalabad bowler Ahmed Safi Abdullah putting on a show. He got eight wickets in the innings and remained a challenge too big for the Multan batting line-up, who struggled against his bowling.

Faisalabad had a rocky start to their batting innings. The opening partnership, which yielded 40 runs, was the steadiest one until the fifth-wicket partnership between Muhammad Irfan Khan and Asif Ali, which went for 68 runs.

At the end of the day, Faisalabad were 178 for the loss of five wickets with Asif Ali and Ahmed Safi Abdullah at the crease.

In the first match of the QEAT, Lahore Blues began the day with the score at 247, having lost seven wickets during the innings thus far. With only one more run scored, the Whites had bowled out the Blues.

Fast bowler Ahmed Bashir bagged a four-wicket haul, while Aamir Jamal had three wickets to his name.

Whites lost their opener, Ali Zaryab Asif, early on which brought the veteran duo of Ahmed Shehzad and Abid Ali on the crease.

However, Abid too was removed just after scoring seven runs. It was eventually the sixth-wicket partnership between Hamza Akbar and Saad Nasim, that brought stability to their innings. Saad’s century brought confidence back to the batting side.

At the end of the day’s play, Lahore Whites stood at 254-7 after having batted most of the day.

At the start of Day 2 of their first-round QEAT fixture, Karachi Whites were comfortably placed at 267-6, with captain Sarfaraz Ahmed at the crease.

Showing his expertise, Sarfaraz churned out a gritty half-century which brought Karachi to a respectable total of 332.

Mohammad Ilyas got four wickets in the innings, and his efforts were complemented by Sajid Khan, who bowled at an economy rate of 2.26 and got three wickets as well.

Peshawar had a dream start to their innings. A 127-run stand for the first wicket put them in control.

Particularly, a magnificent 85 produced by Sahibzada Farhan put pressure on the Karachi bowlers.

However, once the partnership was broken, and another quick wicket followed, Karachi’s bowling staged an impressive comeback, getting Kamran Ghulam and Israrullah in successive overs.

At the end of the day, Peshawar stood at 231 for the loss of five wickets.

In the fourth QEAT fixture, FATA were 196 for the loss of five wickets when the day’s play began. Sameen Gul and Mohammad Wasim Khan, who resumed from their overnight score, lost their wickets without damaging the opposition.

Mohammad Sarwar Afridi and Zeeshan Ahmed tried to stitch together a solid partnership to keep FATA’s score flowing.

Particularly, Sarwar’s 76 put FATA in a good position, before they were bowled out for 318. Bilawal Bhatti’s four wicket haul countered the opposition’s batting, keeping them at bay.

Rawalpindi suffered an early blow with their opener Hassan Raza out cheaply, followed quickly by Ashfaq Ahmed. Haider Ali too was removed just after scoring four runs.

Abdul Faseeh and Mubasir Khan knitted a partnership to ward off the blows. The two remained the highest scorers of the side by the end of the day but Rawalpindi found themselves in a spot of bother once this partnership was broken, rapidly losing wickets.

They closed the day at an abysmal 129 at the expense of eight wickets lost.

QEAT: Hussain, Junaid put Whites in command against Blues in Lahore derby

Half-centuries by Hussain Talat and Junaid Ali put Lahore Whites in a commanding position against Lahore Blues, on the first day of play for the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QeAT) 2023-2024.

Bowlers Ahmed Bashir, Aamir Jamal and Mohammad Irfan counterattack the batting onslaught to keep the score at bay, while the Whites end the day on 247-7.

Lahore Whites, led by Saad Naseem, won the toss and opted to bowl first. Captain Imran Butt and Umar Siddiq opened the batting for Lahore blues.

However, by lunch, both the openers had lost their wickets. Resuming play after lunch from 69-2, the Imran-led side sought stability in the innings. A 54-run partnership between Usman Salahuddin and Rizwan Hussain helped their cause.

However, the bowling unit kept the Blues’ batting line-up on their toes by getting wickets periodically. Ahmed Bashir, Aamir Jamal and Mohammad Irfan each got two wickets. Bowler Bilawal Iqbal also bagged a wicket, at the start of the innings.

A 73-run partnership between Hussain Talat and Junaid Ali helped the Saad-led side into a comfortable position. Half-centuries by both Hussain and Junaid took the pressure off the batting side.

By the end of the day, Lahore Whites had posted a score of 247, having lost seven wickets during the innings thus far.

In the second first-round match of the QEAT, Peshawar won the toss and asked Karachi Whites to bat first, wanting to bowl first on the Abbottabad pitch. Although Sarfaraz-led Karachi did not get to an ideal start, having lost three wickets by lunch.

Peshawar bowlers challenged the batters early on; Muhammad Ilyas taking the wickets of Habibullah and Ammad Alam and Imran Khan Snr getting the dangerous Omair Bin Yousaf out.

Veterans Khurram Manzoor and Asad Shafiq produced a magnificent partnership between themselves to keep the batting side ahead of the game. However, Ilyas got Asad out, breaking the solid partnership.

After that, although Karachi could not maintain a steady partnership with Danish Aziz and Khurram both losing their wickets in quick succession, the scorecard did not completely halt.

At the end of the day, Karachi was comfortably at 267-6, with captain Sarfaraz Ahmed at the crease.

Watch QEAT 2023/24 Live on ARY ZAP

A wet outfield at the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium Rawalpindi delayed the start of the third QEAT match. After losing the toss, Faisalabad was asked to field first. The batting side got to a steady start; the openers had a 67-run stand between the two.

Even after Ahmed Safi Abdullah got Haseebullah out, effectively breaking the opening stand, Multan did not feel any unease. A following 42-run partnership between Imran Rafiq and opener Zain Abbas kept the score flowing.

Although getting a half-century, Zain too lost his wicket to Ahmed. At the end of the day’s play, Multan found themselves at 145-2 after having played 43 overs in the day. Batters Imran and Sharoon Siraj, both batting in 20s, were at the crease by the time play was closed.

Overnight rain in Rawalpindi also delayed the start of the fourth match of the QEAT. After winning the toss, Rawalpindi opted to bowl first. The batting side lost two early wickets, with openers Samiullah and Salman Khan both getting out cheaply.

However, a solid partnership of 137 runs between captain Khushdil Shah and opener Mohammad Usman kept FATA in a strong position. Even though he was denied a century, a brilliant 99 by Usman remained the highlight of the first batting innings. Following his wicket, FATA lost Rehan Afridi cheaply.

By the time play was closed, FATA was 196 for the loss of five wickets after 57 overs. Sameen Gul and Mohammad Wasim Khan remained at the crease.

READ: High-octane PAK vs IND clash postponed due to persistent rain

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today unveiled the schedule for five tournaments in the upcoming 2023-24 men’s domestic cricket season.

The schedule for the two U19 tournaments, along with department tournaments, will be announced in due course.

The 2023-24 domestic cricket season will commence with 29 matches of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy starting on September 10 and concluding on October 26.

The eight-team regional tournament will begin at Gaddafi Stadium, with Lahore Region Whites facing Lahore Region Blues on Sunday, September 10 while the other first-round matches include Peshawar Region vs Karachi Region Whites at Abbottabad Stadium, Faisalabad Region vs Multan Region at Shoaib Akhtar Stadium KRL Rawalpindi, and FATA Region vs Rawalpindi Region at Pindi Cricket Stadium.

The final will also be staged at the iconic Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium from October 22 to 26.

Schedule of the red-ball tournaments Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023-24 and Hanif Mohammad Trophy 2023-24 👇

Read more ➡️ https://t.co/HvMmqM4fnP pic.twitter.com/29wvr0jxiw

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) September 6, 2023

The non-first-class tournament, Hanif Mohammad Trophy, will also start concurrently with the Quaid-e-Azam trophy on September 10, featuring 10 regions in two groups.

The top two sides from each group at the end of the group stage will qualify for the Super 4 stage, where each team in that stage will play three matches. At the end of the Super 4 stage, the top side will qualify for next year’s Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

The matches of the Hanif Mohammad Trophy will be played in Mirpur, Multan, Muzaffarabad, and Rahim Yar Khan.

The one-day tournaments, the Pakistan Cup and Hanif Mohammad Cup, will follow the conclusion of the red-ball tournaments, both starting on November 1.

Pakistan Cup will be hosted in Abbottabad, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi. The semi-finals will be played on November 16 and 17 at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi, while the final will take place on November 19 at the same venue.

Meanwhile, the Hanif Mohammad Cup will begin on November 1 and will be hosted in AJK, Faisalabad, Multan, and Rahim Yar Khan.

Like the Hanif Mohammad Trophy, the winner of the Hanif Mohammad Cup will be the side topping the Super 4 stage.

The two-leg National T20 will be held in Karachi from November 24 to December 10. In the first leg, all 18 regional sides will compete to qualify for the Super 8, which will be played from December 1 to 8.

The semi-finals of the tournament will be played on December 9, while the final will take place the next day.

The venue for the three knockout matches will be Karachi’s National Bank Stadium.

PCB 2023-24 men’s domestic cricket calendar:

10 Sep-26 Oct – Quaid-e-Azam Trophy; Abbottabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi

10 Sep-25 Oct – Hanif Mohammad Trophy; AJK, Multan and Rahim Yar Khan

1 Nov-19 Nov – Pakistan Cup; Abbottabad, Islamabad and Rawalpindi

1 Nov-16 Nov – Hanif Mohammad Cup; AJK, Faisalabad, Multan and Rahim Yar Khan.

24 Nov-10 Dec – National T20; Karachi

READ: Australia unveil squad for ICC ODI World Cup 2023

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday announced regional coaches for the upcoming domestic cricket season 2023-24.

There are 14 Test cricketers and seven international cricketers who will be involved in the coaching panel for the domestic season starting on 10 September.

The appointments have been made after carrying out a robust review process, keeping in view the needs of the upcoming players across all formats of the game and to further upskilling the coaches by challenging them in different environments. The process was carried out by the Cricket Technical Committee (CTC), regional presidents and the domestic department. Due to his prior commitment, Mohammad Hafeez couldn’t become a part of the process for these appointments.

The coaches include 14 Test cricketers who will coach different sides in the regional tournament in the forthcoming season. They are Ijaz Ahmed Jnr (head coach, Lahore Whites), Riaz Afridi (head coach, FATA), Arshad Khan (head coach, Peshawar), Aizaz Cheema (bowling coach, Lahore Whites), Humayun Farhat (age-group, Lahore Whites), Rao Iftikhar Anjum (age-group, Lahore Blues), Zahoor Elahi (batting coach, Multan), Shahid Nazir (age-group, Faisalabad), Azam Khan (non-first-class head coach, Larkana), Irfan Fazil (age-group, Multan), Qaiser Abbas (non-first-class Islamabad), Akram Raza (non-first-class, head coach AJK), Junaid Khan (non-first-class, head coach Islamabad) and Abdul Rauf (non-first-class, bowling coach AJK).

Also, among the coaches, seven are former international cricketers. They are Masoor Amjad, Zafar Iqbal, Shoaib Khan, Ghulam Ali, RiffatUllah Khan, Faisal Athar and SamiUllah Niazi.

The upcoming men’s season will commence on 10 September with the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy pitting top regional teams against each other, following which, the top eight departments will feature in the President’s Trophy, starting December 15.

READ: Pakistan’s Playing XI for Asia Cup 2023 opener against Nepal unveiled

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the 2023-24 domestic season which will feature eight regional sides and as many department teams competing in separate first-class tournaments.

This step will make sure that the regions and departments compete on a level playing field by utilising the best available talent.

The domestic structure is framed by the PCB Cricket Technical Committee headed by former captains Misbah ul Haq and Mohammad Hafeez. The committee had several meetings with all stakeholders to bring them on board, including regional presidents and representatives of departments.

The upcoming men’s domestic season will commence on 10 September with the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy pitting top regional teams against each other, following which, top eight departments will feature in the President’s Trophy, starting December 15.

The two tournaments will be played on a single-league basis and the table toppers will play the final.

The 18 regional sides have been slotted with eight teams playing the premier first-class tournament Quaid-e-Azam Trophy while 10 regions will be playing Hanif Mohammad Trophy, a non-first-class four-day tournament.

Teams have been listed according to their standings in the 2018-19 PCB domestic season from where the domestic structure resumes following the directives of PCB’s Patron-in-chief – also Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The PCB has revived the PCB 2014 Constitution, a move that brought back the department in the domestic circuit. Both tournaments begin simultaneously.

• Quaid-e-Azam Trophy:  10 September to 26 October
• Hanif Mohammad Trophy: 10 September to 13 October

Abbottabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi will be hosting as many as 29 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches while the Hanif Mohammad Trophy 10-team is divided into two groups with 23 matches will be hosted by Faisalabad, Islamabad and Multan.

Teams playing the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy are Peshawar, Karachi Whites, Lahore Blues, Rawalpindi, FATA, Multan, Lahore Whites and Faisalabad.

Ten teams featuring in the Hanif Mohammad Trophy are Abbottabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Bahawalpur, Dera Murad Jamali, Hyderabad, Karachi Blues, Larkana, Quetta, Sialkot and Islamabad. 

The historic departmental cricket model which was scrapped altogether in the 2019 PCB constitution, has made a remarkable comeback with over 40 teams registered to involve in the circuit. 

In the continuation of the 2018-19 PCB domestic season, eight departments will be playing President’s Trophy, a first-class tournament. SNGPL, SSGC, WAPDA, KRL, PTV, NBP, and State Bank are slotted from their standing in the last time they played in the 2018-19 season. Eighth team, is to be announced in due course.

In January and February of 2024, Patron’s Trophy grade-II with three-day games and grade-III (two-day games) will run concurrently all over the country.

Teams winning the Hanif Mohammad Trophy, Patron’s Trophy grade-II and grade-III will earn promotions. The teams who finish at the bottom of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, President’s Trophy and Patron’s Trophy grade-II will be relegated to the lower rung. 

Every regional team must have one player under the age of 21 in playing XI and at least two in the 30-player squad. These players must have come through PCB’s age-group programme.

Director Domestic Cricket Operations (A) Junaid Zia: “It gives me immense pleasure to announce that we have finalised the domestic structure for the upcoming season. I want to thank the Cricket Technical Committee, comprising Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez, for their outstanding support in finalising the process, and the presidents of the regions for their inputs. 

“This structure provides a level playing field to regions and departments as they will have the best cricket talent available to them. The separation of regions and departments in different tournaments also provides enhance earning opportunities for cricketers with separate contracts and more matches. 

“We have also introduced U13, U16 and U19 tournaments for the regions so we access the young talent right away and provide them the right platforms and facilities to grow. Nurturing their talent at the very young age will help us in turning them into assets and make sure that no potential cricketer goes to waste.”

Eight regional sides will play the Pakistan Cup – which will have List A status – and the bottom 10 teams will play Hanif Mohammad Cup. The National T20 will feature all 18 regional teams.

Departments will also play a white-ball tournament, the details of which will be announced later. 

The PCB will also provide a clear pathway to the age group cricketers where they harness their skills and evolve at each level with regional U13, U16 and U19 tournaments. The U13 and U16 teams will take part in one-day tournaments, and the U19 cricketers will play in one-day and three-day competitions.

All regional and department teams will name a 30-player squad before the season, which will be trimmed to 20 players before the start of every tournament.

Every region and department can have up to 30 per cent of guest players in the 20-player squad.

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