RAWALPINDI: August 13,2023: Pakistan cricket’s domestic system is likely to undergo major changes once again, with two departmental teams expected to return to domestic cricket with the introduction of additional first-class competition.
Unlike the past, this time the departmental teams will not participate in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches along with the regional teams. Instead, eight departmental teams will compete in a separate tournament called the President’s Trophy and this tournament will be called the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. will be held at the end of Apart from this, the number of teams participating in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy has been increased from six to eight, in which instead of teams from provinces, teams from 8 cities will compete.
The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will be played from September 10 to October 26, while the President’s Cup will be held from December 15 to January 30.
Apart from these two tournaments, 10 regional teams will face each other in the second division of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and the name of this tournament will be Hanif Ahmed Trophy and these matches will be held along with the matches of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
The eight teams that will play Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches include Karachi Whites, Peshawar, Lahore Baloch, Rawalpindi, FATA, Multan, Lahore Whites and Faisalabad.
The President’s Cup includes Sui Northern Gas Pipeline, Sui Southern Gas Pipeline, WAPDA, Khan Research Laboratory, Pakistan Television, National Bank of Pakistan and State Bank while the eighth team will be confirmed later.
In both the tournaments, the first league matches will be held and then the final will be played between the two best teams.
However, these changes in domestic cricket are not surprising as the changes made by the then Chairman PCB Ehsan Mani during Imran Khan’s tenure in domestic tournaments were heavily criticized and it is expected that It was said that soon after the end of Tehreek-e-Insaf government, domestic cricket will also be restored to the old style.
As a result of the separate organization of regional and departmental tournaments, players will now be able to represent departmental teams as well as regional teams, and due to the financial stability of departments, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy has been replaced by the President’s Cup, the highest standard of domestic competition. The tournament will be held.
Director Domestic Cricket Operations Junaid Zia said that thanks to these tournaments, departments and regions will be able to get equal playing opportunities as both will have access to the best talented players.
He said that thanks to the various tournaments of the regions and departments, new opportunities will be available for the cricketers who will be able to benefit from more contracts as well as a large number of matches.
It is noteworthy that these changes in domestic cricket have been made at a time when there is no Test series scheduled on Pakistan’s grounds during the next 12 months and the Pakistan team will play only three Test matches against Australia in this period.
