Quaid-i-Azam Trophy

Quaid-i-Azam Trophy
Countries	Pakistan
Administrator	Pakistan Cricket Board
Format	First Class (4-day) Final: 5 day
First tournament	1953–54
Last tournament	2013–14
Number of teams	14
Current champion	Rawalpindi (1st title)
Most successful	Karachi cricket teams (20 titles)
Website	Quaid-e-Azam Trophy – ESPNcricinfo
Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2012–13

The Quaid-i-Azam Trophy (a.k.a. Quaid-e-Azam Trophy) has been the premier first-class domestic cricket competition in Pakistan since 1953.

History

Named after Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, who was known as "Quaid-i-Azam" (Great Leader), the trophy was introduced in the 1953-54 season to help the selectors pick the squad for Pakistan's Test tour of England in 1954. The competition has been contested sometimes by regional teams, sometimes by departments, and sometimes by a mixture of the two. Five regional and two departmental teams competed in the first competition. In 1956–57 it was decided that Karachi and Punjab would have to enter three teams each, to make the teams more evenly matched.

Karachi teams have dominated the trophy, winning 20 times.

The league restructuring (2011)

Shortly after the end of the 2009–10 tournament the Pakistan Cricket Board announced a new format that will see twenty-two teams split into division one and division two. The Board felt that two divisions would help the smaller teams compete with others at a similar level and would make the spotting of young talent easier as a result. This also meant that domestic revenues increased as a result due to more balanced fixtures that were less predictable.^[1]

The league restructuring (2012–13)

In 2012–13 season of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, 14 regional teams have been divided into two groups of seven, with top four teams from each group progressing to the super league while the remaining six would be playing in the plate league. The league toppers will contest in their respective league finals. Either way, each team will at least play eight matches apart from the final.

The new regional teams are allowed to recruit five players from the old department sides, of whom four can be part of the playing XI. In a bid to give bowlers exposure to internationally-recognized cricket balls, the board has also made the use of Kookaburra balls mandatory for the tournament.^[2]

Winners

Karachi teams have won the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy 20 times, PIA 7, National Bank 5, Lahore teams and United Bank 4, Bahawalpur, Habib Bank, Peshawar, Punjab, Railways and Sialkot 2, ADBP, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and SNGPL 1.

NB: "Regional" teams represent cities, districts and provinces. "Departmental" teams represent institutions, corporations, and government departments and instrumentalities.

Records

World records

References

External links

• Quaid-e-Azam Trophy winners list at CricInfo
• Cricket Archive

Other sources

• Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 1955 to current