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Quaid-e-Azam Trophy: 60 matches as Gold, Silver begin 3 NovSports
The PCB has announced the schedule and squads for the 69th Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, with 20 teams, 60 first-class matches and star players in the opening round.
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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the schedule and team squads for the 69th edition of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s premier first-class competition, which begins on Tuesday, 3 November. Twenty regional teams will take part across two divisions, Gold and Silver, in a total of 60 first-class matches.
The Gold division features eight teams, including defending champions Karachi Blues, along with Faisalabad, FATA, Lahore Whites, Islamabad, Peshawar Blues, Multan and Sialkot Blues. Each Gold team will play seven matches, with the top two sides qualifying for the five-day final, scheduled from 15 to 19 December. Gold matches will be played in Islamabad, Abbottabad and Rawalpindi, with the league stage running from 3 November to 12 December.
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The Silver division has 12 teams, divided into two groups of six, and will serve as a pathway into the Gold division for the following season. Group A comprises Lahore Blues, Rawalpindi, Larkana, Quetta, Bahawalpur and Peshawar Whites, while Group B features Karachi Whites, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Hyderabad, Dera Murad Jamali, Abbottabad and Sialkot Whites. Silver group matches run from 3 to 30 November, with the two group winners meeting in a five-day final from 3 to 7 December.
In total, 29 matches will be played in the Gold division and 31 in the Silver division. Silver Group A matches will be held in Karachi, at the KCCA Stadium and the State Bank and UBL sports complexes, while Group B matches will take place at Multan Cricket Stadium, the Sports Complex in Rahim Yar Khan and Dring Stadium in Bahawalpur.
Star players will feature in the opening round. Pakistan Test captain Babar Azam will represent Lahore Whites and is set to face FATA, captained by ODI skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi, at the Diamond Cricket Ground in Islamabad. Their presence gives the domestic season an immediate high profile and offers younger players the chance to test themselves against international stars.
Matches in the Gold division will be streamed live, with four matches in every round available on streaming platforms, and a selection of Silver matches also streamed. For fans of domestic cricket, the new two-division structure is designed to sharpen competition: the best eight regions fight for the main title, while the Silver teams battle for promotion.
The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy remains the oldest event in Pakistan’s domestic calendar and a key route into the national team. Strong performances here have long been the way for uncapped players to press their claims, and with 60 matches across the country over the coming weeks, selectors will have plenty of cricket to watch before the winter international season gathers pace.
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