Pakistan’s premier first-class competition returns on Tuesday, November 3, as the 69th Quaid-e-Azam Trophy begins with Babar Azam’s Lahore Whites facing Shaheen Shah Afridi’s FATA in the opening round at Islamabad’s Diamond Cricket Ground.
The opener matters because it puts Pakistan’s two most recognisable current cricketers on opposite sides in a first-class match, with red-ball form and places under scrutiny across a long domestic season.
The Pakistan Cricket Board announced the schedule and squads on Monday, November 2, according to Dawn and The Express Tribune. Twenty regional sides will take part across two tiers, with 60 first-class matches in total: 29 in the Gold tier and 31 in the Silver tier.
Eight teams will contest the Gold tier: defending champions Karachi Blues, Faisalabad, FATA, Lahore Whites, Islamabad, Peshawar Blues, Multan and Sialkot Blues. Karachi Blues enter the competition as champions after a 218-run win over Sialkot in last season’s final, Cricket World reported.
Gold matches will be played across Islamabad, Abbottabad and Rawalpindi from November 3 to December 12, with the top two teams reaching a five-day final scheduled for December 15 to 19.
Babar, Pakistan’s Test captain, will turn out for Lahore Whites, who are captained by Aamer Jamal and also include Tayyab Tahir and Noman Ali. Shaheen, Pakistan’s one-day captain, will lead FATA, whose squad also features Khushdil Shah and Sameen Gul.
Shaheen backed his rival before the opener, telling reporters Babar “knows his game” ahead of the first-class match against his team. Reports say Babar is expected to play at least three matches for Lahore Whites in the tournament.
Other leading internationals will feature across the Gold tier. Saud Shakeel will lead Karachi Blues, Mohammad Rizwan will captain Peshawar Blues, and Saim Ayub, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman and Hasan Ali are also named in squads.
All four matches in every Gold-tier round will be streamed live on tapmad and Tamasha, according to ARY News. Four of the six matches in each Silver-tier round will also be streamed.
The 12-team Silver competition will run alongside the Gold tier as a pathway to the top division for next season. Its two groups of six will play from November 3 to 30, with the group winners meeting in a five-day final from December 3 to 7.
What is confirmed is the tournament structure, the November 3 start and the Lahore Whites-FATA opener in Islamabad. What is not yet confirmed is any final playing XI, as the PCB has said squads may change during the competition, with players returning from national duty and reserves available for selection.
