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	2015–16
Number of teams	26
Current champion	SNGPL (2nd title)
Most successful	Karachi cricket teams (20 titles)
Website	Quaid-e-Azam Trophy – ESPNcricinfo

The Quaid-i-Azam Trophy (a.k.a. Quaid-e-Azam Trophy) is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in Pakistan between teams representing regional cricket associations.

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. Five regional and two departmental teams competed in the first competition: Bahawalpur, Punjab, Karachi, North-West Frontier Province, Sindh, Combined Services and Pakistan Railways.

The competition has been contested sometimes by regional teams, sometimes by departmental teams, and sometimes by a mixture of the two. 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 has won the trophy 20 times (most by any team).

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.

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.

New format for 2014-15

In 2014-15 there were 26 teams, 14 regional and 12 departmental. Six of each type (the top six teams from the 2013-14 Quaid-i-Azam Trophy, and the top six from the 2013-14 President’s Trophy) made up the Gold League, in which each of the 12 teams was scheduled to play each other once, with a final at the end of the round-robin series. The Silver League consisted of two groups, each with four regional and three departmental teams; in each group each team would play each other once, followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final. The competition ran from October to December.

Winners

Year	Winning team	Runner-up	Number of teams	Regional	Departmental	Number of matches	Format
1953/54	Bahawalpur	Punjab	7	5	2	6	knockout; semi-finals
1954/55	Karachi	Combined Services	9	7	2	8	knockout; semi-finals
1955/56	not held
1956/57	Punjab	Karachi Whites	13	11	2	18	4 round-robin groups; semi-finals
1957/58	Bahawalpur	Karachi C	15	13	2	26	4 round-robin groups; semi-finals
1958/59	Karachi	Combined Services	12	9	3	16	4 round-robin groups; semi-finals
1959/60	Karachi	Lahore	13	10	3	12	knockout; quarter-finals
1960/61	not held
1961/62	Karachi Blues	Combined Services	15	13	2	28	4 round-robin groups; semi-finals
1962/63	Karachi A	Karachi B	16	13	3	27	4 round-robin groups; semi-finals
1963/64	Karachi Blues	Karachi Whites	15	13	2	14	knockout; quarter-finals
1964/65	Karachi Blues	Lahore	26	18	8	24	knockout; semi-finals
1965/66	not held
1966/67	Karachi	Pakistan Railways	7	6	1	6	knockout; semi-finals
1967/68	not held
1968/69	Lahore	Karachi	12	11	1	11	knockout; quarter-finals
1969/70	PIA	PWD	20	15	5	34	5 round-robin groups; pre-semi-final
1970/71	Karachi Blues	Punjab University	20	11	9	19	knockout; semi-finals
1971/72	not held
1972/73	Pakistan Railways	Sind	7	4	3	6	knockout; semi-finals
1973/74	Pakistan Railways	Sind	7	4	3	6	knockout; semi-finals
1974/75	Punjab A	Sind A	10	6	4	9	knockout; quarter-finals
1975/76	National Bank	Punjab A	10	6	4	9	knockout; quarter-finals
1976/77	United Bank	National Bank	12	6	6	11	knockout; quarter-finals
1977/78	Habib Bank	National Bank	12	6	6	11	knockout; quarter-finals
1978/79	National Bank	Habib Bank	12	4	8	11	knockout; quarter-finals
1979/80	PIA	National Bank	11	3	8	18	4 groups; final round-robin
1980/81	United Bank	PIA	10	2	8	45	round-robin
1981/82	National Bank	United Bank	10	3	7	45	round-robin
1982/83	United Bank	National Bank	10	3	7	45	round-robin
1983/84	National Bank	United Bank	10	0	10	45	round-robin
1984/85	United Bank	Pakistan Railways	12	2	10	33	2 round-robin groups; semi-finals
1985/86	Karachi	Pakistan Railways	12	6	6	66	round-robin
1986/87	National Bank	United Bank	12	4	8	66	round-robin
1987/88	PIA	United Bank	13	4	9	39	2 round-robin groups; semi-finals
1988/89	ADBP	Habib Bank	8	0	8	29	round-robin; final
1989/90	PIA	United Bank	8	0	8	57	round-robin; final
1990/91	Karachi Whites	Bahawalpur	8	8	0	31	round-robin; semi-finals
1991/92	Karachi Whites	Lahore	9	9	0	39	round-robin; semi-finals
1992/93	Karachi Whites	Sargodha	8	8	0	31	round-robin; semi-finals
1993/94	Lahore	Karachi Whites	8	8	0	31	round-robin; semi-finals
1994/95	Karachi Blues	Lahore	10	10	0	48	round-robin; semi-finals
1995/96	Karachi Blues	Karachi Whites	10	10	0	48	round-robin; semi-finals
1996/97	Lahore	Karachi Whites	8	8	0	31	round-robin; semi-finals
1997/98	Karachi Blues	Peshawar	10	10	0	46	round-robin; final
1998/99	Peshawar	Karachi Whites	11	11	0	56	round-robin; final
1999/00	PIA	Habib Bank	23	11	12	122	2 round-robin groups; final
2000/01	Lahore Blues	Karachi Whites	12	12	0	67	round-robin; final
2001/02	Karachi Whites	Peshawar	18	18	0	73	2 round-robin groups; final
2002/03	PIA	KRL	24	13	11	75	4 round-robin groups; pre-quarter-finals
2003/04	Faisalabad	Sialkot	9	9	0	36	round-robin
2004/05	Peshawar	Faisalabad	11	11	0	56	round-robin; final
2005/06	Sialkot	Faisalabad	7	7	0	22	round-robin; final
2006/07	Karachi Urban	Sialkot	7	7	0	22	round-robin; final
2007/08	SNGPL	Habib Bank	22	13	9	111	2 round-robin groups; final
2008/09	Sialkot	KRL	22	13	9	111	2 round-robin groups; final
2009/10	Karachi Blues	Habib Bank	22	13	9	111	2 round-robin groups; final
2010/11	Habib Bank	PIA	22	13	9	113	2 round-robin divisions; 2 finals
2011/12	PIA	ZTBL	22	13	9	113	2 round-robin divisions; 2 finals
2012/13	Karachi Blues	Sialkot	14	14	0	62	2 round-robin groups; 4 round-robin pools; 2 finals
2013/14	Rawalpindi	Islamabad	14	14	0	61	2 round-robin groups; 4 round-robin pools; final
2014/15	SNGPL	National Bank	26	14	12	116	2 divisions: round-robin, then final in Gold League; 2 round-robin groups, quarter-finals in Silver League
2015/16	SNGPL	United Bank	16	8	8	62	2 round-robin groups; 4 round-robin pools; 2 finals

Karachi teams have won the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy 20 times, PIA 7, National Bank 5, Lahore teams and United Bank 4, SNGPL 3, Bahawalpur, Habib Bank, Peshawar, Punjab, Railways and Sialkot 2, ADBP, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi 1.

NB: "Regional" teams represent cities, districts and provinces. "Departmental" teams represent institutions, corporations, and government departments and instrumentalities. "Number of matches" includes matches scheduled but not played.

Records

World records

Partnership	Runs	Players	Team	Opposition	Venue	Season
1	580 (2nd wicket)	Rafatullah Mohmand & Aamer Sajjad	Water and Power Development Authority	Sui Northern Gas Pipelines	National Stadium, Karachi	2009–10
	Source: Cricinfo.com. Last updated: 7 December 2009.

External links

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

Other sources

• Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 1955 to current