2017–18 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy
| Dates | 26 September 2017 – 25 December 2017 |
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | Pakistan Cricket Board |
| Cricket format | First-class |
| Tournament format(s) | Two round-robin group stages and final |
| Host(s) |  Pakistan |
| Champions | SNGPL (4th title) |
| Participants | 16 |
| Matches | 69 |
| Most runs | Saad Ali (957) |
| Most wickets | Aizaz Cheema (60) |
| Official website | www.pcb.com.pk |
The 2017–18 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy was the 60th edition of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan's domestic first-class cricket competition. It was contested by 16 teams representing eight regional associations and eight departments,[a] and took place from 26 September to 25 December 2017, spanning almost two weeks less than originally planned.[1][2] Pakistan's former Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq was critical of the compressed schedule and the quality of the pitches saying "it takes time to prepare a good pitch for a game and nobody can make it in two days".[3]
The format of the competition remained the same as the previous season, with two round-robin group stages and a final. The regions and departments were divided evenly between the two groups for the preliminary group stage, with the four top teams in each advancing to a "Super Eight" group stage; the top team in each of the Super Eight groups contested the final. In a change from 2016–17, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) introduced a draft system for the regional teams.[1][4]
Sui Northern Gas Pipelines beat defending champions Water and Power Development Authority[5] by 103 runs to win the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy for the third time in four years.[6]
Draft[edit]
With the aim of improving the competitiveness of the regional associations, partly by distributing experienced players among them, proposals for the introduction of a draft system were presented to the PCB's governing board on 28 July 2017.[7] The draft system gained approval after initial objections from some of the larger associations, led by Karachi, and a compromise was reached on the number of players to be selected via the draft.[8] Each regional team selected eight players via the draft, ten through the normal selection process along with two emerging players from the under-19 circuit.[8] The teams completed their player selection on 6 September 2017.[9][10]
Competition summary[edit]
Faisalabad and Pakistan Television made their returns to first-class competition after winning the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and Patron's Trophy Grade-II competitions respectively in 2016–17;[11][12] they replaced the relegated Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and Karachi Blues in the competition.[13] Like the previous season, both promoted teams enjoyed only a brief stay in the top-tier as they were relegated at the end of the season.
In Pool A, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, Sui Southern Gas Company, Lahore Blues and Water and Power Development Authority all progressed to the Super Eight section of the tournament.[14] They were joined by United Bank Limited, Habib Bank Limited, Khan Research Laboratories and Lahore Whites from Pool B.[14]
On 26 November 2017, the dates for the first round of the Super Eight fixtures were postponed by the PCB, due to ongoing religious unrest which had also disrupted the fixture schedule for the 2017–18 National T20 Cup.[15] The Super Eight round was originally scheduled to start on 29 November 2017, but this was moved back to 3 December 2017.[16]
Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited won Group 1 of the Super Eight round, beating Lahore Blues by six wickets to advance to the final.[17] In the match, the first three innings were each completed without a side scoring three figures, the first time this had ever happened in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.[18] Water and Power Development Authority won Group 2, despite losing to Sui Southern Gas Corporation by seven wickets in their final match.[18]
In the final, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited beat Water and Power Development Authority by 103 runs to win the competition for the third time in the last four years.[6] Samiullah Khan was man of the match after he took his career-best bowling figures of 8 for 62 in the second innings and his 25th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.[6][19]
Teams[edit]
The following teams competed in the 2017–18 tournament:[20]
Group stage[edit]
Tables[edit]
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(Q) The top four teams in each group advanced to the Super Eight stage
- Win by an innings = 10 points
- Win having led on first innings = 9 points
- Win having tied or trailed on first innings = 6 points
- Tie having led on first innings = 5 points
- Draw having led on first innings = 3 points
- Draw having tied on first innings, or tie having trailed on first innings = 2 points
- Draw with no result on first innings, or abandoned without a ball bowled = 1 point
- Loss, or draw having trailed on first innings = 0 points
Results[edit]
Pool A[edit]
Round 1[edit]
26–29 September 2017
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- National Bank of Pakistan won the toss and elected to field.
- Abdul Samad, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ali Shan, Raees Ahmed (Faisalabad) and Saif Ali (National Bank of Pakistan) all made their first-class debuts.
26–29 September 2017
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- Water and Power Development Authority won the toss and elected to bat.
- Hasnain Shah (Water and Power Development Authority) made his first-class debut.
26–29 September 2017
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- Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited won the toss and elected to bat.
- Imran Rafiq (Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited) made his first-class debut.
Round 2[edit]
3–6 October 2017
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- Lahore Blues won the toss and elected to bat.
- Mushtaq Ahmed (National Bank of Pakistan) made his first-class debut.
Round 3[edit]
9–12 October 2017
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- Faisalabad won the toss and elected to field.
- Ibtisam Sheikh and Asad Raza (Faisalabad) both made their first-class debuts.
9–12 October 2017
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- Sui Southern Gas Corporation won the toss and elected to field.
- Ali Zaryab and Inam Javed (Lahore Blues) both made their first-class debuts.
9–12 October 2017
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- National Bank of Pakistan won the toss and elected to field.
- Mohammad Ismail (National Bank of Pakistan) made his first-class debut.
Round 4[edit]
15–18 October 2017
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- Sui Southern Gas Corporation won the toss and elected to field.
- Atiq-ur-Rehman and Ameer Hamza (Faisalabad) both made their first-class debuts.
15–18 October 2017
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- Lahore Blues won the toss and elected to bat.
- Mubeen Hameed and Asadullah (Lahore Blues) both made their first-class debuts.
15–18 October 2017
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- Water and Power Development Authority won the toss and elected to field.
- Mohammad Irfan was Mankaded by Taj Wali off the final delivery of the match.[22][23]
Round 5[edit]
21–24 October 2017
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26/0 (12.1 overs)
Afaq Raheem 14* (37) |
- Faisalabad won the toss and elected to field.
21–24 October 2017
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- Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited won the toss and elected to field.
- Ahmed Jamal (Sui Southern Gas Corporation) took career-best figures of 9/50.[24]
Round 6[edit]
27–30 October 2017
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- Islamabad won the toss and elected to bat.
- Sajid Rehman (Islamabad) made his first-class debut.
27–30 October 2017
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4/0 (0.1 overs)
Waqas Saleem 4* (1) |
- Faisalabad won the toss and elected to bat.
27–30 October 2017
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- Water and Power Development Authority won the toss and elected to field.
Round 7[edit]
2–5 November 2017
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- Islamabad won the toss and elected to field.
- Naseerullah and Muzammil Shah (Islamabad) both made their first-class debuts.
2–5 November 2017
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- National Bank of Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat.
- Maqsood Aziz (National Bank of Pakistan) made his first-class debut.
Pool B[edit]
Round 1[edit]
26–29 September 2017
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- Federally Administered Tribal Areas won the toss won the toss and elected to field.
- Saddam Afridi (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) and Salman Afridi (Habib Bank Limited) both made their first-class debuts.
26–29 September 2017
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- Pakistan Television won the toss and elected to field.
- Salman Fayyaz (Lahore Whites), Nihal Mansoor and Waleed Malik (Pakistan Television) all made their first-class debuts.
26–29 September 2017
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- Khan Research Laboratories won the toss and elected to field.
- Umair Masood (Rawalpindi), Saif Badar and Shaheen Afridi (Khan Research Laboratories) all made their first-class debuts.
- Shaheen Afridi (Khan Research Laboratories) took the best figures by a Pakistani bowler on first-class debut with 8/39.[25]
Round 2[edit]
3–6 October 2017
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- Khan Research Laboratories won the toss and elected to field.
- Samiullah and Hafeez-ur-Rehman (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) both made their first-class debuts.
3–6 October 2017
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- Pakistan Television won the toss and elected to field.
- Hassan Khan (Karachi Whites), Hasan Mohsin and Athar Mahmood (Pakistan Television) all made their first-class debuts.
3–6 October 2017
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- Lahore Whites won the toss and elected to bat.
- Rumman Raees (United Bank Limited) took the second-best figures in first-class cricket in Pakistan.[26]
Round 3[edit]
9–12 October 2017
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- Federally Administered Tribal Areas won the toss and elected to field.
- Wilayat Mohammad (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) made his first-class debut.
9–12 October 2017
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- Karachi Whites won the toss and elected to field.
- Usman Khan (Karachi Whites) and Ali Shafiq (Khan Research Laboratories) both made their first-class debuts.
9–12 October 2017
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- Habib Bank Limited won the toss and elected to bat.
- Israr-ul-Haq (Habib Bank Limited) made his first-class debut.
Round 4[edit]
15–18 October 2017
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- Pakistan Television won the toss and elected to field.
- Ahsan Hafeez (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) made his first-class debut.
15–18 October 2017
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- Karachi Whites won the toss and elected to field.
- Bilal Shah (Habib Bank Limited) made his first-class debut.
Round 5[edit]
21–24 October 2017
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- Federally Administered Tribal Areas won the toss and elected to field.
21–24 October 2017
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Round 6[edit]
27–30 October 2017
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- Khan Research Laboratories won the toss and elected to bat.
- Ammad Alam (United Bank Limited) made his first-class debut.
27–30 October 2017
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- Rawalpindi won the toss and elected to field.
- Hamza Akbar (Lahore Whites) made his first-class debut.
Round 7[edit]
2–5 November 2017
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- Karachi Whites won the toss and elected to field.
- No play was possible on day 1 due to fog and only 23 overs of play were possible on day 2.
- Moazzam Malik (Karachi Whites) made his first-class debut.
2–5 November 2017
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2–5 November 2017
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- Rawalpindi won the toss and elected to field.
- Nisar Afridi and Rehmatullah (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) both made their first-class debuts.
- Saad Altaf (Rawalpindi) recorded the best bowling figures in a first-class match in Pakistan with 16 wickets for 141 runs.[28]
Super Eight stage[edit]
Tables[edit]
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(Q) The top team in each group advanced to the final
- Win by an innings = 10 points
- Win having led on first innings = 9 points
- Win having tied or trailed on first innings = 6 points
- Tie having led on first innings = 5 points
- Draw having led on first innings = 3 points
- Draw having tied on first innings, or tie having trailed on first innings = 2 points
- Draw with no result on first innings, or abandoned without a ball bowled = 1 point
- Loss, or draw having trailed on first innings = 0 points
Results[edit]
Group 1[edit]
15–18 December 2017
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- Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited won the toss and elected to field.
- Ali Mustafa (Lahore Blues) made his first-class debut.
Group 2[edit]
3–6 December 2017
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- Water and Power Development Authority won the toss and elected to field.
- Waqas Maqsood (Water and Power Development Authority) took his best figures in an innings in a first-class match.[29][30]
9–12 December 2017
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- Water and Power Development Authority won the toss and elected to bat.
15–18 December 2017
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- Water and Power Development Authority won the toss and elected to bat.
Final[edit]
21–25 December 2017
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- Water and Power Development Authority won the toss and elected to field.
Notes[edit]
- ^ The top level of domestic cricket in Pakistan was historically played by teams representing regional cricket associations and departments, which were owned and run by corporations, institutions or government departments.
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Radical overhaul for QeA Trophy on the cards". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
- ^ "Hectic schedule awaits teams in compressed Quaid-e-Azam Trophy". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
- ^ "Misbah criticises 'underprepared' pitches in QeA Trophy". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
- ^ "Why the QeA draft is a bad idea". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ "Butt ton secures WAPDA's maiden title". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
- ^ a b c "Samiullah Khan bowls SNGPL to QEA title". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
- ^ "QEA overhaul set to be presented despite opposition". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ a b "QEA teams to have draft process from next season". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
- ^ "PCB holds player selection ceremony for Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2017-18". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
- ^ "Player Selection Ceremony held ahead of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy". The News. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
- ^ Lakhani, Faizan (4 April 2017). "Faisalabad win Grade II final, qualifies for Quaid-e-Azam Trophy". Geo News. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ "PTV crush ZTBL to win Patron's Trophy title". Dawn. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ Alam Zeb Safi (15 November 2016). "Karachi Blues relegated from Q Trophy". The News. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ^ a b c "Group stage ends with Umar Akmal blaze". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ^ "Religious unrest disrupts domestic cricket in Pakistan". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- ^ "Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Super Eight stage rescheduled". The News. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
- ^ "SNGPL reach final after frenetic two-day finish". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
- ^ a b "Butt defends 'resting' bowlers in WAPDA's loss before QeA final". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
- ^ "SNGPL on verge of title after Samiullah's five-for". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
- ^ "Saeed Ajmal to represent Faisalabad in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Points Table". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
- ^ "Mankading incident turns close finish controversial". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
- ^ "Mankad sparks contentious finish". Cricket Australia. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ "A tale of two Saads, and a two-day game". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
- ^ "Shaheen Afridi: the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy's new sensation". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- ^ "Raees blows Lahore Whites away with 9 for 25". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- ^ "Quaid-e-Azam Trophy: UBL joins record books with eight LBWs against PTV". Geo TV. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ^ a b "Saad Altaf sets Pakistan record with 16 for 141". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
- ^ "WAPDA gain lead as Waqas dismisses nine KRL batsmen". The News. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
- ^ "Azhar returns with ton, Waqas grabs nine wickets". The Dawn. Retrieved 4 December 2017.