Faisalabad and Karachi Whites eye coveted Quaid-e-Azam Trophy title
Lahore (MNP) Faheem Ashraf-led Faisalabad and Sarfaraz Ahmed-led Karachi Whites are set to face off in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2023-24 final, to be played from 22 to 26 October at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. Both sides will be eying to secure the first-class title as it promises distinction considering it is the first premier tournament completed since the restoration of the domestic structure under the PCB Constitution of 2014.
The previous edition of the trophy, played before the reinstitution of 2014 PCB Constitution, was won by Northern. Umar Amin-led Northern had defeated Khurram Manzoor-led Sindh in the final at Gaddafi Stadium by an innings and 55 runs. Northern’s Mohammad Huraira and Mubasir Khan had been the headline performers of the season. Sindh’s prodigal spinner Abrar Ahmed, after picking up 43 wickets in 12 innings, had earned a national call-up following the breakthrough season he had last year.
Under the newly reinstated structure, eight regional teams – Lahore Whites, Lahore Blues, Rawalpindi, FATA, Peshawar, Multan, Karachi Whites and Faisalabad – partook in the round-robin stage of the tournament where each played seven games from 10 September to 19 October across three cities in the country, namely, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Abbottabad. Faisalabad, with 108 points and three wins, topped the table. Karachi Whites, with 100 points and two wins, were squarely behind Faisalabad, as the two teams qualified for the final. Lahore Blues, with 99 points and two wins, narrowly missed out on securing a berth in the final.
