Title Northern and Sindh Eye Maiden Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

Northern and Sindh Eye Maiden Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

Pakistan's first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will have a new champion as last season's runners-up Northern take on Sindh in a five-day final at the home of Pakistan cricket, the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, from Saturday.

Northern has been a finalist twice since overhauling the home system in 2019-20. They were hoping to be third-time lucky after missing out on the title in 2019-20 and 2021-22.

Sindh will appear in their first final under the improved system. They will be eyeing their second title this season after winning their maiden T20 National Cup held in Multan earlier this year.

The five-day Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final will be streamed live on Pakistan Cricket Board's YouTube channel and telecast live on PTV Sports. The draw will take place at 09:00 while the first ball will be played at 09:30.

This is also the first final to be held at the GSL as, under the new home system, the Karachi National Stadium (now known as the National Bank Cricket Arena) has hosted the last three Quaid-e-Azam Trophy finals.

Both sides will be missing several key performers for the final as the Pakistan Test team begins preparations for the series against England. Northern captain Nauman Ali, Sindh captain Saud Shakeel, wicket-keeper batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed and spinners Abrar Ahmed and Zahid Mehmood were all employed as members of the Test squad.

Despite the absence of some of the seasoned and top players of the ongoing season, the final is set to be some thrilling cricket with the teams competing for the historic tournament trophy and a winner's purse of Rs. 10,000,000.

Meanwhile, both the captains expressed their desire to lift the trophy at the PCB headquarters. Khurram Manzoor said, “The players are focused on the final, they have played one game after another in the tournament and are looking forward to playing the same brand of cricket in the final.

We played quality cricket throughout the tournament and we want to repeat that to get a positive result in the big game.

"It is a great honor for us that four players from our team are currently on a national team engagement. It is an opportunity for other players to step up and grab the opportunities presented with both hands,” he added.

Umar Amin said, “Our team completely dominated the tournament from the start and we want to repeat the same performance to win the trophy. We kept things very simple, we'll try to keep it that way in the final to get a positive result from the big game."

“I like Mohammad Huraira's temperament and mindset when he bats. It is a great sign for the team and for Huraira that he is scoring runs at this age and the same since last year,” he concluded.