This post was last updated with the results of 2017-18 Quaid-e-Azam trophy in which Sui Northern Gas emerged as the new National Champions. The article also contains a brief history of the tournament since 1953 and a trivia of records.
Quaid-e-Azam (QEA) Cricket Trophy – Pakistan’s premier first class cricket tournament – concluded in Karachi on Dec 25, 2017. SNGPL beat Wapda by 103 runs to win their fourth Quaid-e-Azam trophy title. This was also SNGPL’s 3rd title in 4 years. This year it was the 62nd edition of QA trophy.
Teams from Karachi have won the tournament a record 22 times, followed by National Bank and PIA 6 times, Lahore, United Bank and Sui Northern Gas 4 times, Bahawalpur 3 times, Habib Bank 2 times, Sialkot 2 times, Punjab 2 times, Pakistan Railway 2 times, Faisalabad 1 time. Peshawar 1 time, Rawalpindi 1, ADBP 1 and WAPDA 1 time.
Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Trivia
- Bahawalpur’s Cricket heritage and Quaid-e-Azam Trophy: Very few people today know about Bahawalpur‘s glorious past as a major cricket center of Pakistan. It has the honors of winning the Pakistan’s National Cricket Champion title 2 times in 1953-54 and 1957-58. Infact Bahawalpur won the inaugural Quaid-e-Azam trophy in 1953. Nawab of Bahawalpur patronized cricket in the princely state of Bahawalpur and the state team hired talented players from Karachi and other areas of Punjab. I was surprised to see big Pakistan national team names of 1950s like Hanif Mohammad, Wazir Mohammad, Khan Mohammad, Alimuddin, Maqsood Ahmed etc playing for Bahawalpur. Take a look at these big shots of Pakistan cricket in the score card of 1953 Quaid-e-Azam trophy final which was played between Bahawalpur and Punjab
- When Hanif Mohammad scored 499 runs in a Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Match: Fortunes took a turn for Bahawalpur in 1958-59 QEA trophy when they faced Karachi in the Semi Finals. This year Hanif Mohammad was playing for Karachi instead of Bahawalpur and scored 499 runs after batting for 10 hours and 36 minutes. He also scored 64 boundaries. This remained a World Record for highest individual score by a batsman for 36 years. Three brothers Wazir Mohammad, Hanif Mohammad and Mushtaq Mohammad represented Karachi in this match. Score card of this historic Quaid-e-Azam trophy match is here. Brian Lara broke Hanif Mohammad‘s record in 1994 by scoring 501 notout.
- The famous politician and the spiritual leader of Hurs, (late) Pir of Pagaro, Shah Mardan Shah captained Sindh’s Cricket team in QEA trophy of 1953 against Bahawalpur. This was Pir Pagara’s first and the last first class match. Take a look at the score card of this match here.
- The first hat-trick of Pakistan’s first class cricket was made by Abdul Wahab in a Quaid-e-Azam trophy final of 1954-55. Abdul Wahab was playing for Karachi which beat Pakistan Combined Services to take the title. Score card is here, and I also want to mention that Abdul Wahab is my grand father.
- Fastest 50 of Pakistan’s First Class Cricket was also made in a Quaid-e-Azam trophy match. On November 19, 2000, wicket keeper Batsman Khalid Mahmood of Gujranwala was in a particluar agressive mood. Opponent team was Sargodha and Khalid Mahmood hammered Sargodhian bowlers to reach 50 runs in just 13 minutes by facing only 15 balls. Score card of that match is here.
Following table gives the season by season break-up of Quaid-e-Azam trophy winners and runners-up.
1. 1953/54: Bahawalpur (1st) and Punjab (2nd)
2. 1954/55: Karachi (1st) and Pakistan Combined Services (2nd)
3. 1956/57: Punjab (1st) and Karachi Whites (2nd)
4. 1957/58: Bahawalpur (1st) and Karachi C (2nd)
5. 1958/59: Karachi (1st) and Pakistan Combined Services (2nd)
6. 1959/60: Karachi (1st) and Lahore (2nd)
7. 1961/62: Karachi Blues (1st) and Paki Combined Services (2nd)
8. 1962/63: Karachi A (1st) and Karachi B (2nd)
9. 1963/64: Karachi Blues (1st) and Karachi Whites (2nd)
10. 1964/65: Karachi Blues (1st) and Lahore (2nd)
11. 1965/66: Karachi Blues (1st) and Lahore Greens (2nd)
12. 1966/67: Karachi (1st) and Pakistan Railways (2nd)
13. 1967/68: Karachi (1st) and Pakistan Railways (2nd)
14. 1968/69: Lahore (1st) and Karachi (2nd)
15. 1969/70: PIA (1st) and PWD (2nd)
16. 1970/71: Karachi Blues (1st) and Punjab University (2nd)
17. 1972/73: Pakistan Railways (1st) and Sind (2nd)
18. 1973/74: Pakistan Railways (1st) and Sind (2nd)
19. 1974/75: Punjab A (1st) and Sind A (2nd)
20. 1975/76: National Bank (1st) and Punjab A (2nd)
21. 1976/77: United Bank (1st) and National Bank (2nd)
22. 1977/78: Habib Bank (1st) and National Bank (2nd)
23. 1978/79: National Bank (1st) and Habib Bank (2nd)
24. 1979/80: National Bank (1st) and PIA (2nd)
25. 1980/81: United Bank (1st) and PIA (2nd)
26. 1981/82: National Bank (1st) and United Bank (2nd)
27. 1982/83: United Bank (1st) and National Bank (2nd)
28. 1983/84: National Bank (1st) and United Bank (2nd)
29. 1984/85: United Bank (1st) and Pakistan Railways (2nd)
30. 1985/86: Karachi (1st) and Pakistan Railways (2nd)
31. 1986/87: National Bank (1st) and United Bank (2nd)
32. 1987/88: PIA (1st) and United Bank (2nd)
33. 1988/89: ADBP (1st) and Habib Bank (2nd)
34. 1989/90: PIA (1st) and United Bank (2nd)
35. 1990/91: Karachi Whites (1st) and Bahawalpur (2nd)
36. 1991/92: Karachi Whites (1st) and Lahore (2nd)
37. 1992/93: Karachi Whites (1st) and Sargodha (2nd)
38. 1993/94: Lahore (1st) and Karachi Whites (2nd)
39. 1994/95: Karachi Blues (1st) and Lahore (2nd)
40. 1995/96: Karachi Blues (1st) and Karachi Whites (2nd)
41. 1996/97: Lahore (1st) and Karachi Whites (2nd)
42. 1997/98: Karachi Blues (1st) and Peshawar (2nd)
43. 1998/99: Peshawar (1st) and Karachi Whites (2nd)
44. 1999/00: PIA (1st) and Habib Bank (2nd)
45. 2000/01: Lahore Blues (1st) and Karachi Whites (2nd)
46. 2001/02: Karachi Whites (1st) and Peshawar (2nd)
47. 2002/03: PIA (1st) and KRL (2nd)
48. 2003/04: Faisalabad (1st) and Sialkot (2nd)
49. 2004/05: Peshawar (1st) and Faisalabad (2nd)
50. 2005/06: Sialkot (1st) and Faisalabad (2nd)
51. 2006/07: Karachi Urban (1st) and Sialkot (2nd)
52. 2007/08: Sui Northern Gas (1st) and Habib Bank (2nd)
53. 2008/09: Sialkot (1st) and KRL (2nd)
54. 2009/10: Karachi Blues (1st) and Habib Bank Ltd (2nd)
55: 2010/11: Habib Bank (1st) and PIA (2nd)
56: 2011/12: PIA (1st) and ZTBL (2nd)
57: 2012/13: Karachi Blues (1st) and Sialkot (2nd)
58: 2013/14: Rawalpindi (1st) and Islamabad (2nd)
59: 2014/15: Sui Northern Gas (1st) and National Bank (2nd)
60: 2015/16: Sui Northern Gas (1st) and United Bank (2nd)
61: 2016/17: WAPDA (1st) and Habib Bank (2nd)
62: 2017/18: Sui Northern Gas (1st) and WAPDA (2nd)
Dear Pakistanian. Fans rsponse is very pathetic. probably only the players relatives go to watch the matches, 20-tewnty is more popular now and we saw full stadiums 2 months ago for the same teams playing then.
Department teams like PIA, HBL, NBC are still there but are not allowed to participate in Quaid-e-Azam trophy anymore. QEEA trophy is now limited to regional teams only
Departmental teams get their own fisrt class tournament called ‘Patrons trophy’ in which regional teams are not allowed.
Zamanov
Money is flowing into domestic cricket slowly. For the past many years ABN-AMRO bank is sponsoring the natinoal tournaments. This year the winner team got Rs 0.6 million and runners up got Rs 0.3 million. Besides that man of the match in the finals, best batsman of the tournament, best bowler and best wicket keeper got Rs 40000 each. Not much but better than, say a decade ago.
Owais, thanks for such a detailed post on our domestic cricket. I am wondering how is the fan response during these matches, since these days even the Test matches hardly attract capacity crowds and are these matches televised.
Also have the teams of UBL, NBL, HBL, PR, PIA etc been renamed or are they defunct now. Thanks
Owais,
Thank you for this informative and trivia filled post. Let’s hope that the PCB acknowleges the best performers in the QEA Trophy this year and raises the prize money in our premier domestic first class tournament to something more worthwhile.
Yeah…Karachi!!! Anyway, Hassan Raza has been in and out of the news for a very long time…I remember when he played his first ODI as a kid, literally and was seen as a great find for Pakistan. But somehow he has not been able to make the transition to the national side? Surely he can do as well as Butt, Imran, et. al? :)