2017–18 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy
The 2017–18 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy was a first-class domestic cricket competition that took place in Pakistan from 26 September to 25 December 2017. 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". Sixteen teams are competing, made up of the top eight regional teams and the top eight departmental teams. Water and Power Development Authority were the defending champions.
The Pakistan Cricket Board used a draft system to select players for the first time in the tournament's history. The draft system changes were presented to the PCB's governing board on 28 July 2017, with them being approved at the meeting. Each team selected eight players via the draft, ten through the normal selection process and two emerging players from the under-19 circuit. The eight regional sides completed their player selection on 6 September 2017.
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. They were joined by United Bank Limited, Habib Bank Limited, Khan Research Laboratories and Lahore Whites from Pool B.
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. The Super Eight round was originally scheduled to start on 29 November 2017, but this was moved back to 3 December 2017.
Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited won Group 1 of the Super Eight round, beating Lahore Blues by six wickets to advance to the final. 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. Water and Power Development Authority won Group 2, despite losing to Sui Southern Gas Corporation by 7 wickets in their final match.
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. 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.
Teams
The following teams competed in the 2017–18 tournament:Regional
- Faisalabad
- Federally Administered Tribal Areas
- Islamabad
- Karachi Whites
- Lahore Blues
- Lahore Whites
- Peshawar
- Rawalpindi
- Habib Bank Limited
- Khan Research Laboratories
- National Bank of Pakistan
- Pakistan Television
- Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited
- Sui Southern Gas Company
- United Bank Limited
- Water and Power Development Authority
Points table
Team | ||||||
Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 51 |
Sui Southern Gas Company | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 43 |
Lahore Blues | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 34 |
Water and Power Development Authority | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 33 |
Peshawar | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 29 |
Islamabad | 7 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 |
National Bank of Pakistan | 7 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 |
Faisalabad | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Team qualified for the Super Eight
Pool B
Team | ||||||
United Bank Limited | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 57 |
Habib Bank Limited | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 46 |
Khan Research Laboratories | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 33 |
Lahore Whites | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 33 |
Rawalpindi | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
Karachi Whites | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 18 |
Pakistan Television | 7 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
Federally Administered Tribal Areas | 7 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
Team qualified for the Super Eight
Group stage
Pool A
Round 1
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Round 2
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Round 3
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Round 4
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Round 5
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Round 6
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Round 7
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Pool B
Round 1
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Round 2
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Round 3
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Round 4
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Round 5
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Round 6
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Round 7
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Super Eight
Group 1Team | |||||
Sui Northern Gas Pipelines | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 21 |
Habib Bank Limited | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
Lahore Blues | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
Lahore Whites | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
Team qualified for the [|Final]
Group 2
Team | |||||
Water and Power Development Authority | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 16 |
United Bank Limited | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 15 |
Sui Southern Gas Company | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
Khan Research Laboratories | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Team qualified for the Final
Group 1
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Group 2
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