Quaid-e-Azam Trophy: Opening day of first round washed out due to rain

LAHORE: The opening day of the first round of matches in the 68th edition of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, including the fixture featuring defending champions Sialkot Region, was completely washed out due to persistent rain across venues.

Continuous downpour on Monday forced the abandonment of play at all five venues — Abbottabad, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar. 

The first round of the four-day tournament will run from October 6 to 9.

In a rematch of last season’s thrilling final, defending champions Sialkot were scheduled to face Peshawar at the Imran Khan Stadium, Peshawar. 

The remaining fixtures included FATA vs Multan at the Diamond Cricket Ground in Islamabad, Faisalabad vs Karachi Blues at the Marghzar Cricket Ground in Islamabad, Lahore Whites vs Islamabad at the Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi and Abbottabad vs Bahawalpur at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium.

Sialkot, led by Amad Butt, clinched the title last season after edging past Peshawar by one wicket in a dramatic finale at the UBL Sports Complex, Karachi. 

The two teams were set to meet again in the tournament opener in Peshawar.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently announced prize money of PKR 7.5 million for the winners, while the runners-up will receive PKR 4 million. 

For the first time, the Player of the Match in each league game will be awarded PKR 25,000, while the Player of the Final will take home PKR 100,000. 

The Best Batter, Bowler, Wicketkeeper, and Player of the Tournament will each receive PKR 250,000.

A total of 10 teams are competing in this year’s tournament. 

FATA, Faisalabad, Karachi Blues, and Multan qualified from the Hanif Mohammad Trophy, while Abbottabad, Bahawalpur, Peshawar, Sialkot, Lahore Whites and Islamabad were among the top-performing sides from the previous edition.