The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy with Sarfaraz Ahmed. Photo: Staimuri / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Pakistan’s domestic cricket is where the country’s future international players are made. Young cricketers from all over Pakistan play in domestic competitions, hoping to catch the eye of the national selectors.
The biggest domestic competition is the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s premier first-class tournament. It is played with the red ball over four days, like Test cricket, and it tests a player’s skill, fitness and patience.
The other two main domestic competitions are the Pakistan Cup, the one-day tournament, and the National T20 Cup, the domestic Twenty20 tournament. Together, the three formats give players experience in every form of the game.
Domestic cricket is run by the Pakistan Cricket Board and is played in cities across the country, including Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi. For a young player, a strong season in domestic cricket is the best way to earn a place in the Pakistan team.