Lahore, 25 September 2025: The Hanif Mohammad Trophy concluded with FATA (108 points), Karachi Blues (96 points), Faisalabad (87 points) and Multan (86 points) qualifying for the premier first-class tournament Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
The PCB – following a careful consideration and taking stakeholders on board – has decided to allow four teams to qualify for the QeA Trophy as opposed to two in order to widen the access of more quality players to top-flight domestic and first-class cricket. In that vein, apart from Faisalabad and FATA – who finished top of their respective groups – the two teams next with maximum points across the two groups have also qualified for the tournament.
Group A
Faisalabad – who topped Group A with 87 points – finished the tournament two wins and three draws as their last game against Hyderabad ended in a nervy stalemate at the Dring Stadium in Bahawalpur.
Hyderabad, who were set a mammoth target of 362, began the day from overnight score of 5 for no loss in one over and managed to bat out the 89.5 overs on fourth day losing eight wickets and denying Faisalabad a victory.
Muhammad Irfan Khan-led Faisalabad had reduced Hyderabad to 75-3 and then 140-5 but grinding efforts from no.4 batter Daniyal Hussain Rajput (47, 100b, 3x4s, 1x6), Nehal Qureshi (39, 73b, 4x4s, 1x6), Mohammad Suleman (25 not out, 56b, 6x4s), Noman Khan (20, 72b, 1x4) and Jawad Ali (15 not out, 113b, 1x4, 1x6) helped kept the opposition at bay.
For Faisalabad, Ahmed Safi Abdullah – who sent down 41 overs – and Asad Raza picked up three wickets each.
At the Abbasia Sports Complex in Rahim Yar Khan, Quetta folded for a mere 92 in 44.3 overs to lose by 188 runs against Lahore Blues – despite their first innings effort of 552 all out and a 102-run lead – chasing 281 to win.
Blues’ Qasim Akram brought his all-round game to fore as he bagged 7-54 in 19 overs following his unbeaten 42-ball 77 in his team’s hurried 382-5 declared in 64 overs. They had resumed from overnight score of 144-1 in 34.
Imran Butt (112, 151b, 17x4s, 1x6) struck a century, while Mohammad Mohsin (73, 55b, 5x4s, 4x6s) and Umar Siddiq (55, 61b, 9x4s) contributed half-centuries apart from Qasim’s fiery half-century inclusive of 13 fours and one six. Lahore Blues finished with 74 points.
Karachi Whites bagged a six-wicket victory over Azad Jammu and Kashmir at the Multan Cricket Stadium to finish their campaign with two wins and as many losses in five games finishing third in Group A. Whites chased the 46-run target in 9.1 overs.
Earlier, AJK were dismissed for 320 all out following-on after resuming from overnight score of 152-3. Hasan Raza (78, 154b, 5x4s), Hasnain Shamir (53, 74b, 7x4s, 1x6) and Umar Hayat (52, 133b, 5x4s, 2x6s) scored half-centuries but there were not enough to save AJK after incurring a 275-run first innings deficit.
Group B
Multan – who bagged 86 points with three wins out of five games – finished the campaign with a thumping 10-wicket victory over Larkana as they chased the 20-run target 3.2 overs at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi.
Earlier, Larkana – who began the day from overnight score of 121-5 in 35 overs - were bundled out for 204 in 54 overs managing only a 19-run lead in their second outing. Multan’s Mohammad Ismail bagged 5-77 in 21 overs, while Faisal Akram dismissed three batters.
Scores in brief – End of fifth round
Group A
Faisalabad v Hyderabad at Dring Stadium, Bahawalpur
Match Drawn
Target for Hyderabad - 362
Faisalabad 169 all out, 60.4 overs (Ali Shan 39, Faham-ul-Haq 34, Sameer Saqib 23; Jawad Ali 6-83, Mustafa Nasir 3-26) and 381 all out, 110.2 overs (Asim Ali Nasir 129, Faham-ul-Haq 101, Atiq-ur-Rehman 55, Muhammad Irfan Khan 32; Jawad Ali 5-137, Noman Khan 2-29)
Hyderabad 189 all out, 80.1 overs (Zain-ul-Abidin 107; Mustafa Nasir 27; Ahmed Safi Abdullah 3-42, Asad Raza 3-53, Shehzad Gul 2-59) and 226-8, 90.5 overs (Daniyal Hussain Rajput 47, Nehal Qureshi 39, Saad Khan 27, Mohammad Suleman 25, Ubaidullah 22; Asad Raza 3-42, Ahmed Safi Abdullah 3-99, Shehzad Gul 2-16)
Karachi Whites beat Azad Jammu and Kashmir by six wickets at Multan Cricket Stadium
Target for Karachi Whites – 46
Karachi Whites 450-8 dec, 136 overs (Saifullah Bangash 110 not out, Mohammad Taha 98, Saad Baig 85, Mohammad Usman Rahim 35, Maaz Khurram 27; Faizan Saleem 2-72, Jawad Imtiaz 2-73, Zaman Khan 2-85) and 47-4, 9.1 overs (Shah Raza Naqvi 10 not out; Usman Yousaf 2-10)
AJK 175 all out, 71.3 overs (Hasan Raza 80, Hasnain Shamir 46; Rehman Ghani 5-50, Aftab Khan 3-43) and 320 all out, 115.2 overs (Hasan Raza 78, Hasnain Shamir 53, Umar Hayat 52, Zaman Khan 32, Usman Yousaf 22; Maaz Khurram 3-67, Aftab Khan 2-29, Saifullah Khan 2-76, Rehman Ghani 2-93)
Lahore Blues beat Quetta by 188 runs at Abbasia Sports Complex, Rahim Yar Khan
Target for Quetta - 281
Lahore Blues 450 all out, 90.3 overs (Umar Siddiq 130, Imran Butt 69, Mohammad Saleem 60, Khawaja Mohammad Abdullah 50, Mohammad Mohsin 47, Nisar Ahmed 32, Hammad Butt 31; Khalil Ahmed 4-67, Ehsanullah 4-131, Mohammad Ibrahim Snr 2-104) and Lahore Blues 382-5, 64 overs (Imran Butt 112, Qasim Akram 77, Mohammad Mohsin 73, Umar Siddiq 55, Mohammad Saleem 29, Hammad Butt 21)
Quetta 552 all out, 155.5 overs (Bismillah Khan 319, Mohammad Javed 85 not out, Haseebullah 62, Nadeem Ahmed 37; Sajjad Khan 5-147, Qasim Akram 3-114, Abubakar 2-74) and 92 all out, 44.3 overs (Mohammad Javed 20; Qasim Akram 7-54, Sajjad Khan 2-19)
Group B
Multan beat Larkana by 10 wickets at National Bank Stadium, Karachi
Target for Multan – 20
Larkana 329 all out, 95 overs (Sabit Ali 141 not out, Ghulam Raza 69, Malhar Rasool 54, Mohsin Raza 25; Mohammad Shan 4-51, Faisal Akram 3-93, Mohammad Ismail 2-64) and 204 all out, 54 overs (Sabit Ali 28, Malhar Rasool 27, Shahzaib Aziz 25 not out, Ghulam Raza 23, Mohammad Umar 21; Mohammad Ismail 5-77, Mohammad Shan 2-40)
Multan 514 all out, 119 overs (Zain Abbas 160, Ahmar Ashfaq 82, Sharoon Siraj 76, Waqar Hussain 72, Imran Rafiq 26, Abdul Rehman Muzammil 21; Zahid Mehmood 4-155) and 23-0, 3.2 overs (Waqar Hussain 15 not out)
On Wednesday:
Group B
FATA beat Dera Murad Jamali by an innings and 37 runs at SBP Sports Complex, Karachi
Karachi Blues beat Rawalpindi by nine wickets at UBL Sports Complex, Karachi
