Pakistan add another First-Class competition in their domestic cricket calendar

The domestic cricket system of Pakistan is all set to undergo major changes yet again. It was announced that a second first-class competition will be added to the seasonal calendar, and the departmental sides will be returning to the fray as well. However, it is worth noting that the departmental sides will not be competing in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy, but they will be taking part in the President's Trophy, after the conclusion of the former event.

Furthermore, eight teams will be participating in the tournament instead of the usual six from now on. The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will be played between September 10 and October 26. Whereas the President’s Trophy will be played between December 15 and January 30.

Interestingly, an additional 10 regional teams will be playing in the Hanif Mohammad Trophy, which is considered the second division of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. The separation of the regional and departmental teams could mean that several players could play for both sides. Hence, the introduction of the tournaments could also mean that the President’s Trophy could supercede the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy as the bigger first-class tournament.

This structure provides a level playing field to regions and departments: Junaid Zia

With the massive revamp, the director of Pakistan's domestic cricket operations, Junaid Zia, took centre stage and presented his thoughts on the changes. He stated that the new structure of the domestic competitions will level the playing field for both the regional and departmental teams. 

"This structure provides a level playing field to regions and departments as they will have the best cricket talent available to them. The separation of regions and departments in different tournaments also enhances earning opportunities for cricketers with separate contracts and more matches," Zia was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

The revamp also comes at a time when Pakistan has little to no Test assignments. In the next 12 months, the side will only face off against Australia in a Test series.