Quaid-e-Azam Trophy from today

ISLAMABAD: The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the country’s premier first class cricket event, kicks off on Tuesday (today).

For the first time, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is using Duke balls for Trophy matches. “Though the ball is Duke, we have used Australian hide to make it more durable. The English hide is only meant for English conditions. We have made some other adjustments as well to make the ball perfect for Pakistani surfaces,” a PCB official said.

He said that early reports on the Duke balls used in practice matches were encouraging. “Reports we have received so far after using the ball in practice matches are very good. Hopefully the Trophy matches will go smoothly,” he added.

The Duke is much darker red, enjoyed by the bowlers. It does not swing from the start but as the lacquer used on the ball wears off, it swings conventionally and in a much better way than Kookaburra.

A source said Level III qualified coaches would be entitled to Rs175,000 and those having done Level II would get an even better package.

Tuesday matches:

Pool A: Lahore Blues vs WAPDA at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

Umpires: Khalid Mahmood Sr. & Sultan Mahmood. Referee: Aziz-ur-Rehman. Scorer: Azhar Hussain.

Peshawar vs SNGPL at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Abbottabad. Umpires: Rashid Riaz & Saqib Khan. Referee: Mohammad Aslam. Scorer: Khurram Shahzad.

Islamabad vs SSGC at Diamond Ground, Islamabad.

Umpires: Riazuddin & Qaiser Waheed. Referee: Iqbal Sheikh.  Scorer: Adnan Farooq.

Faisalabad vs NBP at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad.

Umpires: Mohammad Asif & Adnan Rashid. Referee: Nadeem Arshad. Scorer: Tahir Suhaib.

Pool B: Karachi Whites vs UBL at UBL Ground No 1, Karachi.

Umpires: Zameer Haider & Aslam Bareach. Referee: Iftikhar Ahmed. Scorer: Waseem Abbas.

Rawalpindi vs KRL at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi.

Umpires: Ghaffar Kazmi & Waleed Yaqoob, Referee: Tanvir Afzal. Scorer: Shakeel Ahmed.

FATA vs HBL at Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot.

Umpires: Shozab Raza & Tariq Rasheed, Referee: Shahid Butt. Scorer: Farrukh Ilyas.

Lahore White vs PTV at LCCA Ground, Lahore.

Umpires: Shamim Ansari & Muhammad Sajid. Referee: Khalid Niazi.  Scorer: Najamus Saeed.