Karachi want direct qualification to Quaid-e-Azam trophy

The Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) and Pakistan Cricket Board are in disagreement over the changes made to domestic cricket in the country. In July, it had been decided that the final four of the 16 teams participating in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy, Pakistan's premier first-class tournament, have to play a qualifying round. But the KCCA have objected to it, and insisted that their two teams should gain direct entry to the main round.

According to the PCB, the KCCA had accepted to the change in format in earlier meetings. But on Tuesday, the KCCA president Ijaz Farooqi protested by staging a walk out of the PCB governing board meeting in Lahore. He did return to attend the meeting in full, but the symbolism was clear. The PCB considered deliberating the issue raised by the KCCA, but decided that making an exception for one team was not wise. The other teams set to participate in the tournament are understood not to have raised any concerns.

The PCB had revamped format of the Quaid-e-Azam trophy for the third time in the last four years, trimming the competition from having 26 teams to 16 - eight regional and eight department sides.

Of the 16 teams, 12 - six regional and six department - will gain automatic qualification on the basis of their performance last season. The last four places will be filled through a qualifying round introduced by the PCB, which will be played between 14 teams. The top two regional and department teams will qualify for the main tournament. The qualifying round will be a non-first-class tournament in which six departmental teams will play five matches on single-league basis while eight regional teams will play three matches each.

Traditionally, Karachi gets to field two teams as a result of having a greater number of people. The PCB have allowed for that to continue, but Karachi Zebras failed to finish within the top 12 last season and the new format dictates they have to go through the qualifying tournament if they want to play first-class cricket this season.

Apart from Zebras, Faisalabad Wolves, Abbottabad Falcons, FATA Cheetas, Lahore Eagles, Multan Tigers, Bahawalpur Stags, Sialkot Stallions are the other teams who will compete in the qualifying round. The inter-department qualifying round features six teams: Pakistan International Airlines, State Bank of Pakistan, Sui Southern Gas Company, Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited, Khan Research Laboratories, Karachi Port Trust.

No one other than Karachi have disputed the new format. They have called a meeting of the local governing council on Wednesday to plan their next move.

This is not the first time the two parties have been at loggerheads. The KCCA, in the past, had claimed the PCB deliberately neglected players from Karachi when selecting the national team. The KCCA had also launched a court petition in 2003 over hosting a Test in Karachi. At the time, the PCB had intended to stage the matches at the then newly formed Sindh Cricket Association instead of the KCCA. However, the court decided to maintain the status quo and the first Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh was hosted by KCCA.