LAHORE: The Hanif Mohammad Trophy four-day tournament will commence on Aug 29 in Pakistan’s southern Punjab region, with Pool-A matches being staged in Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Multan despite acute hot and humid weather.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed Pool-A features regional teams from Faisalabad, Lahore Blues, Hyderabad, Karachi Whites, Quetta and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

All Pool-B matches are scheduled for Karachi, involving Rawalpindi, FATA, Karachi Blues, Multan, Dera Murad Jamali and Larkana.

Traditionally high humidity in southern Punjab is exacerbated during the current sugarcane growing season, particularly around Rahim Yar Khan where nine sugar mills operate.

Concurrent heavy rains in the country’s northern areas further complicated venue selection logistics for the PCB.

The top team from each pool will qualify for the premier Quaid-i-Azam Trophy, starting Sept 29. The Hanif Mohammad Trophy, named after the legendary Pakistani batsman, concludes on Sept 25.

Karachi is represented by two teams in the tournament (Karachi Whites and Karachi Blues) because no team from the city secured direct qualification for the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy.

The top six teams from the previous Quaid-i-Azam Trophy season — Lahore Whites, Islamabad, Abbottabad, Peshawar, Sialkot and Bahawalpur — earned direct entry into the premier first class event.

The Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) had protested its teams’ omission from the premier event and demanded a format change, but the PCB retained its qualification structure.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2025