QEAT’s First Round Concludes October 9, Prior to South Africa Test

LAHORE: Ahead of the initial Test match against South Africa, four members of the 18-player Pakistan squad will participate in the first phase of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QEAT), sources revealed.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has directed that Mohammad Rizwan, Hasan Ali, Salman Ali Agha, and Sajid Khan be given the opportunity to hone their abilities by playing in the opening round of the premier first-class competition.

Consequently, these players have been excused from the national team’s ongoing training camp for the two-match series.

Sources further indicated that Rizwan and Sajid will represent the Peshawar Region in the 10-team contest. Agha, the T20I captain, and Hasan, the seasoned pacer, will compete for Sialkot and Lahore Whites, respectively.

It is worth noting that the QEAT’s first round will wrap up on October 9, which is two days before the first Test against South Africa begins. As a result, the players who have been released from the training camp will be able to rejoin the team on time.

The upcoming home series will mark the start of Pakistan’s ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 campaign against South Africa, the current champions.

The squad includes Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Asif Afridi, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Noman Ali, Rohail Nazir (wicket-keeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.