Karachi: Karachi Blues completed a commanding 218-run victory over defending champions Sialkot to lift the 68th Quaid-e-Azam Trophy at Gaddafi Stadium — their 10th title as Karachi Blues and 22nd overall for the Karachi region.
It was a finish worthy of a team that not only peaked at the right time, but dominated when it mattered most.
What makes this triumph even more remarkable is the path Karachi took to get here. They needed to win their last four league matches to reach the final — they went on to win all five, including the final, completing a flawless late-season surge that turned them from outsiders into champions.
The final itself showcased everything that made Karachi the story of the season. Their young batting engine, their relentless pace attack, and the composed captaincy of Saud Shakeel blended seamlessly into a performance befitting champions.
The spotlight in the final belonged to Abdullah Fazal, adjudged Player of the Final, who produced twin gems under pressure — 88 in the first innings and a match-shaping 114 in the second. Karachi have unearthed a serious long-format prospect, and Abdullah’s poise in only his debut season was central to Karachi seizing control from day one.
If Abdullah owned the final, the season unquestionably belonged to Saad Baig.
The Karachi wicketkeeper-batter capped a record-breaking campaign with:
1000 runs (tournament’s top-scorer)
32 dismissals (tournament’s top wicketkeeper)
Best Batter award
Best Wicketkeeper award
Player of the Tournament
Saad became only the second Karachi batter after Asad Shafiq (2009-10) to cross the 1000-run mark in a single QEAT edition — an achievement that cements him as Pakistan’s standout young red-ball batter this domestic season.
In the deciding innings, Karachi’s pace spearhead Saqib Khan delivered yet another statement performance, claiming 5 for 86 to finish with match figures of 9 for 165.
Saqib ended the season with 47 wickets in nine matches, second only to Multan’s Ali Usman (48), who bagged the Best Bowler award.
His early strike on day five broke Sialkot’s opening stand and set the tone for a relentless Karachi defence. Though Sialkot showed resistance through Afzaal Manzoor (63), Hamza Nazar (56), and Abdullah Shafique (59), the champions’ attack kept landing blows until the innings folded for 314.
After setting Sialkot a towering 533-run target, built on centuries from Haroon Arshad (116) and Abdullah — plus a fluent 76 from Shan Masood — Karachi’s dominance never wavered. Every time Sialkot stitched a partnership, Karachi responded. Every time the game drifted, Saud’s bowlers wrested it back.
With the title, top individual honours, and a season headlined by breakout Karachi stars, the 2025-26 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will be remembered as Karachi’s return to domestic supremacy — driven not by big names, but by a new generation built for the long format.
