LAHORE: Karachi Blues won the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy as wild-card entrants and WAPDA claimed their maiden President’s Trophy title as Pakistan’s 2025-26 domestic first-class season concluded last week. The trophies mattered, but the season will be remembered just as much for the weight of individual output – led by Saad Baig’s volume run-scoring and wicketkeeping impact, Ali Usman’s wicket-taking surge across both competitions, and Khalid Usman’s all-round value over a full campaign.

2025-26 season at a glance

• 1,000-run club: 8 batters
• 50-wicket club: 8 bowlers
• Season workload: 75 first-class matches across four months
• Top run-getter: Saad Baig – 1,369 runs (17 matches)
• Top wicket-taker: Ali Usman – 73 wickets (12 matches)
• Season’s all-round output: Khalid Usman – 833 runs + 49 wickets (17 matches)

Left-handed 19-year-old opener Saad Baig owned the batting honours, piling up 1,369 runs in 17 first-class matches with four centuries and six half-centuries. He set the tone in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy for Karachi Blues (1,000 runs) and then added 369 runs for Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) in the President’s Trophy – a split that underlined his ability to carry output across tournaments, attacks, and conditions.

The season’s most complete wicketkeeper-batter impact

Baig’s season wasn’t just about runs. Behind the stumps, he dismissed 53 batters – the best overall wicketkeeping tally of the season. In the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, he accounted for 30 dismissals, before adding 23 more in the President’s Trophy, giving him a second avenue of match influence even when runs weren’t flowing.

Saifullah Bangash of Bahawalpur and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) finished as the season’s second-best wicketkeeper with 50 dismissals in 15 matches – 26 in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and 24 in the President’s Trophy.

In the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy alone, Afzal Manzoor of Sialkot topped the wicketkeepers’ list with 39 dismissals. Unfortunately, the 20-year-old did not feature in the President’s Trophy, missing the chance to push for the overall season lead.

Batting: the 1,000-run club (and the youth surge)

Eight batters crossed 1,000 first-class runs, with three left-handed openers aged 19–21 shaping the season’s run charts.

Azan Awais finished second overall, 118 runs behind Saad Baig, after producing across both tournaments: 803 runs in 10 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches and 448 runs in the President’s Trophy, taking him to 1,251 runs in 18 matches with four centuries and four half-centuries.

Shamyl Hussain was close behind with 1,244 runs in 15 matches (four centuries, seven half-centuries), scoring 899 runs in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy for Islamabad and 345 runs for Pakistan Television (PTV) in the President’s Trophy.

Shan Masood was the fourth leading scorer with 1,177 runs in 12 matches (for Karachi Blues, SNGPL and Pakistan). He was followed by Mohammad Ammar (1,162 runs in 16 matches), Abdullah Fazal (1,047 runs in 13 matches), Shahzaib Khan (1,047 runs in 15 matches), and Mohammad Hurraira (1,032 runs in 16 matches). Abdullah and Hurraira also turned out for State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) during the season.

Bowling: Ali Usman sets the pace

Among bowlers, Multan and PTV’s 32-year-old Ali Usman set the wicket-taking tempo for the season with 73 wickets in 12 first-class matches. He struck heavily in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (48 wickets in eight matches) and then backed it up in the President’s Trophy (25 wickets in four matches), leaving little doubt about the season’s most consistent strike threat.

Test off-spinner Sajid Khan finished with 64 wickets in 12 matches (for Peshawar, SNGPL and Pakistan), while Test fast bowler Mohammad Abbas claimed 61 wickets in 11 matches for Lahore Whites and SBP.

Test spin pair Asif Afridi and Noman Ali were joint fourth with 59 wickets in 11 matches apiece. Asif also featured for FATA, and Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), while Noman also represented Lahore Whites and Ghani Glass.

Three fast bowlers also crossed the 50-wicket mark: Mohammad Hamza (57 wickets in 10 matches), Naqeebullah (52 wickets in 11 matches) and Mohammad Ali (51 wickets in 11 matches).

Season MVP: Khalid Usman’s all-round value

At 39, Khalid Usman delivered the season’s most rounded output: 833 runs and 49 wickets in 17 matches while representing Abbottabad and WAPDA. In a season where specialist excellence was everywhere, his combination of runs and wickets over sustained workload made him the standout all-format contributor.

Season notes

The 10-team Quaid-e-Azam Trophy ran from 6 October to 5 December 2025, while the eight-team President’s Trophy was held from 28 December 2025 to 12 February 2026. In total, 75 first-class matches were played in four months, giving leading performers up to 18 first-class matches to build a season-long case.

Now the numbers are locked in. The next step is proving that this level of output – runs, wickets, and match influence – can travel upward when the scrutiny, the attacks, and the stakes get even higher.