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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made a last-minute change to its domestic cricket calendar by postponing the President’s Cup. The board has reportedly postponed the premier List-A tournament to manage the players’ workload amid the busy international season at home.
The eight-team tournament was scheduled to begin in a couple of days, but the PCB has now moved it to December 2026. However, the PCB has not yet officially announced the same. Amid this, Pakistan set for packed home season, as Sri Lanka and England set to face off in tri-series.
Why was the President’s Cup postponed by PCB?
As reported by ESPNCricinfo, the Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to postpone the President’s Cup after a request from the national selection committee and white-ball team management. They felt that Pakistani players needed some rest before the busy international home season begins later this year.
The players have already gone through a demanding period. The National Champions Cup has just ended on August 18, following an almost two-month-long white-ball camp at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.
With players already spending a long time in white-ball cricket, the selectors and team management wanted to give them a short break before the crucial matches across the formats.
The President’s Cup will now be played in December
With the President’s Cup postponed, the next major tournament on Pakistan’s men's domestic calendar will be the President’s Trophy. This will be played from September 12 to October 19.
Interestingly, its first-class and non-first-class versions will take place during the same period. After that, the domestic players will shift their attention to the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. The red-ball tournament will be played from November 1 to December 17.
Major Change to Quaid-e-Azam Trophy
The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will also see some changes this season. A total of 20 teams from all 16 regions will take part in the red-ball tournament. They will be divided into Gold and Silver divisions. Amid this, 3-0! Michael Vaughan, Stuart Broad predict England to whitewash Pakistan in Test series.
Earlier, only 10 teams competed in the regional first-class tournament. This forced the Pakistan Cricket Board to make several changes to the domestic structure to improve the overall game.
The President's Cup holds massive significance
The President’s Cup has been Pakistan's only major List-A tournament. It features the same eight departments that will also play the first-class edition of the President’s Trophy.
The PCB had previously removed the Pakistan Cup from the domestic calendar after the 2023-24 season, leaving the President’s Cup the main one-day domestic tournament.
This tournament will play a big role in identifying the players and checking the form of the national players for the ICC ODI World Cup 2027. The PCB wants to identify talented players who can potentially push for national selection.
Earlier, the PCB had announced Pakistan’s home schedule against Sri Lanka and England for later this year. Pakistan will play three T20Is and two Tests against Sri Lanka.
The Test series will be part of the 2025-27 World Test Championship. Pakistan will also host England and Sri Lanka in a seven-match ODI tri-series later this year.
