Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan and opening batter Imam-ul-Haq are returning to domestic first-class cricket, after making themselves available for their regional sides for the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. The move brings two of the country’s most experienced international players back into the domestic arena at the start of a new first-class season, and it gives their regional teams a considerable lift just as the tournament is about to begin.
Reports say Rizwan will turn out for Peshawar, while Imam will represent Multan in the competition, which is scheduled to begin on November 3. The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy is Pakistan’s leading first-class tournament, and for players who have spent long periods with the national side it offers regular, multi-day cricket and time at the crease to build form.
Both men have recently been involved in the President’s Trophy Grade-I 2026-27, the departmental first-class competition in which Rizwan captained Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited and Imam led Oil and Gas Development Company Limited. That tournament began on September 12. Their presence in it, however, was not straightforward from the start.
According to reports, Rizwan and Imam missed the first six rounds of the President’s Trophy after the Pakistan Cricket Board initially did not grant them permission to take part. Reports linked the delay to an ongoing investigation by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency into reported allegations involving online betting and gambling activities. They also faced an inquiry over the alleged leaking of dressing-room information during Pakistan’s previous tour of England, and there were concerns about mandatory preseason fitness assessments and whether their fitness reports had been submitted before the required deadline.
The reports describe investigations and inquiries, not findings against either player, and the board eventually cleared both men to return to domestic cricket. That clearance came before the seventh and final round of the President’s Trophy Grade-I. Imam was then permitted to represent Oil and Gas Development Company Limited against Ghani Glass, while Rizwan received permission to play for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited against Khan Research Laboratories.
The timing of their availability is therefore significant. The tournament begins on November 3, and both players are expected to strengthen the regional sides they will represent. In first-class cricket, experienced batters shape innings and guide younger players through long passages of play. A wicketkeeper-batter of Rizwan’s experience also brings an extra dimension behind the stumps, while an opening batter of Imam’s experience sets the platform at the top of the order.
The squads announced for the tournament underline that point. Rizwan is listed as captain of Peshawar Blues, while Imam is listed as captain of Multan. The competition features eight teams in its Gold tier and twelve sides in its Silver competition, which serves as a qualifying pathway to the Gold tier for the following season. Those appointments suggest that both sides see them not only as run-scorers but as leaders who can help younger cricketers adjust to the demands of four-day cricket.
There is also a wider context to their return. Domestic first-class cricket in Pakistan has long served as the bridge between promise and international selection, and as the place where established players regain rhythm after time away. When senior players take part, the standard rises, because younger bowlers test themselves against batters who have faced the best attacks in the world, and younger batters learn by watching how experienced players construct an innings over several sessions.
For Rizwan and Imam themselves, the tournament offers a clear opportunity to put a disrupted start to the domestic season behind them. A strong run of first-class matches would allow them to spend extended time in the middle and remind observers of the qualities that have kept them in contention at the highest level for so long. There is no substitute for runs scored in competitive, multi-day cricket.
The first round, beginning on November 3, will be the first real test of how quickly they can settle back into regional colours after their recent departmental commitments. Peshawar and Multan will both hope that their captains can lead from the front and that their experience can translate into early points. Whether that happens will depend, as always in first-class cricket, on patience, discipline and the ability to adapt to conditions over four days.
What is certain is that their return adds interest and weight to the opening round. With Rizwan and Imam available again, the 2026-27 edition begins with two familiar figures back where domestic cricket needs them most: in the middle, leading their sides, and playing the long format that remains the foundation of the game in Pakistan.
