Punjab University cricket team, representing the

University of the Punjab The University of the Punjab (Urdu, pnb, ), also referred to as Punjab University, is a public, research, coeducational higher education institution located in Lahore, Pakistan. Punjab University is the oldest public university in Pakistan. ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

, played

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officia ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

from 1947-48 to 1971-72.

Early matches

The annual match in Lahore between Punjab University and the Punjab Governor's XI began in 1928-29. Punjab University competed in the Rohinton Baria Trophy between 1935–36 and 1946–47, winning four times and coming runners-up four times. After the formation of Pakistan in 1947, Punjab University played the second first-class match in Pakistan when their match against the Punjab Governor's XI at

Bagh-e-Jinnah, Lahore ''Bagh-e-Jinnah'' ( ur, باغِ جناح, , Jinnah Garden), formerly known as Lawrence Gardens, is a historical park in the city of Lahore, Pakistan. The large green space contains a botanical garden, Masjid Dar-ul-Islam, and Quaid-e-Azam Lib ...

in February 1948 was given first-class status. Batting for Punjab University,

Maqsood Ahmed Maqsood Ahmed (26 March 1925 – 4 January 1999) was a Pakistani cricketer who played in 16 Test matches from 1952 to 1955. He was educated at Islamia College, Lahore. Maqsood Ahmed was a useful all rounder in the first ever cricket team of ...

scored the third century in Pakistan first-class cricket. The contest was repeated in 1948-49, 1950–51 and 1951–52, at a time before the organisation of first-class competitive cricket in Pakistan, when there were few other first-class matches. The Punjab Governor's XI won the third match, and the other three were drawn. The Punjab Governor's XI included several leading Pakistan players, including

Fazal Mahmood Fazal Mahmood PP, HI (18 February 1927 – 30 May 2005) was a Pakistani international cricketer. He played in 34 Test matches and took 139 wickets at a bowling average of 24.70. The first Pakistani to pass 100 wickets, he reached the landm ...

and Mohammad Saeed.

First-class university matches

Punjab University next played first-class cricket when the Inter-Universities Championship was given first-class status in 1958-59 and 1959-60. In the first match Punjab University amassed a first-innings total of 702 against Sind University, with four players scoring centuries.

Karachi University The University of Karachi ( sd, ; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh ...

beat Punjab University in the final. In 1959-60 Punjab University beat Peshawar University narrowly in the first match, then again lost to Karachi University in the final.

1960s and 1970s

The match against the Punjab Governor's XI at Bagh-e-Jinnah was played six more times between 1960–61 and 1970-71. It continued to carry great tradition and prestige. The first two matches were drawn, and the Punjab Governor's XI won the last four. Among the many Test players who played for the Punjab Governor's XI in this period was

Abdul Hafeez Kardar Abdul Hafeez Kardar PP, HI ( ur, ) (17 January 1925 – 21 April 1996) was a Pakistani cricketer, politician and diplomat. He was the first captain of the Pakistan cricket team. He is one of the only three players to have played Test cric ...

, who captained the side in 1965-66 in his final first-class match. Punjab University competed at first-class level in the

Ayub Trophy The Patron's Trophy was a cricket competition that was held in Pakistan between 1960–61 and 2018–19 mainly among teams representing the government and semi-government departments, corporations, commercial organisations, business houses, banks, ...

in 1960-61, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1967–68 and 1969–70, the

Quaid-i-Azam Trophy The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket competition in Pakistan. With few exceptions, it has been staged annually since it was first played during the 1953–54 season. Domestic cricket in Pakistan has undergone many reorganis ...

in 1964-65 (under the name of "Punjab University and Lahore Education Board"), 1969–70 and 1970–71, the

BCCP Trophy The President's Trophy is a cricket competition that is held in Pakistan. It was previously held between 1960–61 and 2018–19 but was refounded from the 2023–24 as Hanif Mohammad Trophy. It consists of teams representing the government and s ...

in 1970-71 and 1971–72, and the Punjab Governor's Gold Cup Tournament in 1971-72. They reached the semi-finals of several tournaments, progressing to the final of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy in 1970-71, which they lost on the first innings to

Karachi Blues Karachi cricket teams competed in the Pakistani first-class cricket tournaments the Patron's Trophy and Quaid-e-Azam Trophy from 1953-54 to 2018-19. Beginning with the 2019-20 season, the city of Karachi has been represented in the Quaid-e-Azam T ...

, and defeating Rawalpindi to win the Punjab Governor's Gold Cup Tournament in 1971-72.Punjab University v Rawalpindi 1971-72
/ref> Their last match was a semi-final of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy in 1971-72. Overall between 1948 and 1972 Punjab University played 44 first-class matches, winning 8, losing 10 and drawing 26. They played 20 of these matches at the University ground.

Notable players

Many Pakistan

Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

players spent part of their early careers playing for Punjab University, including Shujauddin Butt,

Khan Mohammad Khan Mohammad ( Punjabi, ur, ) (1 January 1928 – 4 July 2009) was a cricket player who was a member of Pakistan's first Test team that played against India in 1952. Born in Lahore, Punjab, he was educated at the city's Islamia College. He ...

, Imtiaz Ahmed and

Waqar Hasan Waqar Hasan Mir ( ur, وقارحسن; 12 September 1932 – 10 February 2020) was a Pakistani cricketer who played in 21 Test matches from 1952 to 1959, and the last surviving member of Pakistan's inaugural Test squad. He scored 1,071 runs in ...

in the early matches, and

Sarfraz Nawaz Sarfraz Nawaz Malik ( Punjabi, ur, ) (born 1 December 1948) is a former Pakistani Test cricketer and politician, who was instrumental in Pakistan's first Test series victories over India and England. Between 1969 and 1984, he played 55 Tests ...

Wasim Raja Wasim Hasan Raja (Punjabi, ur, ) (3 July 1952 – 23 August 2006) was a British Pakistani schoolteacher, match referee, cricket coach and cricketer who played in 57 Test matches and 54 One Day Internationals for the Pakistani national crick ...

Asif Masood Syed Asif Masood Shah ( ur, آصف مسعود شاہ; born 23 January 1946) is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in 16 Test matches and 7 One Day Internationals from 1969 to 1977. He was educated at Islamia College Lahore. His best Test ...

, Shafiq Ahmed and Talat Ali in the 1960s and 1970s.

References

External links

Lists of matches played by Punjab University at CricketArchive

{{Pakistani first class cricket teams 1882 establishments in the British Empire Pakistani first-class cricket teams

Cricket team Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by stri ...

Former senior cricket clubs of Pakistan

Cricket Team Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by stri ...

Cricket clubs established in 1882