Nixon Leads Sindh to Quaid-e-Azam Final

Head Coach Paul Nixon will have a shot at silverware this week, as his Sindh side take on Northern to compete for the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

The five-day finale of Pakistan’s premier first-class cricket tournament begins today (Saturday, 26 November) at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, the headquarters of Pakistan cricket.

The Pakistan Cricket Board introduced foreign coaches for two of the division’s teams, Sindh and Central Punjab, and after linking up with his new side in October, Nixon guided his new district to an unbeaten second-placed finish to earn their berth in the showpiece final.

Talking about Sindh’s team, who also won the 2022-23 edition of the National T20 Cup, the wicket-keeper batter said: “Pakistan is a wonderful place to play cricket and who wouldn’t want the opportunity of coming to Pakistan?

“I have seen the team play so well in the T20 of late. They’ve been outstanding. Their balance of experience and youth is just incredible. They’ve got some exciting, international cricketers and seriously, good, talented youth coming through as well.  I really believe that they’ve got the ability to win consistently, in all formats.”

Nixon’s latest assignment is his first in Pakistan as a coach, and has cultivated high praise from national media, describing his stint as ‘a roaring success, without a shadow of doubt.’ It builds on his success for Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League, where the 52-year-old picked up two CPL titles in three years.

Now, with the help of the Foxes’ boss, Sindh are appearing in their first final under the revamped system. They will, however, be without some key performers, as Pakistan’s Test squad begin preparations for the series against England. Captain Saud Shakeel, wicketkeeper-batter Sarfaraz Ahmed and spinners Abrar Ahmed and Zahid Mehmood have all been called up.

The final will be streamed live on the Pakistan Cricket Board’s YouTube channel HERE.