The Quaid-e-Azam trophy may be Pakistan's premier domestic competition, but it has often been treated as little more than plasticine, constantly moulded and redesigned. Early models have been discarded and newer ones adopted for no long-term (or indeed short-term) reasons. While changes in the QeA format are as old as the tournament itself, we look at the changing face of the domestic competition over the last 15 years, just as the PCB embarks upon a rather radical set of reforms.
2002-03: This QeA season comprised 24 teams, divided into four groups. Regional teams and departmental teams competed together. For example, Faisalabad (a regional team) was in the same group as WAPDA (a departmental team).
2003-04: This season saw dramatic changes to the QeA trophy. Departmental teams were removed. Instead nine regional sides, all in one group, competed against each other for the title.
2004-05: The format remained the same as the previous season, except two more regional teams were added to the mix, and 11 teams, all in one group again, vied against each other.
2005-2006: This season saw another extensive overhaul, with a new, 13-team format. The teams were split into two leagues: seven in the top-tiered Gold league and six in the Silver league. Promotion and relegation was introduced for the first time. Departments and regions remained segregated. Departments competed in the Patron's trophy instead.
2007-08: The Gold and Silver league experiment came to an end after just two seasons. Twenty-two teams competed in this season's competition, placed in two groups of 11. In another significant change, departmental sides returned to the QeA trophy, and competed alongside regions for the first time in five years.
2010-11: Further changes were made to the way regional and departmental sides competed in the QeA. This season featured 22 teams, split into two divisions - 12 and 10, as opposed to 11 each. Twelve teams - the six best regional sides and departmental sides based on the previous year's results - constituted division one. At the end of the league phase, the lowest-placed regional and departmental sides were relegated to division two.
2013-14: The number of sides was reduced to 14 in another revamping of the format and structure. They were split into two groups of seven, with the top four teams from each group proceeding to the Super League of the tournament and the remaining six teams going through to the Plate League.
2014-15: In another wide-ranging refurbishment, a whopping 26 teams competed this season - 14 regional and 12 departmental. The top six teams from the 2013-14 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and the top six from the previous President's Trophy made up the Gold League. All 12 teams played each other once, leading to a final at the end of the round-robin series. The Silver League consisted of two groups, each with four regional and three departmental teams. In both groups, all 12 teams played each other once, followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final.
2015-16: The number of teams was reduced to 16, eight departmental and eight regional. Of the 16 teams, 12 - six regional and six departmental - gained automatic qualification on the basis of their performance the previous season. The last four places were filled through a qualifying round - two regional and two departmental teams - from which FATA made their way into the top competition.