The PCB recently axed two departments for an "inability to comply" with new regulations, which included a three-fold hike in participation fees. This decision affected WAPDA, one of the oldest sides in the country and the defending champion of the first-class competition. While Sahir Associates chose to walk away from the new terms, Khan Research Laboratories—a legacy side where Azhar himself developed—was on the verge of withdrawing before ultimately signing up. The current Quaid-e-Azam Trophy has seen another format overhaul, featuring ten regional sides and onerous financial requirements for departments, which now play in a separate competition.
Azhar expressed frustration with the constant churn in the domestic structure, arguing that it leaves the system unable to breathe or develop long-term. He remarked, "At the PCB, our problem is we're never wrong, but perhaps we're never right either because when you change every year, it means there was a mistake." He pointed out that the board promises development every year, yet the results do not follow. Azhar Ali doesn't like the constant changes being made to the QeA Trophy, noting that if a system is changed annually, it suggests the previous year was wrong or the current one is.
His defense of the system is long-standing; in 2020, he was among the cricketers who met then-Prime Minister Imran Khan to protest the 2019 decision to scrap departments. They were unable to persuade the Prime Minister, and departments only returned to domestic cricket in 2023 after his removal from government. Azhar emphasized that departments provided essential financial security, noting, "I was moulded in department cricket, as so many others have been." He explained that even smaller Grade 2 departments paying PKR 30-40,000 are vital because, without that security, parents often force young players to find traditional jobs instead of pursuing cricket.
Reflecting on the human cost, Azhar stated, "I've seen young players who had to leave Pakistan after department cricket was abolished here. They didn't see a future here." He argued that cricket must be financially viable in Pakistan's economic reality. "It's easy to say, reduce the teams in domestic cricket. But if you're not getting financially rewarded for it, how many kids will be able to afford to take up cricket?"
Azhar sees the drop in Pakistan's Test fortunes—having lost 13 of their last 18 matches and sitting eighth in the World Test Championship—as intertwined with the reduced role of departments. He noted that the quality of cricket is dropping because a functioning aspect of the domestic game was stopped. Furthermore, he highlighted the loss of the combination of experienced and young players. "You have three young fast bowlers who are struggling. If you've got one experienced fast bowler, he'll be able to guide them through it. The same goes for an experienced batter building a partnership with a young player. A coach can't just do it all; they need hands on the pitch and support from experienced players who can pass on quality knowledge, player to player. You've just got rid of that, and then you see a drop in game awareness and cricket smarts."
While other South Asian sides have also incorporated department cricket into their first-class structure, the scale at which commercial departments have operated within Pakistan is unique. Departmental sides have been part of Pakistan's domestic cricket since the inaugural edition of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in 1953-54,
Their marginalisation, according to Azhar, has had pernicious effects, reaching down to the grassroot level. "Desire to play is not a problem [in Pakistan]. In England and Australia, you have to do special programmes in schools and counties to tempt them into playing cricket. Here, they're playing, they just need to be
