Super Eight T20 Cup roars into action today

But hardly three days on, a number of national cricketers will change gears to rub shoulders with some of the best talent when the Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 Cup roars into action at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

After the huge success of the inaugural edition of the competition at Faisalabad last June/July, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) expects a similar response from the cricket-starved folks of Rawalpindi and of course neighbouring Islamabad, who are expected to throng into the refurbished arena in large numbers, especially with Rawalpindi Rams taking the field as the reigning champions.

The Sohail Tanvir-led Rams were the unlikeliest of winners in the final against favourites Karachi Dolphins that required the use of the Super Over to determine the ultimate champions after both teams were levelled in terms of runs at the end of the actual match. Emerging spinner Raza-ul-Hasan was the hero that night as he out-thought Dolphins opener Shahzaib Hasan with three consecutive dot deliveries in the one-over eliminator.

The people of Faisalabad and its adjoining areas enthusiastically crammed the Iqbal Stadium for eight evenings despite the event — in which the top eight finishers of the 13-team previous national T20 qualified — had notable absentees such as Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan who were all committed to play in England at the time.

Also missing was Faisalabad’s favourite son Saeed Ajmal whose engagement with English county Worcestershire overlapped in the same period.

But this time, the PCB has shown much-needed commonsense in organising the tournament at such a time to guarantee all star names are available.

The significance of this planning is crucial for Pakistan itself with the fourth edition of the ICC World Twenty20 Championship barely six months away.

The competition for places in the Sri Lanka-bound squad this September is very much wide open.

Therefore, the competing players of the eight teams will be more than anxious to impress the Iqbal Qasim-led national selection committee during the coming week.

Dav Whatmore, who began his tenure as the Pakistan coach on a winning note at the Asia Cup, is also expected to keep a close eye because the 15 matches offer him and the selectors definitely their last opportunity to settle on the pool of probables for the camp to be set up for the
World Twenty20.

With clouds of uncertainty hanging over an ageing Misbah-ul-Haq as regards to his future as the Pakistan captain in limited-overs cricket, particularly in the shortest format of the game, the forthcoming tournament becomes more zesty with the soon-to-be-38-year-old’s potential successor taking shape with the likes of Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik heading that list as they prepare to lead Karachi Dolphins and Sialkot Stallions, respectively.

The Malik-led Stallions are obvious favourites at T20 level with six of the eight national titles annexed by them. The Dolphins, who beat the Stallions in the Faisalabad Super Eight semi-finals, on the other hand have been the biggest underachievers in this form despite possessing a host of brilliant individuals under Afridi’s leadership.

Other contenders for the title are Lahore Lions, led by Kamran Akmal, and Faisalabad Wolves, who are skippered by Misbah and have Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez in a strong squad.

Teams missing from the inaugural tournament are Hyderabad Hawks, Islamabad Leopards and Multan Tigers with Karachi Zebras, Peshawar Panthers and Lahore Eagles taking their places on virtue of finishing above in the National Twenty20 held in Karachi last
September.

The only teams yet to make the Super Eight are Abbottabad Rhinos and Quetta Bears.

Meanwhile, the success of the Bangladesh T20 Premier League — in which a fair number of Pakistani cricketers were instant hit with the local teams and the fans there — has given the PCB plenty to think about as far as starting a similar league of its own.

The lack of international cricket in Pakistan for the past three years has certainly deprived the diehards of watching their favourite stars on home soil.

But until such normal services resume, the fans here need to turn their attention to domestic cricket and intense rivalry unfolds.

Those who wish to come to the ground will be charged either Rs50 or 100 at the turnstile for the particular day depending on the enclosures they would like to watch from.

Each day there will be two matches of the same pool played.

The semi-finals take place on next Saturday and the final the following evening.

There is lot of incentive for the players on offer in the shape of generous prize-money put up by the title sponsor in the richest domestic event, while matching that of the first tournament.

The champions will be worthy recipients of a whooping Rs2.5 million and the runners-up taking home Rs1 million.

In addition, there are other incentives, including prizes for the most sixes, most fours, most wickets and most catches as well as other individual awards