Pakistan is all set to host exciting domestic competition starting with the Champions T20 Cup between December 7-25. However, the tournament casts a massive shadow with the absence of superstar skipper Babar Azam, pace sensation Shaheen Shah Afridi, and swashbuckler wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan from the tournament as they prepare for South Africa duties on a Test series.
Besides the unavailability of the trio, the rest of the central contracts players and members of the ongoing Zimbabwe tour-Pakistan also testify to PCB’s devotion to international cricket as opposed to domestic ones. The training provisional squads announced by the mentors of the tournament omit the players under consideration for the Test. The final squads will be constituted after selection of final picks by national selectors for South Africa for the teams, which can allow the mentors to tailor-make alterations.
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The tournament seems like an amalgamation of five franchise-style teams with each of them mentored by a cricketing legend. The ABL Stallions include players such as Azam Khan and Mohammad Haris under the mentoring of Shoaib Malik. The Engro Dolphins, mentored by Sarfaraz Ahmed, offer talents like Asif Ali and Faheem Ashraf. The Lake City Panthers have Saqlain Mushtaq and include players such as Haider Ali and Hasan Ali under his wing. The Nurpur Lions include Imam-ul-Haq and Khushdil Shah and are mentored by Waqar Younis. The last are the UMT Markhors, whose mentor is Misbah-ul-Haq, and they include among their ranks Fakhar Zaman and Iftikhar Ahmed.
The venue of the Champions T20 Cup looks thrilling because some of the most talented domestic players in Pakistan are at their best and will be watching them closely. Fans will want to see emerging talents prove to be stars with big names missing, making the domestic circuit competitive and entertaining.