Lahore, The National T20 Cup Qualifier 2025-26 is set to get underway at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore from Saturday, 14 February at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore.

A total of 10 regional teams have been divided into two groups of five, while the table toppers from each group will qualify for the 10-team main event scheduled in late February and March.

The final of the tournament, between the top two teams from each group, will take place on 24 February at the Gaddafi Stadium. The 10 teams will play a total of 21 matches including the final.

Group A comprises of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Islamabad, Karachi Blues, Larkana and Quetta, while Group B consists of Bahawalpur, Dera Murad Jamali, FATA, Hyderabad and Rawalpindi. Each team will play four group matches each.

All the matches will be live-streamed on Tapmad in Pakistan and on the PCB YouTube channel outside Pakistan. All days from 14 to 23 February will see double-headers. The matches taking place before Ramzan are set to begin at 4pm and 8.30pm, while the matches afterwards will start at 7pm and 11.15pm.

Pool A – Karachi Blues, Quetta, Larkana, Islamabad and Azad Jammu and Kashmir

Pool B – FATA, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, Dera Murad Jamali and Bahawalpur

Squads:

Azad Jammu and Kashmir ; 

Hasan Raza (captain), Adil Azad, Amir Nazir (wk), Aqib Liaqat, Arslan Mahzood, Awais Akram, Faizan Saleem, Hasnain Shamir, Husnain Nadeem, Jawad Imtiaz, Nadeem Khalil, Saad Asif, Umer Hayat, Usman Yousuf and Zaman Khan

Bahawalpur ; 

Mohammad Imran (captain), Ali Afzal, Ali Hamza, Ali Shabbir, Faizan Zafar, Khaqan Basheer, Mohammad Sudais, Muhammad Akram, Muhammad Ammar, Muhammad Azab, Muhammad Basit, Muhammad Faizan, Muhammad Junaid, Muhammad Umair and Shahid Mirani

Dera Murad Jamali ;

Fahad Hussain (captain), Basit Ali, Dawood Khan, Farhan Ullah, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Khan, Muhammad Shahid, Nasir Khan, Rasool Baksh, Sajjad Ahmed, Sajjad Ali, Saleem Mal, Shoaib Ahmed, Taimur Ali and Tariq Jameel

FATA ;

Asif Afridi (captain), Afaq Afridi, Azaz Khan, Khubaib Khalil, Khushdil Shah, Maaz Khan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Naeem, Muhammad Sarwar, Muhammad Waseem Khan, Rehan Afridi, Salman Khan, Sameen Gul, Samiullah Jnr and Sirajuddin

Hyderabad ; 

Sharjeel Khan (captain), Akbar Khan, Asad Malik, Daniyal Rajput, Haris Khanzada, Jawad Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Meesam, Mustafa Nasir, Noman Ali, Rizwan Mehmood, Shehryar Baloch, Suleman Khan, Ubaidullah Rahupoto and Zain-ul-Abedeen

Islamabad ;

Umair Riaz (captain), Arsal Sheikh, Farhan Ali, Farman Ullah, Hammad Siddique, Hamza Waheed, Haris Rauf, Kaleem Dil, Rizwan Ali, Musa Khan, Naseerullah, Shahbaz Khan, Shayan Sheikh, Umair and Umar Nawaz

Karachi Blues ;

Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (captain), Aarish Ali Khan, Ahsan Ali, Fahad Amin, Jahanzaib Sultan, Maaz Khurram Amin, Muhammad Afzal, Muhammad Raza Chandio, Muhammad Taha, Muhammad Usman Rahim, Rameez Aziz, Rehman Ghani, Syed Shah Raza, Wajah Riaz and Zeeshan Zameer

Larkana ;

Zahid Mehmood (captain), Aamir Ali Taheem, Ali Asghar, Asif Chandio, Ghulam Raza, Malhar Rasool, Mohsin Raza, Muhammad Aqeel Danish, Muhammad Huzaifa, Mushtaq Ahmed, Sabit Ali Siyal, Saqlain Nawaz Rajput, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shahzaib Aziz and Zahid Hussain

Quetta ;

Jalat Khan (captain), Abdul Hameed, Abdul Hanan, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Bismillah Khan, Bohair Aman, Haseebullah, Jahangir Shah, Khalil Ahmed, Muhammad Ibrahim, Muhammad Idrees, Muhammad Junaid, Najeed Ullah, Salahuddin and Yasir Khan

Rawalpindi ; 

Haider Ali (captain), Abdul Faseeh, Abdul Qadir, Ali Husnain, Jahandad Khan, Kashif Ali, M Faizan, Mehran Mumtaz, Mubasir Khan, Muhammad Nabeel, Nasir Nawaz, Shahbaz Tabrez, Taimur Khan, Yasir Khan and Zeeshan Malik

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Lahore Blues defeat Peshawar in final to lift National T20 Cup

Faisalabad,  Hussain Talat-led Lahore Region Blues comprehensively beat Peshawar Region by a nine-wicket margin in the final of the Bank Alfalah Presents Inverex Solar Energy National T20 Cup 2024-25 here at the Iqbal Stadium on Thursday night.

Lahore Blues pocketed winners prize of PKR five millions out of the 9.4 million PKR prize pot, while the runners up Peshawar got PKR 2.5 million.

Chasing a meagre 111-run target, Lahore Blues got over the line with 24 balls in the bag as opening batter Umar Siddiq remained unbeaten for 64 not out off 46 balls with the help of six fours and two sixes.

Umar stitched a 45-run opening stand with Imran Butt and followed it up by an unbeaten 66-run partnership with Junaid Ali (30, 30b, 3x4s) to take his team home.

Earlier, Peshawar were kept in check by the Lahore Blues bowlers as only three of their batters entered double figures leading to a modest 110-9 total in the allotted 20 overs. Iftikhar Ahmed (34, 33b, 2x4s) and No.5 batter Mohammad Zulkifal (32, 29b, 4x4s, 1×6) were the main contributors for Peshawar.

Player of the match Mohammad Salman Mirza bagged four wickets for 21 runs in his four overs, while left-arm spinner returned figures of 4-0-20-2. Qasim Akram, Nisar Ahmed and Mohammad Rizwan dismissed one batter each.

Scores in brief: Final – Lahore Region Blues beat Peshawar Region by nine wickets at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad

Peshawar 110-9, 20 overs (Iftikhar Ahmed 34, Mohammad Zulkifal 32; Mohammad Salman Mirza 4-21, Mohammad Irfan 2-20)  Lahore Blues 111-1, 16 overs (Umar Siddiq 64 not out, Junaid Ali 30 not out; Usman Tariq 1-20)

Player of the match – Mohammad Salman Mirza (Lahore Region Blues)

Player of the tournament and best batter of the tournament – Sahibzada Farhan (Peshawar Region – 605 runs in seven matches)

Best bowler of the tournament – Hasan Ali (Sialkot Region – 13 wickets in four matches)

Best wicketkeeper of the tournament – Muhammad Akhlaq (Lahore Region Whites – Six dismissals & 114 runs)

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18 teams from 16 regions to feature in 14-day tournament; Faisalabad, Lahore and Multan to host matches

A prize pot of PKR 9.4 million will also be up for grabs with winning side clinching PKR five million

Tournament schedule graphic and Urdu version of the release attached

Lahore, The National T20 Cup 2024-25 will commence from Friday, 14 March with 18 teams from 16 regions set to take part in the event. The tournament will see 39 matches played across three cities – Faisalabad, Lahore and Multan.

The Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad will host 23 matches, including the knockout stage of the competition. In Lahore, the Gaddafi Stadium and LCCA Ground will serve as the two venues, while the Multan Cricket Stadium will host eight games.

A prize pot of PKR 9.4 million will also be up for grabs, with the winning team clinching PKR five million and the runners-up getting PKR 2.5 million.

The 18 teams have been divided into four groups,

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Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will defend their National T20 title under the leadership of Khalid Usman as the all-rounder has been announced the captain of the winners of the 2020 and 2021 editions.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have had an impressive run in the last two editions of the tournament, winning 15 off 24 matches, and will be eager to continue their form when they open their campaign on 31 August, the second day of the tournament, against Central Punjab.

Another tournament win will further stamp Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as a T20 powerhouse, embellish their trophy cabinet with the prestigious silverware and another PKR5million in their bank account.

All-rounder Faheem Ashraf takes the reins of Central Punjab, the runners up of the previous edition, who will lock horns with Yasir Shah-captained Balochistan in the second match of the tournament on the National T20 opening day (30 August).

The tournament will begin with what promises to be a thriller with Saud Shakeel’s Sindh taking on Hasan Ali’s Southern Punjab. Northern, the home side, will begin their campaign on 1 September and will be captained by top-order batter Umar Amin.

The squads, both for the National T20 and Cricket Associations T20 (details below) have been finalised by national men’s chief selector, Muhammad Wasim, in consultation with the six Cricket Associations. The selectors have ensured that the players on the fringes of the national side get the opportunities to continue to push their case for the national selection and this summer’s top performers in the City Cricket Association and Divisional tournaments climb another rung.

The National T20 will be played in two legs with Pindi Cricket Stadium playing host to first 16 of the 33 matches from 30 August till 7 September. Multan Cricket Stadium will stage the second leg between 10 till 19 September.

The National T20 teams will move to Rawalpindi on Thursday (26 August) to commence their preparations of the tournament.

To ensure the players participating in the tournament get their due share of exposure and the fans get to enjoy the action-packed matches, the double-headers from 30 August till 11 September have been scheduled in a manner that they do not clash with the ACC Asia Cup T20.

The first match of the day will commence on 0930 and the second will begin at 1400. From 12 September, the first of the two matches will start at 1500, while the second will begin at 1930.

As the Pakistan Cricket Board continues to incentivise domestic performers, PKR0.4million will be shared equally between the tournament’s top performers (player of the tournament, best batter of the tournament, best bowler of the tournament and best wicketkeeper of the tournament).

The best performer of every match will get PKR25,000 and the player of the final will bag PKR35,000. The team ending second in the tournament will get PKR2.5million.

The head coaches of the first XI teams for the 2022-23 domestic season are: Mushtaq Ahmed (Balochistan), Abdul Razzaq (Central Punjab), Abdul Rehman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Ijaz Ahmed Snr (Northern), Ghulam Ali (Sindh) and Shahid Anwar (Southern Punjab).

First XI squads:

Balochistan: Yasir Shah (c), Shan Masood (vc), Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Akif Javed, Ali Waqas, Amad Butt, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Haseebullah (wk), Hussain Talat, Junaid Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Junaid and Sajjad Ali

Central Punjab: Faheem Ashraf (c), Abdullah Shafique (vc), Ahmed Shehzad, Ahmed Daniyal, Ali Asfand, Hunain Shah, Irfan Khan Niazi, Junaid Ali (wk), Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Faizan, Qasim Akram, Shoaib Malik, Tayyab Tahir, Usama Mir and Wahab Riaz

Northern: Umar Amin (c), Ali Imran (vc),  Aamer Jamal, Hassan Nawaz, Mehran Mumtaz, Mubasir Khan, Mohammad Huraira, Nasir Nawaz, Rohail Nazir (wk), Salman Irshad, Shoaib Amir, Sohail Tanvir, Umer Khan, Usman Khan Shinwari and Zaman Khan

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Khalid Usman (c), Kamran Ghulam (vc), Adil Amin, Aamer Azmat, Arshad Iqbal, Asif Afridi, Ihsanullah, Imran Khan Snr, Israrullah, Maaz khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi,

Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Sarwar Afridi, Mohammad Amir Khan and Sahibzada Farhan

Sindh: Saud Shakeel (c), Mir Hamza (vc), Abrar Ahmed, Anwar Ali, Asif Mahmood, Danish Aziz, Omair Bin Yousuf, Rumman Raees, Saad Khan, Saim Ayub, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Sharjeel Khan, Syed Faraz Ali, Zahid Mehmood and Zeeshan Zameer

Southern Punjab: Hasan Ali (c), Salman Ali Agha (vc), Ahmad Bashir, Ali Majid, Amir Yamin, Faisal Akram, Hassan Khan, Mohammad Imran Randhawa, Moinuddin, Mohammad Ilyas, Sameen Gul, Sharoon Siraj, Sohaib Maqsood, Zain Abbas and Zeeshan Ashraf (wk)

Cricket Associations T20

The Cricket Associations T20 tournament, in which the second XI sides of the six Cricket Associations feature, will begin from 2 September and will also be played on the double round robin basis.

The tournament schedule is available here.

Cricket Associations T20 will be staged at the Bugti Stadium, Quetta and the team that finishes on the top of the points table at the completion of the league on 15 September will win the competition.

The teams will travel to Quetta on 26 August, where they will undergo pre-tournament preparations.

The head coaches for the second XI teams for the 2022-23 season are: Habib Baloch (Balochistan), Imran Farhat (Central Punjab), Aftab Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Kamran Khan (Northern), Mohammad Masroor (Sindh) and Syed Iqbal Imam (Southern Punjab).

Second XI squads:

Balochistan: Bismillah Khan (c & wk), Imran Butt (vc), Abdul Hanan, Ayyaz Tasawar, Basit Ali, Daud Khan, Gohar Faiz, Jalat Khan, Mohamamd Shahid, Mohammad Ibrahim Snr, Muhammad Azeem Ghumman, Rasool Bakhsh, Taj Wali, Tariq Jamil and Zainullah Snr

Central Punjab: Rizwan Hussain (c), Muhammad Akhlaq (vc & wk), Abdul Samad, Abid Ali, Ali Shafiq, Asad Raza, Gauhar Hafeez, Haseeb-ur-Rehman, Imran Dogar, Mohammad Irfan Jnr, Mohammad Rameez Jnr, Mohammad Waheed, Mirza Salman, Mukhtar Ahmed and Umar Akmal

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Rehan Afridi (c & wk), Maaz Ahmed Sadaqat (vc), Ahmed Khan, Arshadullah, Haseeb Khan, Irfanullah Shah, Mohammad Farooq, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Nisar Afridi, Mohammad Usman, Nabi Gul, Niaz Khan, Tahir Khan, Usman Tariq and Zubair Khan

Northern: Umair Masood (c & wk), Musa Khan (vc), Abidullah, Aqib Liaqat, Ather Mehmood, Atif Khan, Farhan Shafiq, Hassan Raza, Kashif Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Shadab Majeed, Sufiyan Muqeem, Taimor Khan, Taimor Sultan and Zeeshan Malik

Sindh: Mohammad Taha (c), Hasan Mohsin (vc), Aliyan Mehmood, Ammad Alam, Arish Ali Khan, Ghulam Mudassar, Jahanzaib Sultan, Kashif Ali, Majid Asghar, Mohammad Afzal (wk), Mohammad Suleman, Mohammad Umar, Rizwan Mehmood, Shahid Mirani and Sohail Khan

Southern Punjab: Rahat Ali (c), Ali Usman (vc), Ahmed Hassan, Ali Imran, Humayun Altaf, Kaleemullah, Majid Ali, Mohammad Jahangir, Mohammad Junaid Awan, Mohammad Shehzad, Mohammad Sudais, Tahir Hussain, Umar Siddiq (wk), Waqar Hussain and Yousaf Babar

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To provide affordable access to action for the cricket fans in Rawalpindi, the Pakistan Cricket Board has set the ticket prices for the National T20 matches at the Pindi Cricket Stadium at nominal rates.

The tickets for general category tickets which include Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir, Miran Bakhsh and Yasir Arafat enclosures are priced at PKR50.

The tickets for Imran Khan, Javed Akhtar, Azhar Mehmood and Javed Miandad enclosures, which fall under VIP category, are for PKR100.

That the fans can easily buy tickets, the PCB, through its ticketing partner BookMe has made tickets available both online and through physical booths.

The online ticket sales commence from 1000 tomorrow (26 August) morning and the fans can buy the tickets at www.pcb.bookme.pk.

The physical tickets will be available from 27 August from the booths placed outside Nawaz Sharif Park on Murree Road. The booth sales will take place between 0900 till 1800.

The first leg of the National T20 will be played in Rawalpindi from 30 August till 7 September with the first match of the day starting at 0930 and the second at 1400.

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This year’s best two teams of teenage cricketers will be in action at the UBL Sports Complex, Karachi from 25 August as Sindh Blues face Sindh Whites in the final of the National U19 Championship 2022-23.

Along with the bragging rights of being the red-ball champions, the final provides both sides a shot at the winning prize money of PKR1.5million. The team that ends up second will bag PKR750,000. The player of the final and the best performers of the tournament (player of the tournament, best batter, best bowler and best fielder) will win PKR25,000 and PKR50,000 each.

The tournament, one of the several Pakistan Cricket Board’s initiatives to unearth the #PakistanFutureStars, began on 30 July with 12 teams divided into two groups. In a bid to increase the talent pool at the age-group level, each of the six Cricket Associations fielded two teams under the names of Blues and Whites. The Blues formed Group A and the Whites featured in Group B.

With two wins in five matches, Sindh Blues, with most wins in their pool, topped the chart. Sindh Whites, also with two wins and the most in their set, topped Pool B.

The final will be a four-day affair. In case the match ends in a draw, the team with the first innings lead will be declared winners. If the weather or ground conditions do not allow a single ball to be bowled, then both teams will be declared joint winners.

Sindh Blues’ Habibullah has had a terrific run with the bat scoring 294 at an average of 73.50 . The right-handed batter has smashed a century and a half-century and his side will be relying heavily on him to continue his impressive batting display in the last four days of this year’s National U19 Championship.

Sindh Whites’ Haseeb-ur-Rehman has had a phenomenal run with the ball, taking 32 wickets in just three matches. The right-arm off-break has recorded three five-fors and his best bowling figures have been an exceptional nine for 79. The second best wicket-taker of the tournament, Abdul Basit of Northern Whites, has 20 wickets in four matches, which underscores Haseeb’s utility for his side.

Haseeb’s teammate, Ghulam Ashraf will be aiming to end the tournament with the most dismissals to his name. He currently has 11 dismissals (eight catches and three stumpings) in five matches and follows Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Whites’ Zubair Shinwari, who leads the chart with 12 dismissals (10 catches and two stumpings).

Squads:

Sindh U19 Blues: Wahaj Riaz (Captain) (Karachi), Afnan Khan (Karachi), Aftab (Karachi), Ali Hasan (Karachi), Arbaz Khan (Karachi), Habibullah (Karachi), Hameed Karim (Karachi), Haroon Arshad (Karachi), Khuwaja Muhammad Hafeez (Karachi), Maaz Khurram (Karachi), Mirza Saad Baig (Karachi), Muhammad Hanif (Karachi), Naveed Ahmed (Karachi), Rehan Shah (Karachi) and Shahbaz Aziz (Jacobabad)

Reserve players: Abdullah Alam (Karachi), Daud Abbas (Shaheed Benazirabad), Faroz Ali (Larkana), Haseeb-ur-Rahman (Hyderabad) and Ubaid Raza (Khairpur)

Coaching staff: Muhammad Masroor (head coach), Tahir Mehmood (assistant coach)

Sindh U19 Whites: Muhammad Hassan Iqbal (Captain) (Khi Zone-III), Abdul Moeez (Khi Zone-VII), Ali Ishaq (Khi Zone-VI), Daniyal Ahmed (Khi Zone-V), Ghulam Ashraf (Khi Zone-VI), Hamza Qureshi (Khi Zone-VI), Mansoor Ali Khoso (Khairpur), Muhammad Fahad Amin (Khi Zone-III), Muhammad Saad Asif (Khi Zone-VII), Noman Ali (Hyderabad), Rumail Ahmed (Khi Zone-III), Saqlain Nawaz Rajput (Khairpur), Shahwaiz Yasir (Khi Zone-II), Syed Tayyab Hussain (Khi Zone-II) and Syed Yahya Shah (Hyderabad)

Reserves: Abdul Rehman Niazi (Khi Zone-II), Awais Raheem Shah (Khi Zone-VI), Mohammad Umar Khan Sherani (Mirpurkhas), Muhammad Hannan (Sukkur) and Ziaullah (Khi Zone-II)

Coaching staff: Ghulam Ali (head coach), Zafar Iqbal (assistant coach)

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Fifth title for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 12 months after they won the Pakistan Cup, National T20, Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and National U19 Cup; opportunity to add sixth by winning the National U13 Cup in Multan on Monday

·         Match scorecard available here

Lahore, 10 February 2022:

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa followed in footsteps of their senior men’s teams when they annexed the National U13 Cup title by defeating Southern Punjab by two wickets at the UBL Sports Complex in Karachi on Sunday. For the victory, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa received PKR350,000 for their achievement while Southern Punjab earned PKR250,000.

This was Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s fifth title in 12 months. Last year and as part of the 2020-21 season, they won the Pakistan Cup and in the 2021-22 season, they have added the National T20, Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and National U19 Cup trophies to their collection.

Southern Punjab, batting first after winning the toss, scored 147 in 30 overs. In turn, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa slipped to 92 for seven before recovering to overhaul the target in 27.5 overs with two wickets to spare.

Nafees Akhtar scored 44 not out and put on 49 valuable runs with Naveed Arbab (26) to take his side home. Nafees faced 57 balls and hit five fours.

Earlier, Southern Punjab opener Mohammad Umar scored 56 from 76 balls with seven fours to lift his side to 147. For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Zulkfal Zain took three wickets for 13 runs, while Naveed  and Nafees took two wickets apiece to complete a good day with the bat and the ball.

Southern Punjab’s Mohammad Umar (198 runs) was adjudged the best batter, Junaid Khan won the best bowler’s prize for his 13 wickets and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Zinul Abideen was declared the best wicketkeeper. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Akbar Ali was declared the player of the tournament for scoring 208 runs. He also took 11 wickets in the tournament.

On Monday, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will have an opportunity to add another trophy to their cabinet when their Whites will take on Southern Punjab Blues in the National U16 final at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

Scores in brief:

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beat Southern Punjab by two wickets at the UBL Sports Complex, Karachi

Southern Punjab 147 all out, 30 overs (Mohammad Umar 56, Abdul Rehman 21 not out, Zulkfal Zain 3-13, Naveed Arbab 2-23, Nafees Akhtar 2-26)

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 149-8, 27.5 overs (Nafees Akhtar 44 not out, Naveed Arbab 26, Mohammad Zaid 20, Abdul Rehman 2-31)

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The Mohammad Rizwan-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa collected a winning prize of PKR 5million while the Shan Masood-led Southern Punjab pocketed PKR2.5million.

On Sunday night, chasing a mammoth 207-run target, Southern Punjab got off to a poor start as tournament’s highest wicket-taker Shaheen (20 wickets) sent Shan (7) and Sohaib Maqsood (0) packing inside the first three overs. Big-hitter Zeeshan Ashraf perished while attempting a big shot off Wahab to leave his side tottering at 34 for three in 5.2 overs.

Hussain Talat and Khushdil Shah brought Southern Punjab back in the hunt with a 74-run partnership off a mere 43 balls. Usman Khan Shinwari at this stage struck a crucial blow when he dismissed Khushdil who was smartly caught by Fakhar for 34 off 24 balls (two fours, three sixes).

Hussain fought hard for Southern Punjab with a stroke-filled 63 off 33 balls, the left-hander hit six fours and three sixes before his innings was cut short by brilliant diving catch by Malik at the long-on boundary off Wahab. Hussain’s dismissal left Southern Punjab reeling at 131 for five, needing another 76 off 34 balls.

Saif Badar perished cheaply for five runs; Aamer Yamin fell for 13 to Wahab as the match slipped out of Southern Punjab’s reach.

All-rounder Muhammad Imran played some big shots at the end of the innings, the right-hander finished 38 not out (13 balls, four sixes, two fours)

Southern Punjab ended their innings at 196 for eight.

Reflecting on his performance, man-of-the-match Shoaib Malik said: “I think your goal is to give your best shot always, at times you do well, at times you don’t. I want to thank my management, especially coach Abdul Razzaq and captain Mohammad Rizwan for backing me when I needed their backing the most as I was struggling. The opponents bat very deep that is why we wanted to post a big total today, I wanted to bat deep and keep attacking. Our bowlers got early wickets which really helped set-up the win, I backed myself while batting and I am happy that my contribution helped the team.”

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who were asked to bat first, started their innings on a positive note with openers Fakhar and Rizwan adding 76 runs for the first-wicket in 9.3 overs. Rizwan was run out on a direct throw from wicketkeeper Zeeshan for 25 off 30 balls (one four, one six).

Fakhar who during the course of his 67-run innings went past Khurram Manzoor as the highest run-getter of the tournament (420 runs, 35 avg, 147.88 SR, five 50s) hit a typically aggressive half-century before he was dismissed by Aamer. He faced 40 balls and hit seven fours and three sixes.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa then lost Iftikhar Ahmed (1) to leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood which left them 126 for three in 14.4overs.

At this stage, the two seasoned campaigners Mohammad Hafeez and Malik made the most of some fielding and catching lapses by the Southern Punjab fielders to add 51 runs in a mere 26 balls.

Hafeez was dismissed for 38 off 26 balls (two fours, two sixes). Malik who had completed 10,000 T20 runs during the course of the tournament played a magnificent innings to propel Khyber Pakhtunkhwa past the 200-run mark. The right-hander hit four sixes and three fours in his unbeaten 56-run innings off 22 balls.

Malik’s onslaught helped Khyber Pakhtunkhwa add 73 runs in the last four overs. Zahid, Aamer and Imran took a wicket apiece for Southern Punjab.

Scores in brief

Result – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa won by 10 runs

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 206-4, 20 overs (Fakhar Zaman 67, Shoaib Malik 56 not out, Mohammad Hafeez 38; Zahid Mahmood 1-32)

Southern Punjab 196-8, 20 overs (Hussain Talat 63, Muhammad Imran 38 not out, Khushdil Shah 34; Shaheen Shah Afridi 3-36, Wahab Riaz 3-36)

Man-of-the-Match –Shoaib Malik (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)

Man-of-the-Tournament (PKR 100,000) –Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)

Best Batsman (PKR 100,000) –Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)

Best Bowler (PKR 100,000) –Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)

Best Wicketkeeper (PKR 100,000) –Mohammad Rizwan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)

Best Fielding Team –Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

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The Pakistan Cricket Board is the first cricket board to announce and organise a complete domestic season in these unprecedented and difficult Covid-19 times. The PCB has made comprehensive arrangements for the upcoming season to protect the wellbeing and livelihood of the domestic cricketers. Due to the ongoing pandemic and to ensure health and safety of all competitors, the tournament will be played behind closed doors under strict Covid-19 protocols.

The tournament will be played in two phases: the first one running from 30 September to 6 October in Multan and the second phase to be staged from 9-18 October in Rawalpindi.

With two ACC Asia Cups and ICC Men’s T20 World Cups scheduled for the next two years, this year’s National T20 Cup First XI tournament will be played on double-league basis to provide adequate preparation to the players who are likely to represent the Pakistan men’s national team in these events.

The tournament also provides an opportunity for the country’s best short format cricketers to impress the national selectors and, also, the HBL Pakistan Super League franchise owners and management ahead of the Player Draft for the 2021 season, which is scheduled to be held in November.

With a coveted trophy and a total prize money of PKR9million on offer, Northern, who will be led by Shadab Khan until their captain Imad Wasim (currently engaged in the Vitality Blast T20 tournament in the UK) joins the side in Rawalpindi, will be eager to defend their title.

And, the other five teams will be fighting tooth and nail to secure berths in the final of the tournament, which will be played at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on 18 October.

Balochistan will aim to take the next step after they ended as runner-up in the last edition of the tournament, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Southern Punjab, who managed to reach the semi-finals, will be keen on bettering their last performances.

Central Punjab and Sindh will be under special focus as their last National T20 Cup, played at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium, was cut short for their failure to qualify for the semi-finals.

In the Multan-leg Central Punjab will be led by Saad Nasim, Central Punjab’s regular captain Babar Azam will join the side for the Rawalpindi-leg.

Pakistan head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq, bowling coach Waqar Younis, Head of High Performance Coaching, Grant Bradburn, and Head of International Player Development, Saqlain Mushtaq, will watch the matches as part of their responsibility to scout the young talent, help the coaching staff and bridge communication gap between the domestic cricket and High Performance Centre.

Balochistan captain Haris Sohail: “We are really excited and want to give a better performance than last year when we lost the final. Our aim is to win the trophy and we have worked hard in the build-up. Last year, we played great cricket and it was only a passage of five to six overs in the final where we could not play good cricket and that is where I feel we lost the final.

“We have a strong top and middle-order while in Yasir Shah and Kashif Bhatti we have quality spinners, we have a strong pace attack with the addition of Umaid Asif.”

Saad Nasim captain Central Punjab: “It is a big opportunity for me to lead Central Punjab in the first leg of the tournament; we have some exciting U19 talent that has given new energy to our squad. We are determined to put the disappointing performances of last year behind us and target a semi-final spot, of course with an eye on the tournament trophy by playing the final. We have good combination of youth and experience. Kamran Akmal and Abid Ali will lead the batting charge with their experience and quality.

“Bilal Asif and Naseem Shah are quality bowlers in our ranks and we have upcoming players like Rizwan Hussain, Abdullah Shafiq, Qasim Akram and Sohaibullah. We also have quality all-rounders in Zafar Gohar and Usman Qadir. We have a balanced side full of talent and youngsters who have a bright future. Our aim is to play positive cricket and make it all the way in the tournament.”

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa captain Mohammad Rizwan: “Our team has all bases covered as we have strong batting and bowling departments. We are known for playing an aggressive brand of cricket and many people are rating us as favourites.

“We play Northern, the defending champions, in the opening match of the tournament and it is going to be good competition as both teams are highly competitive.”

Northern vice-captain Shadab Khan: “Leading Northern in the Multan-leg is a big opportunity for me, which I am aiming to grab with both hands. We are the title defenders and our team and the combination is pretty much the same as the last year. The boys are preparing hard and are looking in good shape despite returning to cricket after some time, which makes me confident that we will be able to defend our title.

“Two youngsters I am looking forward to making a mark in this tournament are Zeeshan Malik, who played with me at the U19 level, and Haider Ali, who could not play last year but is all set to play a vital role in our team this season.”

Sindh captain Sarfaraz Ahmed: “I think in our team, Sharjeel Khan will play a key role. He is a dashing batsman and stroke player and when he plays well he makes a match one-sided. In T20 format, you need to perform in both batting and bowling departments, we have balance and experience in both departments.

“We would aim to gain and then sustain momentum with an eye on the semi-finals; T20 is a kind of format where momentum is the key and if we get that early we can go a long way in the tournament.”

Southern Punjab captain Shan Masood: “We are well-aware that this tournament is going to be highly competitive as all the top T20 players in the country are participating in it. With this tournament being played on double-league basis, what matters the most is how the teams finish and carry the momentum from here to the Rawalpindi-leg.

“I am very happy with the core of our team, which might not include big names but comprise youngsters who will be empowered and will be designated responsibilities in all departments. Our coach Abdur Rehman has put in a lot of thought in selecting this team, which provides us ample options depending on what side we play in which stadium. I am very confident that if we stick to our plans, we will play the final in Rawalpindi.”

National T20 Cup Second XI tournament:

The National T20 Cup for the Second XIs will be played at the Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, Pakistan’s home of cricket, from 1-8 October. The tournament will be played on single-league basis to increase competition amongst the six Cricket Association Second XI teams as they will aim to put their foot on gas from the outset.

This tournament will further help the First XI teams gauge their up and coming cricketers from their Cricket Associations and, as such, will serve as a pathway for the players to graduate to the top domestic level.

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