All posts by csb10.top

When Jon Lewis’ departure to Surrey was hastily announced during last season’s Cheltenham festival, there was a collective lowering of shoulders from the Gloucestershire members. Their constant for 17 years, the last reminder of their glory years, was to leave. They were also losing their 17th highest wicket-taker of all time.But Gloucestershire could no longer afford Lewis. And Lewis deserves every penny he can get. His first five-for in Surrey colours was another demonstration of his wonderful execution of a simple modus operandi. It moved Surrey close to their first win over the Thames for 17 years.That they can see the winning line is down to a bold half-century from Rory Hamilton-Brown. He sought not to wait for the ball that had claimed so many others during the day but played in swashbuckling fashion. He poked and missed at three balls outside off from Corey Collymore. Enough of that. Down the pitch to lift him over mid on; another swing brought four over the slip cordon; as did a thumping drive to the grandstand fence. Six boundaries he struck in his 49-ball fifty.It was the second counterattacking knock of the day for Hamilton-Brown. In the morning he added 27 to his overnight total as Surrey worked their way towards parity. But finally Tim Murtagh took a wicket – in his 26th over – and Middlesex took a 34 run lead.But little could they add to that lead and Hamilton-Brown’s intent could prove the difference. Tom Maynard came out with the same gameplan in the second innings – also his natural method. Three fours in his 12 steered Surrey to strong favouritism with 46 to knock off on day four.But positivity nearly undermined the chase before it began. Steven Davies and Zander de Bruyn cut firmly straight to off side fielders as Middlesex sensed a way back under the skin of their neighbours. That after Jacques Rudolph was lbw to Toby Roland-Jones as Surrey slipped to 22 for 3.”The game isn’t dead yet because there’s plenty left in the wicket,” said Lewis, whose haul has put Surrey on the brink of consecutive victories. He found the dents in the surface that offered seam movement and a touch of low bounce.Lewis took five for 41 during a wild afternoon where Middlesex lost nine for 77. The soft early-season Lord’s pitch was described as “not good enough for the home of cricket” in a tweet by Surrey bowling coach Martin Bicknell.Something wasn’t right as 19 wickets fell during day three. The first two days of this match claimed 15.The ball continued to swing around but the three-day old surface offered deliveries just fuller of a good length a little zip. Lewis became impossible to play from the Nursery End. Slipping two deliveries onto the pads of Neil Dexter and Corey Collymore but finding a touch of bounce and seam as Gareth Berg – who received the best delivery of the innings – Ollie Rayner and Toby Roland-Jones – taken superbly by a diving Jacques Rudolph – all fell to catches behind the wicket.Lewis’ spell saw Middlesex, who had been 65 for two, bowled out for 106. Sam Robson again battled away at the top of the order – against Lewis and Zander de Bruyn first up, the latter introduced to take pace off the ball; the quicker bowlers being easier to play with a new ball in hand.De Bruyn was no experiment either. He enticed Joe Denly into a horrific swish before lunch that gave a catch to slip and had Chris Rogers repeating the trick with the third ball after the break. Lewis then reeled off six single figure scores – including his run out of John Simpson backing up.

Group AFaisal Iqbal cracked an unbeaten century to take Pakistan International Airlines to a thrilling win over Habib Bank at the Gaddafi Stadium. Coming in at 39 for 4 in a chase of 243, Iqbal hit ten boundaries in making 107 off 106 deliveries. Shoaib Malik (44) was the only batsman to support Iqbal in a 94-run partnership after the top order had caved in to Fahad Masood and Aftab Alam. Wickets continued to fall but Iqbal did not give in at the other end as he eventually took PIA home in the final over. Hasan Raza top-scored for Habib Bank with an unbeaten 56 with Ahmed Shehzad contributing 42. Zia-ul-Haq dismissed the Habib Bank openers on his way to 3 for 49.Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited‘s lower order collapsed as State Bank of Pakistan won narrowly by two runs at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. ZTBL were 228 for 6 chasing 240, and lost their last four wickets for nine runs to be dismissed for 237. Hasan Mahmood struck twice while the last two batsmen were run out. Adnan Rasool had given State Bank an opening when he bowled Abdul Razzaq (55) and Imran Nazir (49) who had helped ZTBL recover from 58 for 3. Fifties from Rameez Raja, Rameez Aziz and Gulraiz Sadaf had earlier taken State Bank to 239. Razzaq claimed 5 for 50 but his haul was to be in vain in the end.Water and Power Development Authority‘s lower order held their nerve in a low-scoring game to hand their side a three-wicket win over National Bank of Pakistan at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. WAPDA were tottering at 124 for 7 in reply to National Bank’s 156 but Ali Azmat and Zulfiqar Babar ensured there were no further issues for their side as they patiently brought up victory in the 46th over. Rafatullah Mohmand (47) had lifted WAPDA from 12 for 2 after their bowlers had dismissed National Bank for 156. Azharullah and Imran Khan picked up two wickets each while Babar chipped in with three strikes. Fawad Alam (52) was the lone National Bank batsman to make more than 30.Group BKhalid Usman hammered 50 off 23 to take Abbottabad Falcons to a thrilling last-over two-wicket win against Rawalpindi Rams at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. At 224 for 8, Abbottabad’s chase of 268 was almost over but Usman smashed nine boundaries and along with Inam Khan, who made 10 off seven, carried his side to victory with just two balls to spare. Usman’s effort ensured the starts from Rameez Ahmed (46), Almar Afridi (50) and Riaz Kail (47) were not in vain. Rawalpindi shrugged off an underwhelming start to post 267 for 8 riding on Umar Waheed (62) and Yasim Murtaza (68).Faisalabad Wolves‘ bowlers set up a five-wicket win against Karachi Dolphins in Sargodha. Waqas Maqsood, Naseer Akram and Aqeel Ahmed dismissed Karachi for 154 in the 42nd over. While Maqsood picked up four wickets, Naseer snapped up three of the top five Karachi batsmen. Only opener Khalid Latif (79) managed to resist but he hardly had any support. Faisalabad were themselves struggling at 38 for 3 in their chase, but Hasan Mahmood settled the nerves with a fifty and Zeeshan Butt and Mohammad Salman took over from 119 for 5 as Faisalabad got home in the 40th over.Sialkot Stallions crushed Islamabad Leopards by eight wickets at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot. Mohammad Yasin led the chase of 152 with a breezy 84 upfront. Mansoor Amjad contributed an unbeaten 41 at No. 4 as Sialkot stormed to victory in just 31.5 overs. The win had been set up by the efforts of the Sialkot bowlers, who dismantled Islamabad for 151. Atif Jabbar led with three strikes and it was only due to Faizan Riaz (71) that Islamabad managed to go past 100 after having slipped to 77 for 6.

ScorecardWriddhiman Saha showed how much confidence a decent performance in a demanding situation generates in a player. A couple of weeks after resisting the might of the Australian fast bowlers in Adelaide, Saha plundered a defensive Central Zone for 26 boundaries, and made East Zone favourites to win their maiden Duleep Trophy title.Saha is arguably the finest wicketkeeper in the country at present, and is also known to be a plucky batsman. Less than a week ago, he had made 124 against North Zone in Delhi. Today, he displayed a different dimension of his game, playing stroke after aggressive stroke with freedom. He drove with poise, clipped with balance, lofted with control and pulled with power. Central Zone were left clueless; Piyush Chawla, the captain, had no answers and allowed the game to drift away from his side.The Holkar Stadium pitch lost much of its zip after the first day. There was some bite during the first hour, but Central Zone were luckless as their fast bowlers beat the outside edge several times but could not produce the edge. After surviving the initial burst from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rituraj Singh, Anustup Majumdar threw it away on 52, mistiming a pull off TP Sudhindra to mid-on.The match was open at 107 for 4 but East Zone pulled ahead through two productive partnerships. Saha put on 109 with his captain Natraj Behera and 87 with Biplab Samantray. Central Zone hardly looked like breaking though during both partnerships and it was another rash stroke that brought them a wicket. Behera, on 46, backed away to cut a Chawla googly and was bowled off the last ball before lunch.Already 83 runs behind, Central Zone were content to wait for the second new ball. The old Kookaburra helped neither the spinners nor the fast bowlers and the fields for the spinners revealed Central Zone’s defensive mindset.Jalaj Saxena, who bowls quick offbreaks, deployed a seven-two leg-side field after a long discussion with his captain Chawla. Having a long-on, deep midwicket and deep square leg is an admission that the fielding side is waiting for a mistake from the batsmen. Bowling long hops to that field considerably reduces the chance of that mistake happening. East Zone were in no mood to help Central Zone; they kept pulling for fours on the leg side despite the skewed field.Chawla had needed the cushion of a sweeper cover when East Zone were three down for not many on day one; it was no surprise that he kept the man on the boundary whenever he bowled today. Singles were granted by default. With Saha on 94, Chawla offered him another long hop. Saha hammered it over deep midwicket to bring up his seventh first-class hundred with a six.Central Zone took the second new ball as soon as it was available but had to wait until the 96th over for a wicket, when Bhuvneshwar trapped Samantray lbw from around the stumps. East Zone soon slipped from 303 for 5 to 325 for 9 but Central Zone were in store for more punishment.Chawla still allowed Saha easy singles off the fifth and sixth deliveries of overs. Ashok Dinda walked out to cheers from the handful of spectators and hit his first ball for four through point. He proceeded to slog a quick 24 and almost broke the glass screen of the old media box with a massive six. The last-wicket partnership was worth 45 before Saha was stumped off Chawla, bowling outside leg from around the stumps.The lead was now worth 237, and Central Zone had no choice but to take the initiative if they were to make a comeback. They promoted Jalaj to partner Naman Ojha ahead of the dour Vineet Saxena. Central Zone motored to 48 in 11 overs by stumps, but with the pitch having eased out, the odds were against the hosts.

Yasir Arafat, the Pakistan medium-pacer, has said the Bangladesh Premier League is not an easy tournament for bowlers, and the hectic schedule is something teams need to manage carefully. Arafat, who plays for Barisal Burners, has taken six wickets in four games in the Twenty20 tournament so far, and has an economy-rate of 7.85.”It’s hard work for the bowlers, as the pitches are very batsman friendly and the boundaries are not the largest,” Arafat told . “Bowlers are thoroughly tested on these sorts of pitches and in this format.”The matches are coming thick and fast and there is very little time to recover from each match and from injuries. We have recently lost bowler Shane Harwood for the rest of the tournament due to a hamstring injury, so that puts extra responsibility on the other bowlers.”Arafat, who has played in the Champions League Twenty20, for Sussex in 2009, as well as domestic Twenty20 competitions in England, South Africa, New Zealand and Pakistan, said he was impressed with the organisation of the BPL and the support it has received.”I’m really enjoying playing in Bangladesh; the crowds are fantastic and very enthusiastic about the sport. The passion for cricket in Bangladesh is immense and no doubt such tournaments will raise the profile of the sport further.”The organisers have done a fantastic job given the short amount of time they had to organise the tournament and, on a personal level, it’s great to be playing with and against players from all over the world.”One of the international players who Arafat has had an opportunity to play with is Chris Gayle, who has already made his mark on the BPL with two centuries in four games. “It’s wonderful to be playing on the same team as Chris Gayle,” Arafat said. “It’s also a bit of a relief, as it means I don’t have to bowl to him.”Gayle’s opening partner at Barisal is Pakistan opener Ahmed Shehzad, who Arafat said has not been overshadowed by Gayle. “Ahmed Shehzad is a fantastic talent, with all the shots. At times he has matched Gayle shot for shot. It’s breathtaking watching the two of them bat together.”Arafat said he saw the BPL succeeding in the long term. “This is the first BPL tournament and I’m sure future tournaments will be even bigger and better.”Barisal Burners have won two of their first four games in the BPL and are fourth in the table. Their next game is against Chittagong Kings on February 16.

Sussex slipped to their second defeat of the Caribbean T20, losing to Combined Campuses and Colleges by 29 runs at North Sound. Choosing to bat, CCC were guided along by their captain Romel Currency, who made a run-a-ball 48. His innings comprised three fours and a six, and he was part of an important stand of 51 with Kyle Mayers, who chipped in with 33. The pair helped CCC recover from 58 for 3 and helped them post, what was eventually, a match-winning score.Barring opener Joe Gatting and wicketkeeper Ben Brown, who made 37 and 27 respectively, the Sussex batting offered little resistance. The pair had little hope of reviving the innings with the batting crumbling around them. Currency led by example, starring in an all-round effort, grabbing four wickets for eight runs in four overs. Yannick Ottley and Ryan Austin picked up a couple of wickets each and Sussex were made to settle for 101 for 9.Barbados thrashed Jamaica by 62 runs at North Sound to inflict a first defeat on their opponents. In what has been a low-scoring tournament by Twenty20 standards, Barbados managed a match-winning 157 for 7 after choosing to bat. Dwayne Smith guided the innings, blasting seven fours and six sixes in his 86 off 57 balls. He dominated an 85-run stand with wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich for the third wicket which lay the foundation for a big score. A surge at the death from Ryan Hinds took Barbados past 150.Jamaica were abject in their chase, being skittled out for 95. Nkruma Bonner top-scored with 27 but only two others managed to reach double-figures. Wickets fell at regular intervals and the five Barbados bowlers helped themselves to at least a wicket each. Tino Best, Sulieman Benn and Ashley Nurse grabbed two each and Jamaica were all out in 16.5 overs.

Ed Cowan, the Tasmania opening batsman, is edging closer to Test selection following his transfer from the first to the second of two tour matches against the Indian touring side in Canberra in order to cover for the ailing Shaun Marsh.The change has been made partly to accommodate the wishes of the Sydney Sixers, Cowan’s Twenty20 Big Bash League team. But it is also to replace Marsh, who has been ruled out of the Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI because his problematic back, which flared during the first Test against South Africa in Cape Town last month, is still not up to the rigours of batting.Originally, Cowan had been selected as captain of the team for the first tour match, a two-day affair starting on Thursday. However he will now play for the Sixers in their competition opener against the Brisbane Heat at the SCG on Friday, before going on to Canberra for the three-day fixture against the Indians from Monday, December 19.Ryan Broad, the Queensland opening batsman, has replaced Cowan in the squad for the first tour match and will captain the side, which is composed of players uninvolved in the BBL.Cowan, 29, has made centuries in three of his past five first-class innings for Tasmania and Australia A.Marsh’s difficulties give Cowan a chance of consideration for a debut, given that changes will be made to the team that lost by seven runs to New Zealand. Shane Watson is likely to return to the squad as a batsman if not an allrounder, and the national selectors must deliberate on numerous players who failed to make a strong enough case in Hobart.Pat Howard, CA’s team performance manager, said the compromise between the Sixers and the tour match had been agreed after an update on Marsh’s faltering fitness.”Our long term planning for the Boxing Day Test had been based around the principle that all fit players would be available for round one T20 Big Bash League games and then their focus will turn towards their individual preparation plans for the first Test against India,” Howard said.”While we are hopeful, Shaun’s chances of recovering sufficiently in order to be considered for the first Test against India are considered unlikely at this stage.”One other forced change has been made to the team for the first tour match, with the SA seam bowler Joe Mennie withdrawn due to a hip complaint. His place has been taken by the Queensland legspinner Cameron Boyce.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Kirk Edwards reached his second century in just his third Test•Associated Press

West Indies took control of the second Test riding on the back of landmark performances from the two men named Edwards – Kirk and Fidel. One reached his second Test century to lay the stage for a competitive score, the other blew away the Bangladesh top and middle order with his eleventh five-for. Just as significant to West Indies’ primacy, was the almost inexplicable approach of the Bangladesh batsmen. They chose attack over caution during a fiery spell of pace bowling and despite a fighting innings from Shakib Al Hasan – who backed up his eighth five-wicket haul with a half-century under pressure – left their team staring at the possibility of conceding a sizeable lead.Having witnessed the lack of assistance to seamers on a placid track during their innings, West Indies began with their fast bowlers bowling round the wicket into a top order packed with left-hand batsmen. The strategy was to induce them into playing on the off side with three slips and a gully in place, and occasionally roughing them up with short deliveries angling in, the short-leg fielder awaiting the chances. What set Fidel Edwards apart was his extra pace. He consistently bowled over 140kph and varied his lengths. While guilty of doling out some short stuff that was punished, he was accurate with yorkers and generated extra nip with the new ball.Bangladesh’s action-plan was evident as early as the second over, when Tamim Iqbal dispatched Kemar Roach for three boundaries. Restraint was in short supply and West Indies would have sensed a chance when Tamim was beaten chasing a wide one in Fidel Edwards’ second over. When Tamim got one that angled in and spat off the pitch, he fended it to be brilliantly caught by Darren Bravo who reacted quickly at short leg to snap it with one hand. The aggression didn’t die down, however, and both Imrul Kayes and Shahriar Nafees were dropped in the gully region. Even that didn’t check them.The approach was in contrast to the way the West Indies openers, Kraigg Brathwaite and Kieran Powell, batted on the opening day, building an innings and seeing off the early threat. The instinct to score produced risky shots and Shahriar’s belated attempt to turn the face against Fidel Edwards brought about his demise. Fidel Edwards was proactive in setting the field, getting Bravo to stand exactly where he wanted at short leg and soon enough, the catches followed.While Roach was taken for runs at the other end, Fidel Edwards changed his angle to over the wicket against the right-handers. He prised out Raqibul Hasan who played back to a good-length ball that nipped in, and dismissed Mushfiqur Rahim, who prodded at his first delivery that went away, only slightly. His fifth wicket was that of Kayes, who couldn’t resist clipping him uppishly, straight to square leg.The procession to the pavilion at the other end didn’t stop Shakib from chancing his arm; he survived an edge between slip and gully but once Fidel Edwards was given a break, a seemingly harmless spell from Darren Sammy and a spread-out field enabled him to play with freedom. With a deep point in place for a good part of his stay, singles and twos were in easy supply and though he was tempted by the width provided, he ensured he played along the ground. Roach was steered and driven through the in-field and Sammy, with the keeper standing up, was struck for three fours in an over – two chopped past point followed by a lovely straight drive. He was at ease while negotiating some turn and variations in flight from Devendra Bishoo so it was a bit of a surprise when he played too early against one that was slower through the air, missed and was bowled.Shakib’s contribution was part of a recovery stand with Naeem Islam, who batted maturely, ignoring the deliveries outside off, defending well and keeping the bowlers at bay after surviving a close stumping and a missed run-out. He accumulated 45, cashed in on some long hops from Bishoo and held fort along with Nasir Hossain, who was fortunate to be dropped by Sammy, in a stand that involved some sprightly batting. It promised another recovery, only to be quashed by a mix-up that led to Naeem’s fall during an attempted third run minutes before the close.The hosts’ slide with the bat followed a spirited comeback with the ball after West Indies had controlled the bulk of the contest. Shakib picked up his eighth Test five-wicket haul after an acrobatic return catch from Nasir ended a threatening stand between Marlon Samuels and Kirk Edwards. A dropped catch from Mushfiqur and some powerful drives down the ground took Kirk Edwards to his century but Shakib saw off Carlton Baugh and Darren Sammy before lunch. He trapped Kirk Edwards in front after the break to retreat to the dressing room with a big smile on his face; the expression turned to self-admonition after he was dismissed and would, presumably, have toned down a hint at the close.

Nauman Habib and Umar Gul bowled Peshawar Panthers to a 28-run victory over Islamabad Leopards on Wednesday. Habib picked up three early wickets and Gul one to reduce Islamabad to 19 for 4 in the fourth over chasing 151. Islamabad captain Naeem Anjum fought bravely to make 40 and add 57 for the sixth wicket with Sajid Ali (24). But with opener Afaq Raheem (32) the only other batsmen to reach double-figures, Islamabad’s challenge fizzled out once Gul removed Sajid. Habib finished with 4 for 17 while Gul took 3 for 27. Gul also made a quick 20 to provide a rapid finish to Peshawar’s innings. Aftab Alam was the top scorer with 36.Faisalabad Wolves eased to a comprehensive win over Multan Tigers at the National Stadium in Karachi. Opener Asif Ali top-scored with 44 and was part of a 57-run opening stand with Asif Hussain which set the foundation for a competitive score. Khurram Shehzad contributed 43 and despite a spate of run-outs down the order, Faisalabad were in a good position at the innings break. Multan built their chase steadily and were well placed for a take-off at 63 for 1 in the 10th over but when Gulraiz Sadaf (32) and Zain Abbas (28) fell in successive overs after a promising stand, their hopes began to fade. Saeed Ajmal was outstanding, with figures of five runs in four overs and three wickets that shut Multan out of the contest.The Afghan Cheetas put up a good fight but were unable to overcome Rawalpindi Rams at the National Stadium in Karachi. Samiullah Shenwari and Najibullah Zadran struck half-centuries, and in quick time, splitting six sixes between them, to help their team post 162. Brief contributions from the top order help lay a good foundation and the pair added 78 for the fourth wicket. Rawalpindi were off to a flier in the chase, Awais Zia smashing 60 in 41 balls, striking 10 fours and a six. His top-order partners didn’t give him company for long but the blistering start meant there wasn’t really a great risk of the required rate getting out of hand. Umar Amin joined Zia in a crucial stand, adding 55, and received good support from Hammad Azam, who saw his team through with seven balls to spare.

Match facts

Chennai Super Kings vs Cape Cobras
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Albie Morkel will relish the contest against the Cobras•Associated Press

Big Picture

The Indian and South African champions clash in a fixture where one of them needs to bounce back and the other can ill-afford a slip in what has been dubbed the group of death.Chennai are still smarting after their defeat to Mumbai Indians and Cape Cobras may be bracing themselves for a backlash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in front of a partisan home crowd. One defeat is allowed at the group stage, but if a team hopes to progress to the knockout stages, falling behind will leave it precariously placed. That is the situation the defending champions find themselves in. They would have felt they had scored enough against Mumbai – although they will expect meatier contributions from the middle order – but their bowling let them down. Albie Morkel and Doug Bollinger will be feeling the pressure to improve quickly.Cobras began the tournament on a high and after conceding heavily in the first five overs against New South Wales, pulled themselves back into the game and dominated it. The bowlers adjusted quickly to the conditions and the batsmen were untroubled in the chase. The area which could use some work was the fielding and Cobras’ assistant coach, Faiek Davids, said that they have been working extensively on it and will not make similar fluffs.

Watch out for …

There’s no better motivation than to pit a man against old foes and that’s what Albie Morkel will be facing. In South Africa, the match between Morkel’s home franchise, the Titans, and the Cobras is a massive north-south derby, particularly in rugby and Morkel will no doubt be looking forward to resuming the rivalry, albeit in different fashion. Morkel did not stand out with bat or ball in Chennai’s first match but has plenty to prove, especially as he looks to stake a claim for a national recall.After playing a significant part in the Cobras capturing the South African title, Owais Shah faces big expectations in this tournament. He did not impress against New South Wales, scoring just three, dropping a catch and not being given a bowl. He may well be tossed the ball this time, but will have more important contributions to make with the bat, against a strong Chennai attack.

Team news

Chennai fielded a strong side in their opener against Mumbai and will look to build some continuity with the XI they used. Nuwan Kulasekera and Srikkanth Anirudha could both be pushing for a place but both may have to wait a while longer for their opportunity.The Cobras operated well as a unit to win their opening match against New South Wales and will likely not tamper with a winning XI. Johann Louw and Rory Kleinveldt are waiting in the wings should they feel they need to tinker with the bowling, but Vernon Philander, Charl Langeveldt and Dale Steyn all performed well in Hyderbad and Robin Peterson, Justin Ontong and Owais Shah should be retained in the spin department.

Stats and trivia

• Michael Hussey appears to be reaching his T20 prime. He played in nine matches last year and averaged 57.57
• Herschelle Gibbs has the most ducks for the Cobras – seven in 30 matches. JP Duminy’s struck the most fours for them – 89 in 37 games.

Quotes

“It’s important to bowl well in the last leg. That’s when the new ball comes on well to the bat and if we can restrict them in the Powerplay overs, it would be tough to get our bowlers away after that.”
“Give my boys a stage, and they will play to the stage. With Chennai losing their first game, it is not only a big game for us, but for the home side too.”

Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 competition, the Faysal Bank National T20, has been shifted from Lahore to Karachi owing to the continuing outbreak of dengue in the Punjab province. More than 7000 people have been affected since the disease broke out in August.There was growing speculation over the last few weeks that the tournament would be shifted, and after a meeting between the PCB and Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari, the decision was taken to move the tournament following a directive from the president himself on Wednesday.The 14-team tournament is scheduled between September 25 and October 2 at Karachi’s National Stadium. The event had been shifted to Lahore after the original venue, Rawalpindi, was deemed unfit to host the event. Last year’s tournament was held in Lahore and the Lahore Lions were the winners.The Twenty20 tournament will feature 14 sides as opposed to last year’s 13; a team from Afghanistan will take part in the tournament for the first time, which means the teams will fight for the top spot in four groups to qualify for the semi-finals.The other participants are Karachi Dolphins, Karachi Zebras, Lahore Lions, Lahore Eagles, Sialkot Stallions, Islamabad Leopards, Abbotabad Falcons, Rawalpindi Rams, Multan Tigers, Quetta Bears, Faisalabad Wolves, Peshawar, Panthers and Hyderabad Hawks.