Lions, Stags, Wolves enter last-4 in Faysal Bank T20 Cup

By AM Khan

LAHORE, Pakistan (TheSportsNEXT) December 6, 2012: Lahore Lions, Bahawalpur Stags, and Faisalabad Wolves booked berths in semi-finals of Faysal Bank T20 Cup 2012 by recording their fifth straight victories Thursday.

Misbah-ul-Haq played rollicking knock of 72 not out to help Faisalabad Wolves beat Karachi Dolphins by two wickets. Bahawalpur Stags recorded 11-run victory over Hyderabad Hawks while Sialkot Stallions defeated Abbottabad Falcons by 34 runs to stay on course to grab the final vacant last-four berth.

FBT20: Rawalpindi Rams thrash Lahore Eagles by 8wkts

At LCCA ground, Rawalpindi Rams thrashed Lahore Eagles by eight wickets. Lahore Eagles, batting first, posted 155 runs for the loss of five wickets in 20 overs. Saad Nasim was top scorer with 44 runs and Abid Ali added 23. Yasir Arafat claimed 3-37. In reply, Rawalpindi Rams achieved the target for the loss of just two wickets. Naveed Malik batted brilliantly and contributed 41-ball 77 runs laced with five fours and seven huge sixes while stylish opener Awais Zia scored 36-ball 54 runs with four fours and the same number of sixes. Naveed Malik of Rawalpindi Rams was named player of the match.

FBT20: Faisalabad Wolves beat Karachi Dolphins in last-ball thriller

Faisalabad Wolves recorded their fifth consecutive victory on Thursday to storm their way into semifinals of the Faysal Bank T20 Cup 2012 at Bagh-e-Jinnah Ground in Lahore.

Faisalabad Wolves defeated a star-studded Karachi Dolphins by two wickets on the final delivery of the match.

Pakistan’s former T20 captain Misbah-ul-Haq was the star of the show as he played the captain’s innings and remained unbeaten on 72 runs from 46 balls to steer his team to a superb victory.

Faisalabad Wolves, achieving the target of 146-7 in 20 overs, chased the victory target on the last ball of the match with Misbah playing his unbeaten 72-run innings with the help of four fours and three sixes.

Misbah Khan clinched 3-44 and Shahid Khan Afridi got 2-22 for the Karachi Dolphins.

Earlier batting first, Karachi Dolphins scored 147 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs.

Khurram Manzoor (51) hit an impressive half century while wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed delivered the final punch (29*) with Khalid Latif also chipping in with 23.

Ehsan Adil was the key bowler for the winners as he captured four scalps for just 28 runs.

Misbah-ul-Haq was named Man of the Match for his captain’s knock.

FBT20: Islamabad Leopards edge out Quetta Bears by five wickets

Islamabad Leopards recorded an impressive five wicket victory over struggling Quetta Bears in the Faysal Bank T20 Cup 2012 at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Thursday.

The match stood no significance as both the teams had already crashed out of the semifinals contentions.

Put into bat first, Quetta Bears scored 111 for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs.

Farhan Khan top-scored with 32 runs on 32 balls with five fours while Naushad Irshad also played well and remained unbeaten on 19 runs.

Rao Iftikhar Anjum secured three wickets for 11 runs and Imad Wasim took two for 29 runs for the Islamabad Leopards.

In reply, Islamabad Leopards achieved the target for the loss of five wickets from 18.4 overs.

Junaid Nadir (32) and Bazid Khan (23) were the main contributors to the Leopards’ victory.

Arun Lal got one wicket for four runs.

Rao Iftikhar Anjum of Islamabad Leopards was named Man of the Match for yet another superb spell of medium-paced bowling.

FBT20: Multan Tigers pip Karachi Zebras by 17 runs

Multan Tigers continued to impress cricket fans across the country as they edged out Karachi Zebras by 17 runs in Faysal Bank T20 Cup 2012 at LCCA Ground on Thursday.

Multan Tigers, who can still topple Sialkot Stallions for a place in the semifinal of the event, scored 140 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs.

The top scorers for Tigers were Zain Abbas (46), Saeed Anwar Jr (39) and Gulraiz Sadaf (22).

Haris Ayaz (2-22) and Faraz Ahmed (2-25) bowled brilliantly for the winners.

Karachi Zebras, in reply, were all out on 123 runs from 19.4 overs. Javed Mansoor (35), Ramiz Aziz (29) and Saeed Bin Nasir 27 played well.

Rahat Ali was hero of the winning side as he clinched four wickets for 15 runs while Saeed Anwar Jr claimed 3-22 and M Irfan 2-17. Saeed Anwar Junior of Multan Tigers was named Man of the Match.

FBT20: Sialkot Stallions a victory away from SF berth

At Bagh-e-Jinnah Ground, Sialkot Stallions stunned Abbottabad Falcons by 34 runs. Put into bat first, Sialkot Stallions piled up a good total of 164 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs. Haris Sohail remained unbeaten on 62 runs with six fours and three sixes while Shoaib Malik added 33 runs and Rana Naveed 27. Pace bowler Junaid Khan bowled well and grabbed 3-22. In reply, Abbottabad Falcons could manage to score 130 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs. Yasir Hameed made 37 runs and Hammad Ali 33. Rana Naveed bagged 2-26. Haris Sohail of Sialkot Stallions was declared man of the match.

FBT20: Unbeaten Bahawalpur Stags enter last-four

At Gaddafi Stadium, Bahawalpur Stags, which is taking part in the National T20 for the first time, defeated Hyderabad Hawks to enter the semi-finals of the event on the sixth day. Bahawalpur Stags won the toss and decided to bat first. They lost their early wickets at a low score as their two batsmen were shown pavilion on just 13 runs while their third wicket fell on 47 runs. Stags players then played responsible innings and contributed well to make their team’s total a reasonable one. Ali Haider remained top scorer with 26-ball 40 runs while Usman Tariq added important 34. Bilal Khilji played captained innings and smashed 37 and remained on the crease till the end of their innings. Rehan Riaz and Kashif Bhatti bowled well for the Hyderabad Hawks and bagged two wickets each.

Hyderabad Hawks took a good start and scored 44 runs for the first-wicket partnership but Stags captain with his superb ball dented the Hawks batting getting the first wicket of Sharjeel (28). Zeeshan and Azeem Ghumman then played well and added 29 runs for the second-wicket partnership which was broken by Attaullah in the 11th over and soon Hawks lost another wicket in 13.1 over as Imran bowled out Zeeshan Gull (24). After that no batsmen of Hawks could play a big innings and lost their wickets one after another. Hawks tail-enders showed some resistance but could help their team to score win. Karam Hussain, M Talha and captain Bilal Khilji took two wickets each to guide their team to impressive triumph.

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Stags, Lions, Stallions stay unbeaten in Faysal Bank T20 Cup

By AM Khan

LAHORE, Pakistan (TheSportsNEXT) December 3, 2012: The debutant Bahawalpur Stags continued their rich vein of form Monday as they joined Lahore Lions and defending champions Sialkot Stallions as the unbeaten teams in the Faysal Bank T20 Cup 2012 being played in Lahore.

Bahawalpur Stags (153/8 in 19.3) defeated a strong Karachi Dolphins (152/6 in 20) by two wickets, Lahore Eagles (162/8 in 20) beat Peshawar Panthers (86/8 in 20) by 76 runs, Abbottabad Falcons (120/8 in 19.5) beat Islamabad Leopards (116/8 in 20) by two wickets, Faisalabad Wolves (101/2 in 16.1) beat Hyderabad Hawks (97/8 in 20) by eight wickets, Lahore Lions (182/4 in 20) beat Multan Tigers (152/5 in 20) by 30 runs, and Sialkot Stallions (112/2 in 16.4) defeated Karachi Zebras (111/5 in 20) by eight wickets on Monday.

Lahore teams registered victories in their respective matches on the day three of the Faysal Bank Twenty20 Cricket Tournament here at the two different venues.

Man of the match Umar Akmal led Lahore Lions to an impressive victory over Multan Tigers in the fifth match of the day here at the Bagh-e-Jinnah ground.

Lahore Lions won the toss and decided to bat first. Nasir Jamshed and Ahmed Shahzad took a brilliant start and scored 59 runs in the first wicket partnership. Nasir fall prey of Kashif Naved when he was at 21. Then wicketkeeper stylish batsman Kamran Akmal joined aggressive opener Ahmed Shahzad and both the players played extremely well and added important 52 runs. Rahat Ali was the bowler who broke the second-wicket partnership and bowled Kamran on 31 runs runs. Opener Ahmed Shahzad played a responsible innings and remained on the crease till the 19th overs. He played brilliant shorts to every corner of the ground and remained the top scorer for the winners as he collected 68 runs. He was dismissed by Zulfiqar Babar in the very first delivery of the 19th over. Another leading player of the Lahore Lions was Umar Akmal who remained unbeaten on 55 runs in his just 21-ball innings in which he slammed five fours and four sixes. Abdul Razzaq could manage to score only two runs as he was run out by Gulraiz Sadaf. Lahore Lions total score at the end of their innings was 182 runs for the loss of four wickets in 20 overs.

Chasing the target of 183 runs, Multan Tigers started their innings well and score 48 runs in their first-wicket stand but then Wahab Riaz of Lions took the first wicket of Tigers when he dismissed Zain Abbas on 19 runs. Gulriaz Sadaf then joined the opener Sohaib Maqsood and added 14 runs for the second wicket partnership as Sohaib was caught and bowled by Mustafa Iqbal at the score of 35 runs. The third-wicket partnership of Multan Tigers proved very successful as Gulraiz and Saeed Anwar Junior played brilliant innings and kept on clicking the scoreboard. At that time, it seemed that Tigers will conquer the Lions but Lions captain M Hafeez roared on Gulraiz and showed him pavilion at the score of 38 runs. Lions’ bowler kept on momentum and got two more wickets restricting the Tigers at the score of 142 runs.

Umar Akmal for his superb and aggressive batting show was named best player of the match.

At LCCA ground, Lahore Eagles thrashed Peshawar Panther by 76 runs. Imran Farhat was hero of the Lahore Eagles as he smashed superb 45-ball 68 runs. The other good striker for the Eagles was Azhar Ali who made 26 runs with the help of three fours. Waqar Ahmed (3-36) and Aslam Qureshi (2-25) bowled well for the Panther. M Khalil and Saad Nasim destroyed the Panther batting line up by grabbing two wickets each and restricted them to paltry 86-8 in 20 overs.

In other matches of the day, Bahawalpur Stags defeated Karachi Dolphins by two wickets at Bagh-e-Jinnah ground. Man of the match Imran Ullah of Bahawalpur Stags played powerful innings of 48 runs to lead his team to victory.

Mir Azam of Abbottabad Falcons steered his team to two-wicket victory over Islamabad Leopards here at the Gaddafi Stadium. Islamabad Leopards scored 116-8 in 20 overs with Amad Wasim scoring 45 runs. Amjad Waqas grabbed 3-21 and Khalid Usman 2-25. Abbottabad Falcons chased the target in the last over of the match. Mir Azam was hero of Abbottbad with his 59 runs while Younas Khan was unbaten on 38 runs.

Faisalabad Wolves overwhelmed Hyderabad Hawks by eight wickets here at the LCCA ground. Hyderabad Hawks could manage to score 98 runs for the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs with Rizwan Ahmed scoring 41 runs. Magical bowler Saeed Ajmal chipped in with two wickets along with two wickets each by Khurram Shahzad and Asad Ali. Faisalabad Wolves achieved the victory target in just 16.1 overs Farrukh Shahzad smashing impressive 51-ball 57 runs laced with nine fours. He was ably assisted by Naveed Latif who remained unbeaten on 34 runs.

Sialkot Stallions won by 8 wickets.

Shoaib Malik superb half century helped Sialkot Stallions to score an impressive triumph over Karachi Zebra here at the Gaddafi Stadium. Karachi Zebra could manage 111 runs for the loss of five wickets in 20 overs with Daniyal Ahsan scoring unbeaten 24 runs and Faisal Iqbal, Ramiz Aziz and Ramiz Raja Jr 21 runs each. Adeel Malik remained successful bowler for the losers with three wickets for 19 runs. Shoaib Malik played captain inning and remained unbeaten on 50 runs as his team achieved the target in just 16.4 overs for the loss of just two wickets. Haris Sohail also played well and made unbeaten 34 runs.

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Faysal Bank T20 Cup: Afridi, Stags light up opening day

By AM Khan

LAHORE, Pakistan (TheSportsNEXT) December 2, 2012: Karachi Dolphins, Bahawalpur Stags, Sialkot Stallions, Multan Tigers, Lahore Eagles, and Lahore Lions sparkled on inaugural day of the National Twenty20 Cup 2012 in Lahore on Saturday.

Karachi Dolphins (164/7) defeated Peshawar Panthers (124 all out) by 40 runs; the debutant Bahawalpur Stags (173/5) stunned the former T20 champions Rawalpindi Rams (154/9) by 19 runs; defending champions Sialkot Stallions (128/2) got the better of Islamabad Leopards (122/9) by eight wickets; Multan Tigers (74/0) outplayed Quetta Bears (72 all out) by 10 wickets; Lahore Eagles (224/2) beat Hyderabad Hawks (166/5) by 58 runs; whereas the star-studded Lahore Lions (144/3) outlasted Karachi Zebras (141/6) by seven wickets.

Karachi Dolphins beat Peshawar Panthers by 40 runs

Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi showed glimpses of his hard-hitting form in the inaugural match of the Faysal Bank T20 Cup 2012 on Saturday when he compiled a 38-ball 50 before getting run out in the 40 runs victory for Karachi Dolphins over Peshawar Panthers in the Group B match at Lahore City Cricket Association Ground.

Peshawar Panthers captain Akbar Badshah won the toss and decided to bowl first to give his bowlers a chance to pounce on the dew factor.

His decision proved right on the first ball with Waqar Ahmed trapping Khurram Manzoor in front of the stumps for a golden duck.

However, the Karachi Dolphins launched a counterattack through explosive Shahzaib Hasan (33 from 14 – 2 fours, 4 sixes) and Khalid Latif (18 from 13 – 2 fours, 1 six) as they raced to 49 for one inside the first five overs before losing both the batsmen in the space of eight deliveries.

Asad Shafiq (21 from 27 – 3 fours) tried to stabilize the dwindling ship but Fawad Alam (Duck) couldn’t help him a single bit before skipper Shahid Afridi had to pad up and deliver the goods with the bat, finally.

Shahid Afridi hit four boundaries and a six during his 38 balls half century and resurrected the innings with a 46-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Asad Shafiq.

A late hitting spree by all-rounder Anwar Ali (27 not out from 18 – 2 fours, 1 six) helped the Karachi Dolphins to a formidable total of 167 for seven from their 20 overs.

Zohaib Ahmed was phenomenal for the Peshawar Panthers as he gave away only 16 runs from his four overs besides taking wicket of Amin-ur-Rehman (3 from 3).

Waqar Ahmed also bowled well for figures of two for 28 but Imran Khan was far from his best as he leaked 63 runs from his four overs. Mohammad Aslam also bowled a miser spell of one for 23 while Azizulla took two wickets for 33 runs.

In absence of Younus Khan, Peshawar Panthers were always a vulnerable batting side as they could only manage 124 runs all out from 19.2 overs with opening batsman Iftikhar Ahmed scoring 57 from 47 balls hitting four boundaries and two sixes.

Anwar Ali completed a good all-round match with figures of two for 24 while Mohammad Sami took one for 24. Misbah Khan took a wicket for 22, Sohail Khan grabbed one for 30, whereas Shahid Afridi, who was declared Man of the Match, captured a wicket for 22 runs.

Bahawalpur Stags beat Rawalpindi Rams by 19 runs

The debutant Bahawalpur Stags delivered a killer blow to former domestic Twenty20 champions Rawalpindi Rams with a 19 runs victory in their Group B match of the Faysal Bank T20 Cup 2012 played at Bagh-e-Jinnah in Lahore on Saturday.

Rawalpindi Rams skipper Sohail Tanvir won the toss and elected to field first.

Batting first, Bahawalpur Stags scored 173 for five from their 20 overs, thanks to an explosive innings by opening batsman Imranullah Aslam (89 from 53 – 12 fours, 2 sixes).

Samiullah, Awais Zia, and Hammad Azam were the better bowlers for the Rawalpindi Rams as they recorded figures of 2/27, 0/25, and 1/30, respectively.

Rawalpindi Rams lost hard-hitting Awais Zia for a nought but his fellow opening batsman Naved Malik (51 from 22 – 9 fours, 1 six) put great hitting talent on display but lacked support from the other batsmen.

Babar Naeem (14 from 14 – 3 fours), Umar Amin (4 from 8), Hammad Azam (5 from 6), Umar Waheed (2 from 7), and Sohail Tanvir (11 from 13) all failed to impose their authority with the bat as the Rawalpindi Rams were restricted to 154 for nine from their 20 overs.

Kashif Siddiq took three wickets for 22 runs while Ataullah grabbed two wickets for 19 runs for the Bahawalpur Stags but Man of the Match was awarded to Imranullah Aslam for a brilliant batting display.

Multan Tigers beat Quetta Bears by 10 wickets

Fast bowlers delivered the goods as Multan Tigers battered Quetta Bears by 10 wickets in their Group A match of the Faysal Bank T20 Cup 2012 played at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday.

Pacers Abdur Rauf (2/33), Mohammad Irfan (3/8), and spinner Zulfiqar Babar (2/3) demolished the Quetta Bears batsmen completely as only three batsmen could reach the double figures.

Especially Zulfiqar Babar was exceptional with the ball as he broke the world record of bowling most economical spell in Twenty20 cricket. He bowled four overs, two maidens, three runs, and two wickets. The previous record was shared by three bowlers Ethan O’Reilly (Highveld Lions of South Africa), Sulieman Benn (Barbados of West Indies), and Shantanu Pitre (Madhya Pardesh of India) as they went for only four runs from their four overs.

Multan Tigers skipper Abdur Rauf won the toss and decided to field first.

Quetta Bears were bowled out for a paltry 72 runs from 17 overs with opener Mohibullah (24 from 14 – 3 fours, 1 six) top-scoring while Arun Lal (10 from 21 – 1 four) and Nazar Hussain (17 from 28 – 2 fours) were the other two batsmen managing scores in double digits.

Multan Tigers opening batsmen Zain Abbas (40 not out from 34 – 5 fours) and Sohaib Maqsood (32 not out from 33 – 5 fours) faced no such demons in the Gaddafi Stadium pitch and easily overhauled the target from 11 overs.

Muhammad Irfan was declared Man of the Match for his brilliant spell of three wickets for eight runs.

Lahore Eagles beat Hyderabad Hawks by 58 runs

In a match which saw two batsmen hitting centuries, Lahore Eagles recorded a comfortable 58 runs victory over Hyderabad Hawks in their Group B encounter of the Faysal Bank T20 Cup 2012 at Lahore City Cricket Association Ground on Saturday.

Lahore Eagles scored massive 224 for two after skipper Taufeeq Umar won the toss and decided to bat first.

Opener Imran Farhat (100 not out from 59 – 12 fours, 2 sixes) mauled the Hyderabad Hawks bowlers while skipper Taufeeq Umar (65 from 53 – 9 fours) also batted exceptionally well as the opening pair amassed 168 runs from 15 overs for the opening wicket.

Azhar Ali (28 from 13 – 2 fours, 2 sixes) also showed some hitting skills before Asif Raza ended the innings in great fashion by hitting the six off the only ball he faced.

The Lahore Eagles were also assisted by some nasty indiscipline bowling by Hyderabad Hawks who bowled as many as 12 no-balls besides bowling eight wides during the innings.

Hyderabad Hawks were already batted out of the competition at halfway stage but opening batsman and skipper Sharjeel Khan (103 not out from 65 – 6 fours, 7 sixes) exhibited his great hard-hitting skills.

In the end, Hyderabad Hawks fell 58 runs short of the target as they could manage 166 for five from their 20 overs.

Junaid Zia and Asif Raza shared two wickets apiece for 20 and 18 runs, respectively from their four overs but it was Imran Farhat who was declared the Man of the Match for his phenomenal hitting.

Sialkot Stallions beat Islamabad Leopards by 8 wickets

Defending champions Sialkot Stallions got their title defence off to mark in astounding fashion on Saturday when they outplayed Islamabad Leopards by eight wickets in their Group A match of the Faysal Bank T20 Cup 2012 at Bagh-e-Jinnah in Lahore.

Islamabad Leopards, led by fast bowler Umar Gul, scored 122 for nine from their 20 overs after their skipper won the toss and decided to bat first.

Only four Islamabad Leopards batsmen could score in double figures with Bazid Khan (28 from 22 – 4 fours) top-scoring while Shan Masood (24 from 35), Umar Gul (16 from 9 – 1 four, 2 sixes), and Raheel Majeed (15 from 13 – 3 fours) were the other top scorers.

Right arm medium pacer Umaid Asif was on top of his game for the Sialkot Stallions as he captured three wickets for 21 runs while Rana Naved-ul-Hasan grabbed two wickets for 14 runs. Left-arm off-spinner Raza Hasan also bowler miserly as he registered figures of one for 15 while Shoaib Malik also chipped in with one for 18.

123-run target was never going to challenge the batting powerhouse of Sialkot Stallions as openers Imran Nazeer and Shakeel Ansar came out with all guns blazing.

Imran Nazir hit 10 boundaries and a huge six during his 43-ball 65 runs while Shakeel Ansar made 15 from 16 hitting two boundaries.

Haris Sohail (21 not out from 24 – 1 four) and skipper Shoaib Malik (21 not out from 12 – 3 fours, 1 six) then completed the victory with 25 balls to spare as Sialkot Stallions began their quest for yet another domestic T20 title.

Imran Nazir was declared Man of the Match for an explosive show of hard-hitting batting.

Lahore Lions beat Karachi Zebras by 7 wickets

In the last match of the inaugural day of Faysal Bank T20 Cup 2012, the star-studded Lahore Lions mauled an average-looking Karachi Zebras by a comfortable margin of seven wickets with 11 balls to spare at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday.

In a high-temperature Group A encounter, Karachi Zebras captain Rameez Raja Junior won the toss and decided to give his batsmen a chance to set a massive target.

However, the Karachi Zebras innings never got going after losing captain in the 4^th over. His fellow opening batsman Rameez Aziz (34 from 31 – 5 fours) and Fahad Iqbal (59 not out from 52 – 5 fours) did try their best to give their side a chance to score a respectable total by both lacked firepower and with Faisal Iqbal (15 from 15 – 1 six) and Sheharyar Ghani (Duck), and Javed Mansoor (4 from 5) all failing to clear the boundary consistently, 141 runs was all the Karachi Zebras could manage.

Bowling was generally good from Lahore Lions bowlers as Abdul Razzaq (2-0-10-0), Aizaz Cheema (4-1-21-2), Mustafa Iqbal (4-0-22-1), and Mohammad Hafeez (3-0-15-1) all bowled miser spells of bowling.

Wahab Riaz (3-0-30-0) and Zia-ul-Haq (4-0-40-1) were the two expensive bowlers for Lahore Lions but still Karachi Zebras couldn’t post a challenging total on the board.

Nasir Jamshed (14 from 9 – 2 fours) and Ahmed Shehzad (24 from 23 – 3 fours, 1 six) gave Lahore Lions a respectable start scoring 35 runs for the opening wicket from just 20 deliveries.

Pakistan’s T20 skipper Mohammad Hafeez, who is also captaining the Lahore Lions, then took things under his control at one-down position and scored 53 runs from just 43 balls with the help of seven boundaries.

Explosive Umar Akmal (43 not out from 28 – 6 fours) also polished his hard-hitting skills and along with his brother Kamran Akmal (4 not out from 6) completed the target from 18.1 overs.

Mohammad Hafeez was declared Man of the Match for his all-round performance.

Sunday's Fixtures in Faysal Bank T20 Cup 2012

Six more matches will be played on Sunday where Lahore Lions will face Abbottabad Falcons in Group A match at 09:30 am; Quetta Bears will look to change their fortunes against Sialkot Stallions in Group A match at 09:30 am; Lahore Eagles will be up against Faisalabad Wolves in Group B match at 12:00pm; Bahawalpur Stags will try to keep their winning run against Peshawar Panthers in Group B encounter at 13:15pm; Islamabad Leopards will play against Karachi Zebras at 13:15 pm; whereas Karachi Dolphins will take on Rawalpindi Rams in a rematch of the T20 2010 final in their Group B match scheduled to start at 16:00 local time.

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Mohammad Yousaf stepped down to make way for Mohammad Hafeez

By AM Khan

LAHORE, Pakistan (TheSportsNEXT) December 2, 2012: Former Pakistan skipper and veteran cricketer Mohammad Yousaf has stepped down as captain of Lahore Lions in favour of the current Pakistan Twenty20 captain Mohammad Hafeez for the National Twenty20 Tournament.

Talking exclusively to TheSportsNEXT.com at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday, Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA) president Khawaja Nadeem Ahmad said, “Yousaf has showed a big gesture and stepped down as captain on the pretext that Hafeez is the Pakistan captain and is the right choice to lead Lahore Lions in the National T20 Tournament.”

Khawaja Nadeem said Yousaf had a meeting with Hafeez and he conveyed his feelings and decision to the latter who praised the gesture of the former. “Hafeez was not initially agreed to lead the Lahore Lions but Yousaf made him realized that it is better if he leads the side as he has the honour of being the national captain of Pakistan T20 team,” he said.

He rejected a questioner that Yousaf withdrew from the captaincy due to the pressure of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). “It has nothing to do with PCB and this is the personal decision of Yousaf and no one pressurized him,” he added.

President LCCA welcomed Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision for shifting T20 tournament to Lahore owing to security situation in Karachi. “It is very wise decision of Chairman, PCB to have the tournament in Lahore where adequate facilities are available at the three centres, Gaddafi Stadium, LCCA and Bagh-e-Jinnah grounds, for holding the matches in a smooth manner,” he added.

“Lahore was to hold the event last year but it was shifted to Karachi at the last moment, owing to the outbreak of the dengue epidemic in the province. That was a precautionary step, and Lahore didn’t come up with any protest”, he said.

Now when the event has come back to Lahore, there has been a bit of an outcry from Karachi.

Reacting to that, Khawaja Nadeem said: “No one city should have monopoly over hosting national or international cricket. Rather it should be evenly spread all over the country, with all major cricketing centres getting their due share. And it can be said without any fear of contradiction that Lahore is and has been a major cricketing centre for well over a century. People in this city, like everywhere else in the country, too are quite keen on cricket and deserve the opportunity to watch it from the stands”.

More than anything else, said Nadeem, this also provides all concerned in these parts to refresh and improve on cricket organization skills and be well-versed in tackling the security issues. “This is essential so that when international cricket comes back, Pakistan as a nation could host them in a befitting manner”, concluded the LCCA president.

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Captains named for Pakistan T20 tournament

By Ubaid Awan

KARACHI, Pakistan (TheSportsNEXT) November 20, 2012: The organizers of Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 competition, on Tuesday, announced captains of the participating teams for the 2012 edition of the tournament.

After Pakistan’s skipper Mohammad Hafeez decided to part ways with the Faisalabad Wolves, the country’s Test skipper Misbah ul Haq was handed the responsibility to lead the team in the top T20 cricket tournament in Pakistan.

Former Pakistani all-rounder Azhar Mahmood, who has been out of favors with the PCB selectors, has been given the charge of Islamabad Leopards while former skipper Younus Khan will lead the Abbottabad.

Legendary batsman Mohammad Yousuf will lead Lahore Lions in the Twenty20 tournament which will be played from December 2-10.

The Abbottabad team also has the services of Yasir Shah and left-arm fast bowler Junaid Khan while Lahore Lions have Umar Akmal and Kamran Akmal in their squad.

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Mohammad Hafeez to represent Lahore Lions

By Aftab Tabee

LAHORE, Pakistan (TheSportsNEXT) November 20, 2012: Pakistan’s Twenty20 skipper Mohammad Hafeez has decided to play for Lahore Lions in the upcoming National Twenty20 Cricket Tournament 2012 which will be played from December 2-10, 2012.

Talking exclusively with this scribe, Mohammad Hafeez who has been leading the Faisalabad Wolves in the previous editions of the domestic Twenty20 competitions, said that he was forced to relinquish his ties with the Faisalabad region only due to one man.

“President Faisalabad Region Anwar Chaudhry has been interfering in the team’s matters for a long time which has left me with no option to part ways with the team”, Mohammad Hafeez said. 

Pakistan’s Twenty20 skipper said that Mr. Anwar Chaudhry had been poking into the team management’s matters which had put him under stress as captain of the Faisalabad Region. He added that the latest example of Anwar Chaudhry’s high-handedness is non-selection of Zeeshan Qazi for the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy squad of Faisalabad Region despite of taking the most number of wickets. Instead, brother of former fast bowler Shahid Nazeer was inducted into the Faisalabad squad, he added.

President Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA), Khawaja Nadeem has also confirmed Mohammad Hafeez’s inclusion in the Lahore Lions squad for the upcoming T20 tournament.

The Lahore Lions will be led by former Pakistan skipper and legendary batsman Mohammad Yousuf and will also have the services of Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal who are integral part of the national Twenty20 cricket team.

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