The gradual plan of bringing high-quality cricket to the Imran Khan Stadium, Peshawar, is now on the verge of completion as the National T20 Cup is commencing.
If we talk about the conditions there, there hasn’t been any proper T20 cricket at this venue recently, but judging from the red-ball matches, there were runs on the board and assistance for the fast bowlers as well.
First Match
The opening day will see two matches, firstly between Lahore Whites and the Home team, Peshawar Region.
Lahore Whites
If we talk about the big names in this tournament, most of them are featuring for Lahore Whites. Naseem Shah, Babar Azam, Aamer Jamal, Ahmed Daniyal, Tayyab Tahir, and Ubaid Shah are some of the well-known cricketers in this squad. While the only U21 player in their team is the Pakistan U19 captain, Farhan Yousaf.
The two main strengths of their squad are:
Fast Bowling Depth:
With current and recent National Team pacers at their disposal, Lahore Whites look very strong in this department. If we talk about the new ball phase, they have Ali Raza and Ubaid Shah in their squad, who are probably among the best young cricketers currently in the country.
After that, they also have the services of experienced pros like Naseem Shah, Aamer Jamal and youngster Ahmed Daniyal for the latter half of the innings. Both Naseem Shah and Ahmed Daniyal have enjoyed success in this phase recently across different conditions, but skipper Aamer Jamal has been off colour for some time.
Top Order Heavy:
Now their second strength is the top order, but it can quickly turn into a weakness or a burden if they don’t utilize it correctly. There are hard hitters of the ball who can turn up and hit sixes at will in this squad, like Mohammad Faiq, Mohammad Akhlaq and Mohammad Saleem. However, on the other end, there are slightly bigger names but anchors like Babar Azam and Tayyab Tahir.
So it is very important that Lahore uses all five of these very wisely.
Peshawar Region
Another squad that is loaded with superstars and has a history of winning domestic white-ball tournaments, led by the evergreen legend of the domestic circuit, Iftikhar Ahmed.
Peshawar’s squad has a good mix of in-form players as well as local talent like Mohammad Haris, Usman Tariq, Mohammad Nawaz, Abbas Afridi, and Yasir Khan. Also, the role of all-rounders will be key for their balance, with the likes of Nawaz, Ahmed Hussain, Abbas Afridi and Iftikhar.
It will also be interesting to see Ihsanullah and how he does on his domestic comeback after featuring in the BPL.
Here are their key strengths:
Spin Department
Peshawar probably has the most versatile spin contingent in this tournament, with off-spin of Sajid Khan, mystery spin of Usman Tariq, left-arm spin of Mohammad Nawaz and Azam Khan, as well as leg spin of young Ahmed Hussain.
You cannot ignore the off-spin of their skipper, Iftikhar Ahmed.
Middle Order
With a lot of all-rounders in the squad, Peshawar’s middle order also looks very strong with Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz, continuing what players like Haris and Yasir started at the top. After that, there are also players like Sajid Khan and Abbas Afridi to strengthen the tail.
Second Match
The second match of the tournament and the day will be played between Faisalabad Region and Karachi Whites.
Faisalabad Region
Faisalabad’s team has seen some promising young cricketers in recent times, and they’ve played decently across formats as well. Also, they are the only team led by a captain under 30!
Some of their strengths are:
Middle Order
Led by Irfan Khan Niazi, Faisalabad’s middle order is one of their biggest strength with the likes of experienced Asif Ali and off-spin all-rounder Mubasir Khan as a guest player. Awais Zafar is also an exciting batter in the squad who has batted in the middle order in other formats, but often opens in T20 cricket.
Fast Bowling Depth
Signing the in-form Afaq Afridi and Zaman Khan as guest players has bolstered Faisalabad’s fast bowling with the local core of Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Zeeshan, along with the part-time bowling of Faham-ul-Haq.
Their new-ball duo of Khurram Shahzad and Afaq Afridi can be enough to put them in the title contenders, given their form in this phase.
Karachi Whites
Led by Pakistan’s Test vice captain, Saud Shakeel, Karachi Whites has a blend of youth and experience in the squad with exciting youngsters like Abdullah Fazal and Haroon Arshad, and experienced national team regulars like Shan Masood, Saim Ayub, recent debutant Khawaja Nafay, along with their skipper.
This squad is particularly strong in:
Top Order
Like Lahore Whites, Karachi Whites also has a ton of top-order options, with quite a few of them having played for Pakistan as well. Saim Ayub is someone who is struggling in this format at the international stage and will look to make the most of this tournament. Other than him, there are Abdullah Fazal, Khawaja Nafay, Saud Shakeel, and Shan Masood.
One thing that is common historically in this city’s batters and in this squad is their ability to play spin well, and it is common in these top order options as well, with a difference of hitting ability.
Someone like Abdullah Fazal and Khawaja Nafay is good in that capacity, but Shan and Saud are more like spin anchors.
Underrated Domestic Players in this Round:
Karachi Whites: Saqib Khan and Abdullah Fazal
Faisalabad Region: Afaq Afridi and Momin Qamar
Peshawar Region: Yasir Khan and Abuzar Tariq
Lahore Whites: M Faiq and Farhan Yousaf
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