A history of sorts was created on August 6, 2011 when the first edition of Cool and Cool Corporate Twenty20 Night Tournament kicked off at the DHA Sports Club (Moin Khan Academy) in Karachi. A brainchild of former Pakistan captain Moin Khan and his brother Nadeem Khan who is also a former Test cricketer, the Twenty20 tournament was the first of its kind as it featured departments, instead of regional teams. 

The two-week long event saw the likes of Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Umar Gul, Kamran Akmal, Danish Kaneria, Mohammad Sami as well as a host of other international and domestic cricketers in action at the picturesque DHA Sports Club. The teams that participated in the tournament included the domestic giants Habib Bank, National bank and PIA as well as five Grade II outfits, namely Port Qasim Authority, KESC, Candyland, Sayed Paper Mills and Omer Associates.

The tournament concluded on August 20, 2011 with National Bank lifting the trophy after a 4-wicket victory over Port Qasim Authority, and it proved to be a “huge success” according to National Bank’s opening batsman, Nasir Jamshed. 

Speaking exclusively to PakPassion.net regarding the tournament, Jamshed stated, “The main purpose of the tournament was to promote departmental cricket, because our usual Twenty20 tournaments feature regional teams only. So this tournament created awareness amongst the fans about departmental cricket and made them realise that departmental cricket forms the basis of cricket structure in our country. Many cricketers who play for these departments are currently playing in the national team as well.”

Jamshed, a former Under 19 World Cup winner was greatly pleased with the performance of his team during the tournament. He stated “National Bank were crowned champions. Kamran Akmal, Khurram Manzoor, Umar Amin, Hammad Azam and I play for National Bank. So it was a young side – and the team that we beat [in the semi-final] was Habib Bank, which had the likes of Danish Kaneria, Hasan Raza, Ahmed Shehzad, Sajid Shah and Umar Gul. They had a pretty strong side. This is the first time that National Bank has won a Twenty20 tournament. It was a great achievement since a number of First Class cricketers were playing in the tournament. “

He further added “It was a really good experience for the departmental teams. Usually the T20 tournaments feature regional teams. What happens in this case is that some teams are too strong while others are just too weak. But in departmental cricket, all sides are strong.”

The 21-year old left-handed opening batsman from Lahore was full of praise for the newly-formed tournament, labelling it as a “flawless” event. “We were provided with top-notch facilities during the event. Everything was excellent, especially the security arrangement. Also, public access to the players’ dug-out had been restricted so that the players were not disturbed and hence, they could fully concentrate on the match.”

Although the law and order situation in the metropolitan city of Karachi had been disheartening during the past few weeks, participation of star cricketers helped draw in crowds, notwithstanding the mayhem in the city as Nasir Jamshed confirmed, “The crowds had been huge - people came to watch our matches in great numbers.”

Nasir Jamshed struck 93 while opening the batting for NBP in the semi-final against HBL and followed it with a whirlwind 37-ball 68 in the final, finishing as the second highest run scorer of the tournament. Speaking of his performance, Jamshed said “Although I didn’t start off well, I won the Man of the Match awards in the semi-final and the final. I was also adjudged Man of the Tournament. Since the tournament was televised, people all over the world were able to watch the matches. This would definitely help me get noticed by the fans and catch the eye of the selectors too.”

Jamshed who has represented Pakistan in 12 ODI matches asserted that he has made certain adjustments in his batting, adopting a slightly more circumspect approach so that he is not a one-dimensional batsman any more. 

“Earlier, I used to try to hit the bowlers out of the park straight away. However, I have developed patience in my game. Now I tend to spend some time at the crease – at least three to four overs in order to get my eye in before attempting to hit out.”

Jamshed whose last international appearance came two years ago continues to maintain an optimistic outlook on his chances to make a comeback in the national team. 

“I am hopeful of making a comeback to the national team. This is just a start – the domestic Twenty20 competition will kick off on September 25. So hopefully, I will also perform well in the upcoming event so that I’m able to get myself onto the selectors’ radar.”