To say the Pakistani contingent made it's presence felt in the inaugural edition of the Sri Lankan Premier League would be a massive understatement. Whilst Zaka Ashraf's administration was back at home trying to pull some strings to launch it's own T20 Premier League in the next 12 months, a star studded Pakistani contingent featuring the likes of Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Malik, Imran Nazir, Umar Gul and Misbah ul Haq amongst others, took to the Lankan shores to get a taste of the SLPL 'experience'

 

There were almost two dozen players recruited by the SLPL franchises which prompted several local journalist to joke about calling it the PPL on a neutral grounds in Sri Lanka. The Pakistani contingent weren't only strong in numbers, but they were also strong in producing performances.

 

The impact of the Pakistani flair was immediately felt by the Sri Lankans who were already reeling from the absence of big name players like Chris Gayle and the entire Indian contingent. Pakistani batsmen like Imran Nazir and Kamran Akmal are known for their aggressive style of batting and it didn't take long for them to take the tournament by storm. Kamran Akmal, infact, was the highest runscorer in the league during his stay on the Island, he scored 203 runs in 5 innings at an average of over 40. Only when Akmal left to represent Pakistan against Australia in the UAE, was he overtaken by Dilshan Munaweera and Angelo Matthews, who scored 212 and 211 runs respectively, in 7 innings each.

 

While most Pakistani batsmen failed to make a significant impact during the season, Imran Nazir, who has been selected as a part of Pakistan's T20 World Cup squad, was at his brutal best and played a significant role in helping his side (Nagenahira Nagas) reach the final. The swashbuckling opener scored 114 runs in 4 innings at an average of 38.

 

Former Pakistani captain, Shoaib Malik, who represented eventual winners, Uva Next, also played a couple of key knocks before departing to the UAE for national duty. He made only 4 appearances but maintained a healthy average of over 44.

 

Ahmed Shehzad, recently dropped from the national team was the biggest flop amongst the Pakistani batsmen. He finished off with an average of just over 12 after 6 appearances. Figures that won't help his case if the Pakistani selectors choose to consider the performances of their players in the SLPL. Pakistan's T20 captain, Mohammad Hafeez, continued his woeful form with the bat but he was as effective as ever with the bowl in hand.

 

The bowling department sprung up some surprises. Sohail Tanvir, in particular, bowled exceedingly well. He finished as the leading wicket-taker in the tournament despite leaving early early to represent Pakistan in the UAE. His tally of 11 wickets was only matched by Jacob Oram in the final of the tourney. 

 

Pakistan's most senior bowler, Umar Gul, who had been 'rested' for the ODI leg of the Pakistan-Australia series, played a major part in helping his franchise, Uva Next, become the champions of the inaugural season. He was the only Pakistani representing Uva in the final. Although he looked slightly weary at times during the tournament, he still managed to get 8 wickets from his 6 appearances at a decent average of 22.

 

Abdul Razzaq, who is slated to make a comeback in the T20 leg of the Pakistan-Australia series, picked up 7 wickets during his stay in Sri Lanka, while the likes of Wahab Riaz and Rana Naved took 6 wickets each.

 

Surprisingly, Pakistan's wizardly spinner, Saeed Ajmal, failed to make a big impact in Sri Lanka. He picked up a meagre 5 wickets in 5 games with a best of 3/23 and went for over 7 runs per over during the tournament. A performance which, by his standards, was a massive letdown.

 

Unfortunately for Pakistani cricket enthusiasts, youngsters like Fawad Alam and Haris Sohail didn't get a chance to impress. Meanwhile Hammad Azam, who played for the Champions (Uva), was dropped for the final and had to do with a solitary performance. One which he would consider unsatisfactory.

 

All in all, it was a positive experience for the group and might just give the Pakistanis a slight edge by getting acquainted with the conditions ahead of the T20 World Cup in September, which is slated to be held in Sri Lanka.