PakPassion.net spoke with the 2011 winner of Kent’s supporter’s player of the year award, Azhar Mahmood, who expressed his hopes and aims regarding the upcoming tournament and assessed his team’s chances against the opposition.

By Saj Sadiq (7th October 2012)

After watching the world’s top domestic T20 teams battle it out in the Champions League T20 (CLT20) tournament since 2009, Pakistani fans would have heaved a collective sigh of relief as one their own teams will finally be able to take part in this spectacle.

The 2012 edition of this tournament which is a joint initiative of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Cricket Australia (CA) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) and aims to brings together the best domestic teams from across the world in a battle for Twenty20 honours, will thus be of special significance for the Pakistani cricket fans as the country’s seven-time domestic champions Sialkot Stallions will lock horns with some of the best domestic T20 sides from India, Australia, South Africa, England, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the West Indies.

In addition to this, a number of international cricketers from Pakistan, including Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul and Azhar Mahmood will be in action for various non Pakistani teams in the competition which is to be held in South Africa this month.

The main event phase of the CLT20 will be preceded by a six-team qualifying stage, with the top two teams from the qualifying groups joining eight other teams in the main round. The eight teams who have gained direct entry into the main round are Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Daredevils, Sydney Sixers, Perth Scorchers, Titans and Highveld Lions, while Sialkot Stallions, Auckland Aces, Hampshire, Yorkshire, Uva Next and Trinidad & Tobago will battle it out in the qualifying round. With national reputations at stake and a handsome prize money to go with it (USD$ 2.5 million for the winners), competition is expected to be fierce and the 14 teams will take no prisoners as they look to stamp their authority on the world stage.

Azhar Mahmood, who played 21 Tests and 143 ODIs for Pakistan has regularly featured in the domestic T20 leagues around the world. He has represented numerous T20 teams, including Wayamba United at the Sri Lankan Premier League, Kings XI Punjab at the Indian Premier League, Dhaka Gladiators at the Bangladesh Premier League, Auckland Aces at the HRV Cup and Kent at the Friends Life T20. However, in the forthcoming CLT20, Mahmood will be seen in action for New Zealand’s current domestic champions Auckland Aces.

PakPassion.net spoke with the 2011 winner of Kent’s supporter’s player of the year award, who expressed his hopes and aims regarding the upcoming tournament and assessed his team’s chances against the opposition.

Mahmood was wary of the expected challenge but expressed his hope of going past the qualifying stage stating “I Hope Auckland do better this time around. We are placed alongside the Pakistani boys (Sialkot Stallions) – they have a good side and so do we. Hopefully, we’ll be able to advance to the later stages.”

The 37-year old Rawalpindi-born allrounder continued “If we get to the next stage, we’ll have a lot of games to play, and if you lose a game there, you still have a chance. However, the qualifying stage is the crucial one where you cannot afford to make any mistakes.”

Auckland Aces are placed in Pool 1 of the qualifying stage, alongside Pakistan and England’s domestic T20 champions Sialkot Stallions and Hampshire Royals respectively. Pool 2 comprises West Indies’ domestic T20 champions Trinidad & Tobago, SLPL champions Uva Next and England’s T20 championship runners-up Yorkshire. Azhar Mahmood is well aware of the capabilities of the opposing teams but is confident that he his team, Auckland Aces, will be successful in making it through the qualifying round stating that “Hampshire and Sialkot are excellent teams. However, we have a good team and we should do well in this tournament.”

The qualifiers will be played between October 9 and 11, while the main round will kick off on October 13 with South Africa's T20 champions Titans taking on Australia’s Perth Scorchers in the opening match.

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