The one-week long Faysal Bank T20 tournament features fourteen teams, which have been divided into four groups. PakPassion.net recently caught up with former Pakistan cricketer and a keen follower of Pakistani domestic cricket, Tauseef Ahmed for a brief discussion about the upcoming tournament.

By Nimra Ishtiaq

26 September, 2011

Pakistan’s premiere domestic Twenty20 tournament will commence from September 25 at the National Stadium Karachi. The one-week long tournament features fourteen teams, which have been divided into four groups. PakPassion.net recently caught up with former Pakistan cricketer and a keen follower of Pakistani domestic cricket, Tauseef Ahmed for a brief discussion about the upcoming tournament.

Whilst highlighting the importance of the Faysal Bank T20 Cup 2011-12 for young upcoming cricketers, Tauseef alluded to Pakistan’s tour of Zimbabwe and stated “Since the Zimbabwe tour was a short one, only some of the youngsters [who had performed well at the Super Eight T20 tournament] got a chance there. I’m hopeful that more youngsters will be awarded with opportunities one by one in future.”

The upcoming Faysal Bank T20 Cup 2011-12 will go down in history as Pakistan’s first domestic Twenty20 tournament to feature a team from another country. Afghanistan’s Afghan Cheetas have already arrived in Karachi to compete with thirteen regional teams from Pakistan. Tauseef Ahmed lauded the move to invite an international team to participate in the domestic competition. He also added “They [Afghanistan] must be aware that T20 cricket is played at all levels in Pakistan – even at the Club cricket level. So this tournament will be vital for them as well.”

The tournament which was initially scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi and Islamabad was later shifted to Lahore due to the failure of the local authorities to complete the stadium’s renovation in time. However, the tournament saw another change of venues as it was shifted to Karachi roughly four days before its start citing the outbreak of dengue fever in Lahore. Commenting on the shift of venues, Tauseef said “It’s been done for the greater good of all. I’m hopeful that the event will go ahead smoothly [in Karachi] despite the short notice. Whether it’s held in Lahore or Karachi – the bottom line is that it’s being held in Pakistan.”

Tauseef who played 34 Test and 70 ODIs for Pakistan is the present Coach of Hyderabad Hawks. Discussing his team’s exploits in twenty-over cricket, he stated “We have performed well in the last few T20 tournaments, which is why we were able to qualify for the Super Eight T20 tournament earlier this year.”

Assessing his team’s chances in the upcoming tournament, he said “You never know in T20 cricket – it’s such an unpredictable format.”

“We have two former champions, Sialkot and Lahore [Lions] in our group. They have the services of all their star players this time around. However, as I said, T20 cricket is unpredictable.”

When asked to name the key players in the Hyderabad side, the former Pakistani offspinner mentioned opening batsman Sharjeel Khan and Hawks’ skipper, Azeem Ghumman. He further added “Players like allrounder Lal Kumar and Rizwan Ahmed who were missing in the last T20 tournament are available this time around. So we have a relatively stronger side now as compared to the one we had in the Super Eight tournament.”

22 year old left-handed batsman, Sharjeel Khan, scored 138 runs in 3 matches in the Faysal Bank Super Eight T-20 Cup 2011. He was also noted for his solid performance in the Pakistan A versus Afghanistan series and according to Tauseef Ahmed, he is knocking on the doors for national selection.

“Sharjeel [Khan] is capable of changing the game singlehandedly. This is an important tournament for him. If he performs well again, I’m sure he will make a strong case for his national selection” he asserted.

When asked to predict the winners of the Faysal Bank T20 Cup 2011-12, Tauseef preferred not to name a team although he termed the defending champions Lahore Lions and five-times runners-up Karachi Dolphins as the most “well-balanced” outfits.

“Actually, if you have a strong batting line, with four to five top players, you can chase any total successfully. Sialkot, Lahore and Karachi are very strong teams. But you can’t really pick one side. Look how Rawalpindi defeated last time the strong Karachi Dolphins side [in the Super Eight T20 Cup final].”

“There are three or four sides that look good on paper. I foresee a highly competitive tournament. The team that plays well on the given day will win it” he concluded.