The inaugural season of Champions Cup concluded on 29th September with Panthers winning the title beating the hot-favourite Markhors in the final.
Although some pundits like Ahmed Shehzad criticised this initiative of the Pakistan Cricket Board, the likes of Salman Butt and Shan Masood appreciated and said it will help Pakistan to unearth some of the young talent particularly in terms of pace bowling.
While speaking to the local TV, Butt said he is concerned over fitness issues regarding Shaheen Shah Afridi and the side could have picked Akif Javed who showed promise in the Champions Cup.
“Pakistan is seeing quite a worthy staff in this. Let’s say there wasn’t a person you could say, ‘Hey, make him play now; he’s completely ready, he’ll do it.’ Probably, if you look in that range, I think Akif Javed should have been picked because none of the fast bowlers selected for Pakistan are 100% fit. I think he was someone who was bowling fast, taking wickets, and had good line and length, so he should have been considered,” Butt stated.
Azam also lauded the likes of Ali Raza, Haider Ali, and Jahandad and appreciated the contributions of Salman Ali Agha and Babar Azam in the tournament.
“As for the fast bowlers coming from under-19 and above, Ali Raza impressed everyone; everyone tweeted about him, noting his very accurate line and length, and he is a thinking bowler. Jahandad, the left-arm pacer, and Ubaid Shah also bowled very well”
“After that, you see Abdul Samad, a young man who is 6 feet tall, his body language is strong, and he hits sixes all around the ground. Although he had a score of 50 and others under 50, he showed range, so there’s encouragement there”
“Haider Ali’s form has returned; Babar Azam spent time in the middle, and Agha Salman also performed well with both batting and bowling. It was also evident that there is a need to enhance their capacity,” he said.
Masood also appreciated this initiative in his latest press conference
“And if you’ve observed the Champions One-Day Cup 2024, the standard was good. There was Pakistan’s emerging talent in it, and our current players were also there. One-day cricket, especially in the weather in Faisalabad, had significant mental and physical demands. So, I think in a short space of time, we’ve prepared well for the series”
The side is currently preparing for the upcoming three-match Test series against England which is scheduled to play on 7th of October. The first two matches will be played in Multan while the series will conclude in Rawalpindi.
The last time England toured Pakistan, the home-side suffered a 3-0 defeat in the series. For sure, Pakistan will look forward to revenge now.
Squad:
Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
