The first edition of Pakistan’s newest domestic competition, the Champions One-Day Cup is set to start this month. Here is the full list of squads, the captains and team mentors for the tournament.
The five mentors
Less than a month after becoming the advisor to the PCB chairman on cricket tasks, Waqar Younis’ stint has finished, with the previous fast bowler now a mentor for one of the five sides in the new domestic competitions the PCB is presenting this season.
Waqar is joined by Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Saqlain Mushtaq, and Sarfaraz Ahmed as mentors, whose first tasks will be the Champions One-Day Cup, which will run from September 12 to 29 in Faisalabad. The PCB affirmed that Sarfaraz, who is important for the Test squad for the continuous Bangladesh series, would go on with his playing career.
Waqar was scheduled to become the board’s cricket supremo, a role made to take the burden of cricketing choices from the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi. He even showed up alongside Naqvi at a press conference in that job, an unveiling of sorts, at Gaddafi Stadium at the time.
Waqar Younis recently worked as a PCB counselor on cricket undertakings, while Saqlain Mushtaq is a former head coach of the national group. Misbah and Waqar have additionally had instructing stints with the national group.
The best of the cricketers from the nation will feature in the single-league competition that will also act as the homecoming of men’s seniors’ competitive cricket in Faisalabad after almost two years.
The last domestic men’s 50-over match played at the Iqbal Arena was in March 2022 between Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The five Champions Cup side mentors have played 1,621 global matches between them, scoring a total of 32,780 runs and taking 1,503 wickets between them. Of the five, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shoaib Malik are two-time ICC Event winners; Misbah is a one-time ICC Event champ and ACC Asia Cup 2012 winning skipper, while Saqlain and Waqar were individuals from the side that played in the 1999 World Cup last.
Squads announced for Champions One-Day Cup 2024
Dolphins
Squad: Saud Shakeel (c), Aftab Ibrahim, Asif Ali, Awais Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Kashif Ali, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Muhammad Akhlaq, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Muhammad Riazullah, Noman Ali, Qasim Akram, Sameen Gul, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Sahibzada Farhan, Sufiyan Moqim, Umar Amin, Usman Qadir.
Mentor: Sarfaraz Ahmed
Lions
Squad: Shaheen Shah Afridi (c), Abdullah Shafique, Aamir Jamal, Aamer Yamin, Faisal Akram, Hassan Nawaz, Hunain Shah, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Butt, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Asghar, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Mohammad Taha, Omair Bin Yousuf, Rohail Nazir, Shahab Khan, Sharoon Siraj, Sirajuddin Waqar Hussain.
Mentor: Waqar Younis
Panthers
Squad: Shadab Khan (c), Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Ahmed Bashir, Ali Asfand, Ali Raza, Amad Butt, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Umar, Mohammad Zeeshan, Mubasir Khan, Rehan Afridi, Rizwan Mehmood, Saim Ayub, Umar Siddiq, Usama Mir, Usman Khan, Usman Salahuddin.
Mentor: Saqlain Mushtaq
Stallions
Squad: Mohammad Haris (c), Abrar Ahmed, Adil Amin, Azam Khan, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Hussain Talat, Jahandad Khan, Junaid Ali, Maaz Ahmad Sadaqat, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Amir Khan, Saad Khan, Shamyl Hussain, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir, Ubaid Shah, Yasir Khan, Zaman Khan.
Mentor: Shoaib Malik
Wolves
Squad: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Fakhar Zaman, Abdul Samad, Akif Javed, Ali Usman, Bilawal Bhatti, Haseebullah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Faizan, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Mohammad Sarwar Afridi, Muhammad Imran, Naseem Shah, Nisar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani, Zahid Mehmood, Zain Abbas.
Mentor: Misbah-ul-Haq
PCB executive Mohsin Naqvi said: “I’m satisfied to invite five exceptional champions as mentors for the Champions Cup groups. These people bring an abundance of cricketing experience, information, and mastery, which, joined with their energy for the game we as a whole love, will assist Pakistan with cricketing boards. Identifying, creating, and nurturing the next generation of cricketers across all organizations. This drive won’t just help the Pakistan men’s cricket crew but additionally assist with overcoming any barrier between domestic and international cricket.”
“These five mentors will play an essential part in the turn of events and movement of our emerging cricketers. They will direct strategic planning and group-building processes while also offering help in leadership and self-awareness.”
“The PCB is focused on reinforcing Pakistan’s cricket through a robust domestic structure that offers a reasonable and competitive pathway for all cricketers. The most capable and talented players will progress through the positions to address Pakistan at the most significant level.”