A domestic T20 Tournament full of entrainment called the National T20 cup will begin on 23rd September. All the big names of Pakistan cricket will take part in it.
National T20 Cup was previously expected to start on 25th September. Now it is rescheduled as NZ canceled their Pakistan tour unilaterally. Earlier because of Pakistan’s series against New Zealand the matches were supposed to be played in Multan. Now after the departure of NZ matches will be played in Pindi and Lahore.
National T20 Cup Phases
Matches will be played in two phases. In the first phase, all matches will be played in Pindi. This phase will include 18 matches, starting on 23rd September. The first match will be played between Balochistan and Northern. While the second phase will be played in Lahore.
Lahore will also host the playoffs of the National T20 Cup. Matches in Lahore will be played from 6 October to 13 October. A total of 6 teams are participating in this tournament.
National T20 Cup Teams
As mentioned earlier that a total of 6 teams are participating in this tournament. Balochistan, Central Punjab, KPK, Northern, Sindh, and Southern Punjab lead by Imam Ul Haq, Babar Azam, Muhammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Sohaib Maqsood respectively
Balochistan
Imam-ul-Haq (captain), Bismillah Khan (vice-captain and wicketkeeper), Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Akbar-ur-Rehman, Akif Javed, Amad Butt, Ayaz Tasawar, Gohar Faiz, Haris Sohail, Jalat Khan, Junaid Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ibrahim Snr, Umaid Asif, and Yasir Shah.
Central Punjab
Babar Azam (captain), Hasan Ali (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Ahmed Safi Abdullah, Ahmed Shehzad, Ehsan Adil, Faheem Ashraf, Hussain Talat, Kamran Akmal (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Akhlaq (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Hafeez, Qasim Akram, Saif Badar, Shoaib Malik, Usman Qadir, Wahab Riaz, and Waqas Maqsood.
Khyber Pakhtonkhwa
Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Shaheen Shah Afridi (vice-captain), Adil Amin, Arshad Iqbal, Asif Afridi, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imran Khan Snr, Israrullah, Maaz Khan, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Imran Khan, Mohammad Wasim, Mussadiq Ahmed, and Sahibzada Farhan.
Northern
Shadab Khan (captain), Mohammad Nawaz (vice-captain), Rohail Nazir (wicketkeeper), Ali Imran, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Imad Wasim, Musa Khan, Nasir Nawaz, Salman Irshad, Sohail Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir, Umer Amin, Zaman Khan, and Zeeshan Malik.
Sindh
Sarfaraz Ahmed (captain and wicketkeeper), Anwar Ali (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ahsan Ali, Danish Aziz, Hassan Mohsin, Khurram Manzoor, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Taha, Ruman Raees, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood, Shahnawaz Dahani, Sharjeel Khan and Zahid Mahmood.
Southern Punjab
Sohaib Maqsood (captain), Zeeshan Ashraf (vice-captain), Amir Yamin, Azam Khan (wicketkeeper), Dilbar Hussain, Faisal Akram, Hassan Khan, Imran Randhawa, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ilyas, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Umer Khan, Zain Abbas, and Zia-ul-Haq.
National T20 Cup 2021/22 Schedule
| Date | Teams | Time | Venue | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Sep | Balochistan vs Northern | 3:00 Pm | Rawalpindi | NOR |
| 23 Sep | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Central Punjab | 7:30 Pm | Rawalpindi | KPK |
| 24 Sep | Sindh vs Southern Punjab | 3:00 Pm | Rawalpindi | Sindh |
| 24 Sep | Balochistan vs Central Punjab | 7:30 Pm | Rawalpindi | CP |
| 25 Sep | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Southern Punjab | 3:00 Pm | Rawalpindi | KPK |
| 25 Sep | Sindh vs Northern | 7:30 Pm | Rawalpindi | Sindh |
| 26 Sep | Balochistan vs Southern Punjab | 3:00 Pm | Rawalpindi | BAL |
| 26 Sep | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Central Punjab | 7:30 Pm | Rawalpindi | CP |
| 29 Sep | Sindh vs Balochistan | 3:00 Pm | Rawalpindi | - |
| 29 Sep | Northern vs Southern Punjab | 7:30 Pm | Rawalpindi | - |
| 30 Sep | Northern vs Central Punjab | 3:00 Pm | Rawalpindi | - |
| 30 Sep | Sindh vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 7:30 Pm | Rawalpindi | - |
| 1 Oct | Balochistan vs Southern Punjab | 3:00 Pm | Rawalpindi | - |
| 1 Oct | Northern vs Sindh | 7:30 Pm | Rawalpindi | - |
| 2 Oct | Balochistan vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 3:00 Pm | Rawalpindi | - |
| 2 Oct | Sindh vs Central Punjab | 7:30 Pm | Rawalpindi | - |
| 3 Oct | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Northern | 3:00 Pm | Rawalpindi | - |
| 3 Oct | Central Punjab vs Southern Punjab | 7:30 Pm | Rawalpindi | - |
| 6 Oct | Central Punjab vs Sindh | 3:00 Pm | Gaddafi | - |
| 6 Oct | Balochistan vs Northern | 7:30 Pm | Gaddafi | - |
| 7 Oct | Central Punjab vs Southern Punjab | 3:00 Pm | Gaddafi | - |
| 7 Oct | Balochistan vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 7:30 Pm | Gaddafi | - |
| 8 Oct | Northern vs Central Punjab | 3:00 Pm | Gaddafi | - |
| 8 Oct | Southern Punjab vs Sindh | 7:30 Pm | Gaddafi | - |
| 9 Oct | Sindh vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 3:00 Pm | Gaddafi | - |
| 9 Oct | Northern vs Southern Punjab | 7:30 Pm | Gaddafi | - |
| 10 Oct | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Southern Punjab | 3:00 Pm | Gaddafi | - |
| 10 Oct | Balochistan vs Central Punjab | 7:30 Pm | Gaddafi | - |
| 11 Oct | Sindh vs Balochistan | 3:00 Pm | Gaddafi | - |
| 11 Oct | Northern vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 7:30 Pm | Gaddafi | - |
| 12 Oct | Semi-Final 1 | 3:00 Pm | Gaddafi | - |
| 12 Oct | Semi-Final 2 | 7:30 Pm | Gaddafi | - |
| 13 Oct | Final | 7:30 Pm | Gaddafi | - |
The tournament will feature all big names of Pakistan Cricket including Babar Azam, Muhammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah, Hassan Ali, and many more.
PCB Chariman On National T20 Cup
PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja said: “Following the postponement of the New Zealand series, the National T20 provides an opportunity to our elite cricketers to maintain their focus and composure, show the world that they have not been distracted by the events of last week, and continue with their preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The participation of our finest cricketers in the National T20 will also enhance the reputation, value, and significance of the tournament while providing the next generation of cricketers a chance to rub shoulders with the national stars and learn the art of preparing and performing at the highest level. With your enthusiasm, wishes, and backing, Pakistan cricket will continue to move forward. Pakistan Zindabad!”
National T20 Cup not only provides opportunities for the players but also a platform to show themselves in front of the world and Pakistani fans. Just like Abdullah Shafique made his T20 debut last year at National T20 Cup and scored a century.
National T20 Cup 2020/21
National T20 Cup 2020/21 Points Table
Northern was the team that remained on the top of the table last year. They won 8 matches but were unable to lift the cup. The team at second, KPK, lift the trophy last year with some incredible performances of Fakhar Zaman, Wahab Riaz, Muhammad Rizwan, and many more.
| Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Points | Net RR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern | 10 | 8 | 2 | 16 | 0.895 |
| KPK | 10 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 0.116 |
| Sindh | 10 | 5 | 5 | 10 | -0.220 |
| Southern Punjab | 10 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 0.166 |
| Central Punjab | 10 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 0.046 |
| Balochistan | 10 | 4 | 6 | 8 | -1.042 |
Most Runs
Fakhar Zaman from KPK was the leading run-scorer last year as he scored 420 runs in 12 matches. He scored 5 fifties at an average of 35.00. Skipper Muhmmad Rizwan was 4th on the list by scoring 389 runs with the highest score of 99.
Khurram Manzoor and Sohaib Maqsood were consistent performers as well. Don’t doubt about Babar Azam, he played only 5 games and scored 275 with an average of 91.67, the highest in the tournament.
| Player | Team | Innings | Runs | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fakhar Zaman | KPK | 12 | 420 | 35.00 |
| Khurram Manzoor | Sindh | 11 | 408 | 37.09 |
| Sohaib Maqsood | Southern Punjab | 12 | 393 | 32.75 |
| Muhammad Rizwan | KPK | 12 | 389 | 38.90 |
| Imam Ul Haq | Balochistan | 9 | 375 | 53.57 |
Most Wickets
Pakistan’s Eagle Shaheen Shah was the leading wicket-taker of the tournament last year. He grabbed 20 wickets in total. Shaheen was followed by his partner Haris Rauf with 18 wickets and a best of 4-23.
| Player | Team | Matches | Wickets | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shaheen Shah | KPK | 10 | 20 | 5-20 |
| Haris Rauf | Northern | 8 | 18 | 4-23 |
| Wahab Riaz | KPK | 10 | 16 | 5-21 |
| Shadab Khan | Northern | 10 | 15 | 3-3- |
| Sohaib Khan | Sindh | 11 | 15 | 3-24 |
Spectators At National T20 Cup
NCOC has just allowed a 25% crowd for all the matches of the tournament. Only fully vaccinated spectators will be allowed. This 25% crowd is allowed till the 28th of September. The application will be reviewed on 28th and further decisions will be made.
Fans are hoping that NCOC will allow 100% crowd for at least the playoffs. But the pandemic situation will tell the whole story. If it gets worse then we might be unable to gather even 25% of the people.
Final Words
National T20 Cup 2021/22 will also finalize Pakistan’s squad for the T20 world cup as well. As we still have time till the 10th of October to review it. We might see some changes in this squad according to performances. We hope Pakistan Cricket keeps shining.
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