LAHORE: Pakistan Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq will feature in the 2017 edition of the Hong Kong T20 Blitz to be staged from March 8 to 12.

Misbah will captain HKI United immediately after the conclusion of the second edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) where he will lead Islamabad United again, said Amna Naqvi, the owner of Leonine Global Sports.

LGS is the parent company of both HKI United and Islamabad United, the inaugural champions in the PSL.

“The HK T20 Blitz is a five-team T20 franchise cricket tournament scheduled to hold its second edition,” she said on Tuesday.

The 2016 event was highlighted by the signing of Michael Clarke, Australia’s World Cup-winning captain. The signings of Shahid Afridi, Kumar Sangakkara and Darren Sammy had already been announced by various franchises for the 2017 edition, and HKI United have provided the coup de grace with their signing of Misbah.

Regarding the signing, Ryan Campbell, former Australia and Hong Kong international, and current coach of the HKI United team said, “To have a player of Misbah’s standing in the cricket world join us shows how big this tournament is getting and how vast our ambitions are. He’s a natural leader and brings the bond between Islamabad United and HKI United even closer.”

Misbah himself echoed those views.

“It’ll be a new experience for all of us, and I hope we can take HKI United and the Blitz into a new era. My aim, as always, is to lead the team to the winner’s podium, and having worked with the Naqvis and their LGS team before with Islamabad United I’m sure the HKI United team will be strong enough to compete for that spot too,” the Pakistan skipper stated.

Along with Misbah, the team also boasts two former Hong Kong captains in Jamie Atkinson and Tanvir Afzaal.

Published in Dawn January 18th, 2017