LAHORE: Only 12 Lahore Lions players reported at the training camp set up here on Monday in preparations for the T20 Champions League qualifiers starting in India as six other players, including some prominent ones, are not available for various reasons.
Those who attended the camp at the National Cricket Academy included Aizaz Cheema, Asif Raza, Imran Ali, Umar Siddiq, Agha Salman Ali, Mustafa Iqbal, Mohammad Saeed, Waqas Ahmed, Rohail Ali, Ali Manzoor, Saad Naseem and Bilawal.
Important members like Lahore Lions captain Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz, Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal are with the Pakistan team currently engaged in the three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, two other members namely Nasir Jamshed and Adnan Rasool are busy in other assignments.
Only 15 players are scheduled to go to India for participating in the Champions League qualifiers starting on Sept 13.
The Lahore Region has already announced a 14-member team and the 15th player is to be selected from a set of four reserves — Mohammad Bilawal, Ali Manzoor, Waqas Ahmed and Rohail Ali.
On reviewing individual performances of these reserve players, medium-pacer Bilawal with a haul of 41 wickets from four Quaid-i-Azam Trophy matches emerges as the most favourite choice.
Ali Manzoor, son of former Pakistan all-rounder Manzoor Elahi, possesses poor stats of eight wickets he took at an expensive 47.12. Waqas Ahmed and Rohail Ali have very little chances because they only featured in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy Grade-II format.
The Lions Lions plan to play some practice matches under lights at here at the Gaddafi Stadium, if the PCB permits, before they leave for India on Sept 8.
The Lions will play the qualifying round alongside three other teams, out of which two will qualify for the main round beginning on Sept 17.
The Lions will play their first match against Mumbai Indians on Sept 13 before locking horns with New Zealand’s Northern Knights on Sept 14. The Lions’ last match will be against Southern Express of Sri Lanka on Sept 16.
All the qualifying round matches will be held in Raipur.
Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2014
