Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Yousuf and Saqlain Mushtaq topped the list of eleven Pakistani players who were snapped up at the Masters Champions League (MCL) auction on Monday.
The three former Test stars joined Azhar Mahmood, Taufeeq Umar, Hasan Raza, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Saleem Elahi, Mushtaq Ahmed, Humayun Farhat and Yasir Hameed in the first of its kind league in the UAE aimed at 'aimed at giving retired players a chance to take the field again.'
Razzaq, 36, and Hameed, 37, have not officially announced their retirements from international cricket but slipped from the selectors' radar long time ago.
The MCL will be formed of six teams in its first year, with a total of 90 players taking part. The matches will be played in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah from January 28-February 14 next year.
Pakistan's former pace ace Shoaib Akhtar, who was expected to be a star attraction at the MCL, pulled out from the league on Saturday.
Former captain Wasim Akram, who was signed on as an icon player when plans for the league were first revealed, also decided to skip the tournament after he was named the ambassador of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), scheduled to run from February 4-23.
The MCL will follow the All Stars T20 league which saw cricket greats Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar take a number of former international stars to the US for a three-match ICC-sanctioned series, attracting large crowds.
Among the throng of big-name retirees playing were Brian Lara, Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose, Muttiah Muralitharan, Wasim Akram, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Glenn McGrath and Brad Haddin.
MCL chairman Zafar Shah hopes the league would give fans another chance to see the greats.
MCL squads:
“The Masters Champions League is going to be every cricket lover's dream come true. It's a tournament, which will boast extraordinary players of impeccable class and history and give fans another chance to see the greats of the recent past,” said Shah in October.
Virgo Super Kings: Graeme Smith, Azhar Mahmood, Brett Lee, Jonty Rhodes, Neil McKenzie, John Mooney, Dirk Nannes, Owais Shah, James Foster, Murali Kartik, Malinga Bandara, Gareth Batty, Hasan Raza, Jacob Oram, Humayun Farhat, Mohammad Yousuf
Sagittarius Soldiers: Mahela Jayawardene, Daniel Vettori, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Bond, Khurram Khan, Phil Mustard, Tino Best, Nathan Hauritz, Alviro Petersen, Michael Carberry, Krishmar Santokie, Jonathan Trott, Yasir Hameed, Mushtaq Ahmed, Gavin Hamilton.
Leo Lions: Heath Streak, Scott Styris, Brian Lara, Herschelle Gibbs, Brendan Taylor, James Franklin, Johan Botha, Robin Peterson, Fidel Edwards, Mohammad Tauqir, Neil Carter, Hamish Marshall, Kyle Jarvis, Ramesh Powar, Simon Jones, Darren Gough
Libra Legends: Sourav Ganguly, Graeme Swann, Jacques Kallis, Brad Hogg, Ryan ten Doeschate, Ajay Ratra, Chris Read, Sean Ervine, Shaun Tait, Ryan Sidebottom, Michael Lumb, Marcus North, Taufeeq Umar, Nicky Boje, Ian Butler.
Gemini Arabians: Virender Sehwag, Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kyle Mills, Saqlain Mushtaq, Jacques Rudolph, Naved-ul-Hasan, Justin Kemp, Paul Harris, Brad Hodge, Richard Levi, Ashish Bagai, Graham Onions, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Saqib Ali.
Capricorn Commanders: Michael Vaughan, Abdul Razzaq, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Symonds, Chamara Silva, Ashwell Prince, Upul Chandana, Ryan McLaren, Jeetan Patel, Rikki Clarke, Rory Kleinveldt, Ben Laughlin, Rizwan Cheema, Geraint Jones, Sunil Joshi, Saleem Elahi
