Babar, Naseem join Colombo Strikers

Published May 24, 2023
Pakistan captain Babar Azam (R) and his fast-bowling team-mate Naseem Shah (L). — File Photos
Pakistan captain Babar Azam (R) and his fast-bowling team-mate Naseem Shah (L). — File Photos

ISLAMABAD: The Colo­mbo Strikers, who will play their first season of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) this year, announced a star-studded Icon Players line-up on Tuesday.

The Icon Players include Pakistan captain Babar Azam, his fast-bowling team-mate Naseem Shah and Sri Lankan T20 stars Matheesha Pathi­rana and Chamika Karu­naratne. The Colombo fran­­chise in a statement hoped to receive a lot of attention from cricket fans around the world with Babar in their set-up.

Right-armer Naseem will be looking to lead the bowling attack with Pathirana.

Speaking about the annou­ncement of the Icon Players, Sagar Khanna, the owner of the Colombo Strikers expr­essed his delight.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have four of the biggest T20 stars as a part of our Icon Players line-up. We have built a strong core group of players around which we will construct a formidable team for the season. With these superstars with us, we are well on our way to forming a power-packed team.”

The Colombo Strikers will be in action in their first season of the LPL in July-August.

The 20-year-old joins as cover for Afghanistan pace bowler Naveen-ul-Haq, who will remain with Lucknow Super Giants for the Indian Premier League play-offs.

Meanwhile, English county Leicestershire have signed Naseem for the start of the T20 Blast campaign.

Naseem was ever-present for Pakistan as they finished runners-up to England in the T20 World Cup last year.

Leicestershire director of cricket Claude Henderson said Naseem has “proven to be a world-class performer”.

“Having Naveen in the IPL play-offs meant we had to make a quick call and we are extremely excited to have secured someone of Naseem’s calibre,” Henderson told the club website.

Leicestershire start their T20 campaign agai­nst Lancashire Lightning at Old Trafford on Thursday.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2023

Opinion

Editorial

Deepening conflict
Updated 15 Jun, 2025

Deepening conflict

Some media reports say that the US had shipped hundreds of missiles to Israel before the attack on Iran.
Some strides
15 Jun, 2025

Some strides

THE PTI government in KP is not known for sound public service delivery in a province whose economy has been ...
Air India tragedy
15 Jun, 2025

Air India tragedy

THE black box of the ill-fated Air India flight AI171 has been recovered, and that should reveal in the coming days...
‘Declaration of war’
Updated 14 Jun, 2025

‘Declaration of war’

Israel's provocative behaviour has, once again, brought the Middle East to the precipice of a full-blown war.
A mixed bag
14 Jun, 2025

A mixed bag

SINDH’S Rs3.45tr budget for the next fiscal year seeks to combine populism with provincial tax reforms while also...
Water-starved city
14 Jun, 2025

Water-starved city

IT is an injustice that finds few parallels. Karachi, home to a burgeoning population of over 20m and the primary...