World Cup spots to be up for grabs at Pakistan Cup next month

KARACHI: National cricketers will get an opportunity to make a place in Pakistan's squad for the ICC World Cup 2019 to be held in England this summer when they appear in the Pakistan Cup slated to be held at the Pindi Cricket Stadium from April 2-12.

Federal Areas will defend the crown. Having won the previous two editions on the trot, Federal Areas will be led in the day-night event by stumper Mohammad Rizwan who is currently with the Pakistan side which is playing a five-match one-day series against Australia in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Besides six top national players, who have been rested for the one-day series against Australia, most of the players in the new-look Pakistan team currently playing against Australia will also not be part of the Pakistan Cup.

Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez will also be absent from the event as he is nursing the thumb injury that had forced him to pull out of the PSL 4.

Test cricketer Asad Shafiq will lead Balochistan, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt will skipper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, lanky discarded Test pacer Umar Gul will lead Sindh, while discarded Test stumper Kamran Akmal will be the skipper of Punjab.

The surprise packages of the recently-held Pakistan Super League (PSL), Haris Rauf and spinner Umar Khan will be the centre of attraction when they will be seen in one-day format. The national selectors are expected to scan the event before announcing the squad for the ICC World Cup which will be held from May 30 to July 14.

Each team will face each other once with the leading two teams qualifying for the final.

According to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Rs3.5million will be the prize money for the event with the winners to collect Rs2 million and the runners-up to go away with Rs1 million. The best batsman, bowler, all-rounder and player of the final will receive Rs100,000 each.

The PCB, as part of its strategy to further give incentives in domestic cricket, has enhanced the match fee of each player from Rs33,000 to Rs35,000, the Board said.

Federal Areas played under the name of Islamabad in the inaugural edition and failed to finish in the top two sides. However, under a new name, they bounced back in style in the 2017 final when they chased down a 324-run target to beat Balochistan by one wicket off the final delivery of the match.

Last year in the Faisalabad final, Federal Areas comfortably beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by five wickets when they achieved the 253-run target with five wickets and nine overs to spare.

This year, Federal Areas will launch their title defence on the second day of the tournament, April 3, against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The opening fixture will be between Punjab and Balochistan.

The five sides have been chosen by the national selection committee, headed by Inzamam-ul-Haq.

"Players who have been playing regular and consistent cricket for the Pakistan team have not been included as part of the selectors’ policy of providing them sufficient rest prior to the all-important World Cup," the PCB said.

"With the 15-member squad for the World Cup to be announced after the Pakistan Cup, the tournament provides another opportunity to the players to stake a claim for a place in the biggest cricket spectacle," the PCB said.

“We have always selected players based on their performances in domestic cricket. If there are any extraordinary performances on positions which are up for grabs, then those top performers will definitely be considered,” Inzamam said.

“The purpose of announcing the World Cup squad after the Pakistan Cup is to give value and importance to this tournament in which all the top performers below the national team players are playing and they deserve to be given equal and fair opportunity before the national side is finalised and announced.”

Haroon Rasheed, PCB Director Domestic Cricket, said: “Pakistan Cup is a short but challenging competition in which the spectators will have an opportunity to watch some of their favourite cricketers live in action. I am confident that this tournament will live up to its reputation of producing some high quality cricket.”

Squads: Balochistan: Asad Shafiq (captain), Ali Imran; Ammad Butt; Awais Zia; Bismillah Khan (WK), Fawad Alam, Ghulam Mudassar, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Irfan Sr, Qaiser Ashraf, Taj Wali, Umar Khan, Umer Akmal, Waqar Hussain (WK), Zeeshan Ashraf

Federal Areas: Mohammad Rizwan (WK, captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Asad Afridi, Bilal Asif, Israrullah, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Nawaz, Nihal Mansoor, Ramiz Raja Jr, Rumman Raees, Sameen Gul, Saud Shakil, Sohaib Maqsood, Waqas Maqsood, Zia-ul-Haq

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Salman Butt (captain), Abid Ali, Adil Amin, Adnan Akmal (WK), Faizan Riaz, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Irfan Jr, Mohammad Saad, Sohail Khan, Musa Khan, Umaid Asif, Wahab Riaz, Zeeshan Malik, Zohaib Khan

Punjab: Kamran Akmal (WK, captain), Anwar Ali, Bilawal Bhatti, Ehsan Adil, Fahad Iqbal, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kashif Bhatti, Khurram Manzoor, Mohammad Asghar, Mohammad Sami, Ramiz Aziz, Saad Ali, Sami Aslam, Sohail Tanveer, Waleed Ahmed

Sindh: Umar Gul (captain), Ahsan Ali, Amir Yamin, Ashiq Ali, Asif Ali, Hammad Azam, Imran Rafiq, Mohammad Hassan (WK), Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Ilyas, Nauman Ali, Rahat Ali, Sahibzada Farhan, Umar Amin, Umar Siddique (WK)