The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today revealed the captains and provisional squads for the much-anticipated Champions One-Day Cup, scheduled to take place at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, from 12-29 September 2024. This 50-over tournament, featuring the country’s top cricketers, promises to be a highlight of the domestic season.
Five teams—Dolphins, Lions, Panthers, Stallions, and Wolves—will compete in the single-league format. The teams are mentored by some of Pakistan’s most distinguished cricket icons, with Misbah-ul-Haq (Wolves), Saqlain Mushtaq (Panthers), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Dolphins), Shoaib Malik (Stallions), and Waqar Younis (Lions) guiding the squads.
The PCB announced that the captains were chosen by the team mentors, with Test vice-captain Saud Shakeel leading the Dolphins, while former Pakistan T20I captain Shaheen Shah Afridi has been given the reins of the Lions. Shadab Khan, Pakistan’s former white-ball vice-captain, will lead the Panthers, while Mohammad Haris, who captains Pakistan Shaheens, will helm the Stallions. The Wolves will be captained by former all-format vice-captain Mohammad Rizwan.
Tournament Structure and Schedule
The Champions One-Day Cup will be played over 17 days, with each team facing off once in the league stage. Matches will begin at 3 PM, except for the clash between Lions and Panthers on 16 September, which will start at 9:30 AM. The tournament will conclude with three intense playoff matches leading up to the final on Sunday, 29 September.
Opening Match: The first match will be a face-off between Misbah-ul-Haq’s Wolves and Saqlain Mushtaq’s Panthers on 12 September at Iqbal Stadium.
Playoff Format:
- 24 September: Qualifier (1st vs 2nd place teams)
- 25 September: Eliminator 1 (3rd vs 4th place teams)
- 27 September: Eliminator 2 (Loser of Qualifier vs Winner of Eliminator 1)
- 29 September: Grand Final
Provisional Squads and Selection Process
The provisional squads for the tournament were chosen by the team mentors through a draft process, which drew from a pool of 150 players. The pool included 125 players who have been the top performers in Pakistan’s domestic cricket over the past three seasons, while the remaining 25 players were wildcards selected based on their experience with Pakistan’s national team, Pakistan Shaheens, or Pakistan Under-19 teams in the last three years.
Fitness tests were a crucial criterion in the selection process, especially for domestic contracted players, while centrally contracted players will undergo their fitness tests in Faisalabad on 7 and 9 September. Players not passing the fitness standards were excluded from the squads. Notably, nine domestic contracted players were left out of the tournament for failing these tests, including Sharjeel Khan, Danish Aziz, and Saad Baig.
Teams and Centrally Contracted Players
Each team’s squad features a combination of emerging players and centrally contracted stars. Here’s a look at the contracted players in each team:
- Dolphins: Saud Shakeel, Faheem Ashraf, Sarfaraz Ahmed
- Lions: Abdullah Shafique, Aamir Jamal, Imam-ul-Haq, Shaheen Shah Afridi
- Panthers: Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir
- Stallions: Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir, Zaman Khan
- Wolves: Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani
While most centrally contracted players will take part, some have been ruled out due to personal reasons, international commitments, or injury rehabilitation. Imad Wasim, Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Nawaz, and Mohammad Amir are among those who will miss the tournament.
In addition, players like Arshad Iqbal, Hasan Ali, Ihsanullah, and Mohammad Wasim Jnr are undergoing rehabilitation and were also unavailable for selection.
Returning and Unavailable Players
Several prominent players have excused themselves from the Champions One-Day Cup due to commitments with international leagues like the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and County Cricket. These include:
- Imad Wasim (CPL)
- Azam Khan (CPL)
- Mohammad Abbas (County Cricket)
- Fakhar Zaman (CPL; scheduled to return on 10 September)
Meanwhile, four players who have successfully completed rehabilitation and passed their fitness tests have been included in the squads. These are Hunain Shah (Lions), Sameen Gul (Dolphins), Sufiyan Moqim (Dolphins), and Shahnawaz Dahani (Wolves).
Full Provisional Squads
Dolphins:
Saud Shakeel (captain), Aftab Ibrahim, Asif Ali, Awais Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Kashif Ali, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Muhammad Akhlaq, Muhammad Ghazi Ghori, Muhammad Riazullah, Noman Ali, Qasim Akram, Sameen Gul, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Sahibzada Farhan, Sufiyan Moqim, Umar Amin, Usman Qadir
Mentor: Sarfaraz Ahmed
Lions:
Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Aamir Jamal, Aamer Yamin, Faisal Akram, Hassan Nawaz, Hunain Shah, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Butt, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Asghar, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Mohammad Taha, Omair Bin Yousuf, Rohail Nazir, Shahab Khan, Sharoon Siraj, Sirajuddin, Waqar Hussain
Mentor: Waqar Younis
Panthers:
Shadab Khan (captain), Abdul Wahid Bangalzai, Ahmed Bashir, Ali Asfand, Ali Raza, Amad Butt, Arafat Minhas, Azan Awais, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Umar, Mohammad Zeeshan, Mubasir Khan, Rehan Afridi, Rizwan Mehmood, Saim Ayub, Umar Siddiq, Usama Mir, Usman Khan, Usman Salahuddin
Mentor: Saqlain Mushtaq
Stallions:
Mohammad Haris (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Adil Amin, Azam Khan, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Hussain Talat, Jahandad Khan, Junaid Ali, Maaz Ahmad Sadaqat, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Amir Khan, Saad Khan, Shamyl Hussain, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir, Ubaid Shah, Yasir Khan, Zaman Khan
Mentor: Shoaib Malik
Wolves:
Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Abdul Samad, Akif Javed, Ali Usman, Bilawal Bhatti, Haseebullah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Faizan, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Mohammad Sarwar Afridi, Muhammad Imran, Naseem Shah, Nisar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani, Zahid Mehmood, Zain Abbas
Mentor: Misbah-ul-Haq
Tournament Outlook
The Champions One-Day Cup is set to be an exciting showcase of Pakistan’s cricketing talent. With high-profile players and emerging stars alike, the tournament promises top-tier cricket as teams battle it out for domestic glory. The competition will also serve as a platform for players to make their case for future national selection, especially with Pakistan’s packed international schedule on the horizon, including the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
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