His four wickets in that over not only stalled the Dolphins’ progress but also prevented the in-form Khalid Latif from getting the strike. Other slow left-arm bowlers who impressed during the tournament were Raza Ali Dar of Lahore Lions, Mustafa Iqbal of Lahore Eagles, Faraz Ahmed of Karachi Dolphins, not to forget the veteran Abdul Rehman who was simply impossible to get away. Off-spinner Adnan Rasool also bowled with guile and took wickets at vital stages to prevent the opposing batsmen from scoring freely. Among the fast bowlers, young pacemen Zia-ul-Haq of Lahore Lions, Emmad Ali of Lahore Eagles and Anwar Ali of Karachi Eagles bowled with hostility. Umar Gul—captaining his native Peshawar Panthers—bowled his heart out but was unable to take his team past the semi-final stage; however, his incisive opening spell against the fancied Lions was one of the highlights of this tournament Some of the biggest disappointments of the tournament included spin wizard Saeed Ajmal, young guns Umar Amin and Rameez Raja Jr and the experienced fast bowling quartet of Mohammad Sami, Tanvir Ahmed, Wahab Riaz and Sohail Tanvir. Saeed was highly ineffective and was taken apart by the Lahore Lions batting powerhouse. Umar Amin was the cornerstone of Rawalpindi Rams’ batting during last year’s Super Eights and this year’s T20 National Championship. He had been the nucleus around which the team’s batting revolved and impressed with his ability to pace the innings; unfortunately, he was an abject failure this time around Rameez’s explosive batting during the previous two T20 tournaments earned him a place in Pakistan’s T20 team against Zimbabwe last year; however, he also appeared off colour throughout this championship. Despite their experience, Sami, Tanvir, Sohail and Wahab were unable to make regular inroads during the tournament and even failed to stem the flow of runs at crucial junctures of the tournament. Sohail—who had emerged as one of the most intelligent captains last year—failed miserably in motivating his talented team. Abdul Razzaq’s bowling also witnessed a sharp decline. Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez and Fawad Alam were conspicuous by their absence It was heartwarming to see packed houses at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on almost all the days. Although it is still too early to invite foreign teams to Pakistan but the public enthusiasm definitely proved that regional domestic cricket—if marketed properly—has the potential to generate fan following.
The one negative of the tournament was the live television commentary. At times, it was painful to hear the experts harping endlessly about the new chairman of the PCB and his initiatives. The non-stop mantra had reached a point where the proceedings on the ground almost seemed to have become irrelevant to the commentary panel. Perhaps it is time for the media bosses to introduce some rules and regulations that can govern the quality and ethics of live commentary.
