Pakistan Cup 2016 will be starts in Faisalabad from 19th April 2016 with the opening match between Baluchistan and Punjab; Cool & Cool presents Haier Pakistan Cup 2016

11 action-packed One Day games in the city of Faisalabad

By; Asghar Ali Mubarak

Islamabad ;The Cool & Cool presents Haier Pakistan Cup 2016 will be starts in Faisalabad from 19th April 2016 with the opening match between Brighto Paints Baluchistan and Cookania Cake Rusk Punjab.
The tournament is a part of PCB’s efforts to further improve the quality of domestic cricket in the country. In total, 11 50-over matches will be played at the Iqbal Stadium Faisalabad with the country’s top cricketers showcasing their skills.  Each team will play four league matches before the top two teams qualify to play the final on Sunday, 1st May. Player remunerations have been increased by 100% for the tournament with a key focus on ensuring player welfare. The Weekend clashes are set to attract fan interest as Sarfaraz Ahmed’s Inverex Sindh takes on Misbah ul Haq’s ZIC Islamabad on Saturday. Sunday’s clash between Younus Khan’s Giggly Boom Boom Bubble Gum Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Brighto Paints Balochistan is also going to attract keen interest from cricket-lovers.

Pakistan’s T20 skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed believes that the tournament will be a huge stepping stone for young cricketers. “We have a great chance to polish our 50-over skills ahead of a long season. It is great to see these innovations and I am confident that the youngsters are looking forward to this,” said Sarfaraz who is also leading the Sindh side.

National ODI captain Azhar Ali, who is leading a strong Balochistan side, also threw his weight behind the tournament. “Pakistan Cup is going to provide quality entertainment to cricket fans. All five squads are evenly balanced and this will ensure competitive cricket,” stated Azhar. The Player Draft for the Cool & Cool presents Haier Pakistan Cup 2016 for the premier domestic 50-over tournament already is  finalized.

 

15-member squads for ZIC Islamabad, Brighto Paints Balochistan, Boom Boom Bubble Gum Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Inverex Sindh and Cookania Cake Rusk Punjab were finalized after the team captains and coaches participated in the Player Draft.

 

Led by Pakistan’s Test captain Misbah ul Haq, ZIC Islamabad will include Mohammad Sami, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Irfan, Nasir Jamshed, Zafar Gohar and Sharjeel Khan. The team will be coached by Mansoor Rana and Sabih Azhar.

 

Brighto Paints Balochistan will be led by Pakistan ODI skipper Azhar Ali. The team includes Babar Azam, Junaid Khan, Umar Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul and Bilawal Bhatti. Ijaz Ahmed and Taimur Azam will coach the Balochistan side.

 

Boom Boom Bubble Gum Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be led by star batsman Younus Khan. Encapuslating the true spirit of the Pakistan Cup, Khan’s selection for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa side include promising cricketers Mohammad Asghar, Fakhar Zaman, Musaddiq Ahmed, Zohaib Khan and Faheem Ashraf. Pakistani leg-spinner Yasir Shah will mark a return to competitive cricket as he prepares himself to play for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the domestic One Day tournament. Abdul Rehman and Kabir Khan will coach the KP side.

 

Inverex Sindh will be captained by newly-appointed national T20 skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed. Left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir was the first pick made by Sarfaraz. The team also includes Sohail Khan, Khalid Latif, Sohaib Maqsood, Fawad Alam, Imad Wasim, Anwar Ali and Sami Aslam. Tauseef Ahmed and Iqbal Imam will coach the Sindh team.

 

Cookania Cake Rusk Punjab will be led by star all-rounder Shoaib Malik. Malik’s squad includes left-handed opening batsmen Shan Masood and Salman Butt. Mohammad Rizwan, Asad Shafiq, Zulfiqar Babar, Ehsan Adil and Saad Nasim will also play for Punjab in the tournament. The team will be coached by former Pakistan wicket-keeper Atiq uz Zaman and Mautashim Rashid.

 

Cool & Cool Presents Haier Pakistan Cup One Day 2016
Date Teams Venue Field Umpires TV Umpire R. Umpire Referee Scorer P.Scorer
19-Apr Punjab-Balochistan Iqbal Stadium Faisalbad Ahsan Raza – Khalid Mehmood Sr. Asif Yaqoob Ghaffar Kazmi Mussadaq Rasool Tahir Suhaib Noor Nabi
20-Apr Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-Islamabad Iqbal Stadium Faisalbad Shozab Raza – Rashid Riaz Muhammad Sajid Riazuddin Aziz Ur Rehman Tahir Suhaib Noor Nabi
21-Apr Sindh-Balochistan Iqbal Stadium Faisalbad Ghaffar Kazmi – Khalid Mehmood Sr. Ahsan Raza Asif Yaqoob Aziz Ur Rehman Tahir Suhaib Noor Nabi
22-Apr Punjab-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Iqbal Stadium Faisalbad Riazuddin – Muhammad Sajid Shozab Raza Rashid Riaz Aziz Ur Rehman Tahir Suhaib Noor Nabi
23-Apr Sindh-Islamabad Iqbal Stadium Faisalbad Ahsan Raza – Asif Yaqoob Khalid Mehmood Sr Ghaffar Kazmi Aziz Ur Rehman Tahir Suhaib Noor Nabi
24-Apr Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-Balochistan Iqbal Stadium Faisalbad Shozab Raza – Rashid Riaz Riazuddin Muhammad Sajid Mussadaq Rasool Tahir Suhaib Noor Nabi
25-Apr Punjab-Islamabad Iqbal Stadium Faisalbad Ghaffar Kazmi – Khalid Mehmood Sr. Asif Yaqoob Ahsan Raza Mussadaq Rasool Tahir Suhaib Noor Nabi
26-Apr     REST          
27-Apr Sindh-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Iqbal Stadium Faisalbad Shozab Raza – Asif Yaqoob Riazuddin Muhammad Sajid Muhammad Anees Tahir Suhaib Noor Nabi
28-Apr Balochistan-Islamabad Iqbal Stadium Faisalbad Ahsan Raza – Ghaffar Kazmi Shozab Raza Khalid Mehmood Sr. Muhammad Anees Tahir Suhaib Noor Nabi
29-Apr Punjab-Sindh Iqbal Stadium Faisalbad Rashid Riaz – Riazuddin Muhammad Sajid Asif Yaqoob Muhammad Anees Tahir Suhaib Noor Nabi
30-Apr     REST          
FINAL
1-May Top two Teams on Points Table Iqbal Stadium Faisalbad Ahsan Raza-Shozab Raza Asif Yaqoob Khalid Mahmood Sr. Mussadaq Rasool Tahir Suhaib Noor Nabi