As a demonstration of the international flavour of the Champions League T20 tournament, this afternoon’s double header at the Wanderers involving teams from Sri Lanka, England, New Zealand and Pakistan indicates just how players can make a career from cricket’s shortest formats.
While all four countries are well represented by home-grown players, there is a smattering of foreign talent that sees an Australian, a New Zealander and a West Indian in the Sri Lankan side Uva Next, a South African in the Yorkshire team and a Pakistan-born but now English all-rounder in the Auckland team.
The T20 format and the growth of various domestic leagues around the world allows for such a colourful make-up for all the teams – the Highveld Lions have an Australian-born, one-time Dutch International in the shape of Dirk Nannes in their line-up along with Pakistani left-arm seamer Sohail Tanvir.
This afternoon’s two matches at the Wanderers pit the Sri Lankan champions Uva Next – representing a province in the south-eastern region of the tiny island – against Yorkshire, the English T20 runners-up.
The Uva Next team may not have too many top Sri Lankans in their side – the best known is quick bowler Dilhara Fernando – but in big New Zealander Jacob Oram, Australian all-rounder Andrew MacDonald, Pakistan’s Umar Gul and West Indies veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul, they have sufficient players of international class to worry the other teams in the group.
They are captained by Thilina Kandamby who has played 38 One-Day Internationals, though he’s never ceme-nted a place in that country’s national team. They’ll be heavily reliant on Gul, Oram and MacDonald to take advantage of the pace in the South African pitches, while Chanderpaul’s vast experience at the top of the order will prove crucial as they seek to build a foundation with the bat.
The man most South African eyes will be on is Dave Miller, who made a major impression in the final of the England domestic T20 tournament in Cardiff earlier this year smashing 72 off 55 balls and nearly dragging his side to victory over Hampshire. That innings had many wondering why he wasn’t in the South African team for the World T20 that just finished in Sri Lanka, but with the South African side for the shortened format expected to undergo a number of changes in the coming weeks, look for Miller to be given an opportunity to re-establish himself internationally.
Gary Kirsten and the national selectors will certainly watch how Miller progresses for Yorkshire this week and if he is able to get them into the tournament proper that starts on the weekend in Centurion.
In the second match Auckland, who have Azhar Mahmood the former Pakistan all-rounder who now carries British citizenship in their squad, play Pakistan champions the Sialkot Stallions. Auckland have a veteran look about them, with seven of the 15-man squad over the age of 30, and three of those, including Mahmood, 37 years old.
They claim not to know much about the Stallions team, which is captained by one-time Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik, but they will be relieved they won’t have to come up against cunning left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman who received a 12-week ban after testing positive for marijuana while playing for English county side Somerset.
Today’s matches are the start of of a week-long qualifying tournament involving six teams, who will strive to earn two spots in the main draw of the Champions League T20 tournament, that starts on Saturday with a match between the Titans and the Perth Scorchers at Centurion.
Today’s Fixtures
1.30pm– Uva Next v Yorkshire
5.30pm– Auckland v Sialkot Stallions.