DUBAI: The Twenty20 Cricket fever in Dubai is at the peak nowadays, as roughly 25km from the Dubai International Stadium, which is hosting a sold-out IPL double-header, another franchise tournament with an international flavour has just begin, ARY News reported.
The Superstars Twenty20 tournament which is being played in Dubai have teams with Indian connections but a large presence of Pakistan players and a sprinkling of overseas cricketers make the event an interesting premise.
The opening game was played between Wings Ahmedabad Aces and Afridi Peshawar Panthers.
The Ahmedabad team is filled with big names, including Shahzaib Hasan, Yasir Hameed and Aizaz Cheema, who have all played for Pakistan; the former West Indies allrounder Ryan Hinds; two Zimbabweans in Charles Coventry – who held the record for the highest individual score in ODIs not that long ago – and Glenn Querl; Afghanistan's Gulbadin Naib; and the UAE batsman Shaiman Anwar.
On the other hand, Afridi Peshawar Panthers, isn't filled with too many instantly recognisable names.
Apart from the ones played in the opening game, Rahul Dalwale, the tournament manager pulls an impressive roll-call out of the top of his head: Sharjeel Khan, Imran Nazir, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Anwar Ali, Nasir Jamshed, Hammad Azam.
