Qatar Cricket Association President Yousef Jeham Al Kuwari posing for a photograph with team owners, Qatari players and other officials during the launch of Qatar T10 Cricket League in Doha on Sunday. Pic: Abdul Basit / The Peninsula
Hashim Amla – one of the all time greatest South African batsmen – will lead an array of international stars who will descend on Doha to take part in the inaugural edition of the Qatar T10 League starting on Saturday.
Organised by the Qatar Cricket Association (QCA) under President Yousef Jeham Al Kuwari, the 10-day event will feature six teams including Falcon Hunters, Desert Riders, Flying Oryx, Heat Stormers, Pearl Gladiators and Swift Gallopers.
The T10 league is the latest in the International Cricket Council (ICC) calendar to promote the shorter formats of the game.
The participating teams include international cricketers from nearly all the major Test playing nations besides top string cricketers from Qatar and other Gulf nations.
“Today is a big day for Qatar sports in general and a very big occasion for Qatar cricket in particular. We’re fully prepared to start the Qatar T10 Cricket League at the Asian Town Cricket Stadium,” said QCA President Yousef Jeham Al Kuwari.
“It was a big task for us to find the suitable for this league between the Arabian Gulf Cup and the FIFA Clubs World Cup. We’ll now have the opening on December 7, a day before the Arabian Gulf Cup final and then for 10 days, we’ll host a feast of cricket for its fans all over the world.”
Meanwhile, Amla, who announced his retirement from international cricket in August, is the second highest Test-run scorer for the Proteas with 9,282 runs in 124 matches at an average of 46.64 with 28 centuries.
The 36-year old top order batsman also has 8,113 ODI and 1,277 T20 runs to his name.
The South African star will be seen in action in Falcon Hunters colours with former Pakistan captain Salman Butt. The team also has several Qatar national team’s players including Mohammed Rizlan, Iqbal Hussain, Tamoor Sajjad.
For Qatar’s players - who are striving to make stride in international cricket - the landmark event is a golden opportunity to play alongside the world’s best.
“It’s a dream come true for all the cricketers in Doha. We have been dreaming to play for some of the world best leagues in the world, we never thought that it will happen at home,” Rizlan, a key member of Qatar team told The Peninsula.
“We have seen big names like Hashim Amla only on TV and the prospects of playing in his team and sharing the dressing room with the legendary player is already giving me goosebumps. I am a big fan of him,” the wicketkeeper-batsman said.
“I hope to make good partnerships with him to help my team clinch the tit le.”
Rizlan said the event will bring loads of positive changes to cricket in Qatar.
“We have so much talent in Qatar but because of limited opportunities, cricketers move out. Because of QCA’s efforts in the last three to four years, we have been doing well and this event will motivate cricketers like me more.”
“If you see, most of the Qatari players (for this league) have been selected from our premier division. This will motivate cricketers from the lower divisions to do well in the entire season, which will eventually benefit Qatar cricket,” Rizlan said before predicting thrilling matches in the event.
“All the teams are tough and well balanced. The tournament will definitely see exciting matches,” he added.
Meanwhile, Pakistan pacer Sohail Tanvir - with his compatriot Khurram Manzoor in his side – will play for Desert Riders while England all-rounder Luke Wright, a regular participant in major T20 leagues, will be gunning for Swift Gallopers alongside Pakistan’s stars Kamran Akmal and Imran Nazir.
Indian fans will see former international Manpreet Singh Gony in action for Heat Stormers, which will also have the services of Afghanistan’s Mohammed Shahzad and Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza.
Famous Test bowlers, Mohammad Sami (Pakistan) and Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka) besides swashbuckling Pakistani southpaw Sharjeel Khan and Malinda Pushpakumara (Sri Lanka) will be featuring for Pearl Gladiators. Flying Oryx have Andre Fletcher (West Indies) and Hussai Talat (Pakistan) besides talented stars from Qatar on their side.
In the preliminary stage, the teams will square off in a single round robin league, with top four teams after the phase will advance to the semi-finals. The final will be played on December 16.
Falcon Hunters
Owner: Faisal Sandhu, Malik Mohammad Saeed – Nishat Emirates Contracting / Build Force Contracting
Hashim Amla (South Africa), Johnson Charles (West Indies), Salam Butt (Pakistan), Ammad Butt (Pakistan), Saad Bin Zafar (Canada), Aqib Ali (Oman), Fayaz Butt (Oman), Tom Abell (England - Associate), Iqbal Hussain Chaudhry (Qatar), Mohammed Rizlan (Qatar), Kamran Khan (Qatar), Tamoor Sajjad (Qatar), Muran Khan (Qatar), Irshad Umar (Qatar), Nawaf Pullangadam (Qatar), Hussain Khan (Qatar)
Desert Riders
Owner: Gaurang – Gaurang Doshi Productions UAE
Sohail Tanveer (Pakistan), Khurram Manzoor (Pakistan), Shahadat Hussain (Bangladesh), Ramith Rambulwella (Sri Lanka), Amjad Khan (UAE), Mohammed Nadeem (Oman), Kithruwan Vithanage (Sri Lanka), CP Rizwan (UAE), Javaidi Ahmadi (Aghanistan), Awais Malik (Qatar), Muhammad Tanveer (Qatar), Mujeeb Khan (Qatar), Muhammad Ikram (Qatar), Himanshu Rathod (Qatar), Imal Liyanage (Qatar), Adnan Mirza (Qatar)
Flying Oryx
Owner: TBC
Andre Fletcher (West Indies), Hussain Talat (Pakistan), Krishmar Santokie (West Indies), Kennar Lewis (West Indies), Aftab Alam (Afghanistan), Sompal Kami (Nepal), Abdul Shakoor (UAE), Assad Borham (Qatar), Hamandeep Singh (India), Bilawal Iqbal (Pakistan - Associate), Noman Sarwar (Qatar), Musawar Khan (Qatar), Asif Raja (Qatar), Imran Ashraf (Qatar), Jassim Khan (Qatar), Bilal Butt (Qatar)
Heat Stormers
Owner: Raj – Go Search Australia Travel and Transport Pvt Ltd
Manpreet Singh (India), Mohammad Shahzad (Afghanistan), Mohammed Naeem Islam (Bangladesh), Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe), Rishu Chopra (India - Associate), Sandeep Singh (UAE), Scott Edwards (Netherlands), Rana Naeem Anwar (Oman), Gayan Buddika (Qatar), Raja Amir (Qatar), Andri Berenger (Qatar), Dharmang Patel (Qatar), Imraz rafi (Qatar), Owais Ahmed (Qatar), Talal Ahmad Khan (Qatar), Afsarullah Khan (Qatar).
Pearl Gladiators
Owner: Krishan Kumar / Nikhil – Sun N Sands Hotels UAE
Mohammed Sami (Pakistan), Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka), Sharjeel Khan (Pakistan), Malinda Pushpakumara (Sri Lanka), Afsar Zarzai (Afghanistan), Kareem Sadique (Afghanistan), Fahad Nawaz (UAE), Adil Khan (Nepal), Mehran Khan (Oman), Faisal Khan (Qatar), Khurram Shahzad (Qatar), Mohammad Nafees (Qatar), Qalandar Khan (Qatar), Mohammad Nadeem (Qatar), Saqlain Arshad (Qatar), Philip Joseph (Qatar)
Swift Gallopers
Owner: Aman Grover – LL Technologies LLC (Global Mark Group) UAE
Luke Wright (England) , Kamran Akmal (Pakistan), Imran Nazir (Pakistan), Danza Hayat (West Indies), Shafiqullah Shafiq (Afghanistan), Richmond Mutumbami (Zimbabwe), Anish Tandon (UAE), Chirag Suri (UAE), Jahanzeb Naveed (Pakistan - Associate), Ravinder Pal Singh (Canada), Sufiyan Mehmod (Oman), Zaheeruddeen Ibrahim (Qatar), Inam Ul Haq (Qatar), Sadiq NM (Qatar), Zainuddin (Qatar), Syed Yousuf Tameem (Qatar)
Qatar T10 League Fixtures
December 7:
Flying Oryx vs Pearl Gladiators
December 8:
Desert Riders vs Swift Gallopers
December 8:
Falcon Hunters vs Heat Stormers
December 9:
Desert Riders vs Flying Oryx
December 9:
Falcon Hunters vs Swift Gallopers
December 10:
Desert Riders vs Pearl Gladiators
December 10:
Flying Oryx vs Heat Stormers
December 11:
Desert Riders vs Falcon Hunters
December 11: Heat Stormers vs Swift Gallopers
December 12:
Pearl Gladiators vs Swift Gallopers
December 12:
Falcon Hunters vs Flying Oryx
December 13:
Falcon Hunters vs Pearl Gladiators
December 13:
Desert Riders vs Heat Stormers
December 14:
Flying Oryx vs Swift Gallopers
December 14:
Heat Stormers vs Pearl Gladiators
December 15:
First and Second Semi-finals
December 16:
3rd place play-off and Final
