Shahid Afridi, Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum and Andre Russell are among the top international stars the teams have picked at the Afghanistan Premier League player draft.
The inaugural edition of Afghanistan’s T20 league will feature around 34 overseas players. The first season of the official T20 League of the Afghanistan Cricket Board will be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium from October 5 to 23.
Afridi was picked up by Paktia, Russell by Nangarhar, Gayle joined Balkh, and McCullum went to Kandahar at the Players’ draft yesterday (Monday). Kabul got Afghanistan cricket’s biggest icon Rashid Khan as their star signing.
“It is an honour to play in your own league,” Khan had told Khaleej Times. “Now is the time for youngsters from Afghanistan to come forward and show their ability. It will be an opportunity for them to share the dressing room and also rub shoulders with the likes of Shahid Afridi, Chris Gayle and others.
The 17-day tournament will also feature international players such as Chris Jordan, Thisara Perera, Luke Ronchi, Wayne Parnell, Colin Munro, Ravi Bopara, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Hafeez, Ben Cutting and Wahab Riaz.
Sandeep Lamichhane, Calum Macleod and Ryan ten Doeschate are among the popular faces from Associate nations to be taking part in the competition.
Squads:
Paktia – Shahid Afridi, Thisara Perera, Mohammad Shahzad, Cameron Delport, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Samiullah Shinwari, Chris Jordan, Faheem Ashraf, Luke Wright, Amatullah Omerzai, Rahmanullah Garbaz, Zia Urhaman Akber, Calum Macleod, Tahir Adil, Yousaf Zazi, Fazal Zazai
Kabul – Rashid Khan, Luke Ronchi, Hazrat Zazai, Colin Ingram, Farid Malik, Javed Ahmadi, Sohail Tanvir, Laurie Evans, Wayne Parnell, Shahidullah, Muslim Musa, Afsar Khan Zazi, Muhammad Ashan Ali Khan, Zahir Shirzad, Fitrat Khawry, Usman Adil, Shawkat Zaman, Nasir Totakhil, Zamir Khan
Balkh – Chris Gayle, Colin Munro, Mohammad Nabi, Ravi Bopara, Aftab Alam, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Irfan, Ben Laughlin, Karman Akmal, Qais Ahmed, Usman Ghani, Ikrain Alikhil, Ryan ten Doeschate, Tariq Skanikai, Asadullah Matani, Samiullah Salarzai, Farhan Zakhil, Mohammad Nawaz, Darwish Rasooli
Nangarhar – Andre Russell, Tamim Iqbal, Mujeeb Zadran, Ben Cutting, Shafiqullah Shafaq, Najibullah Taraki, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Hafeez, Rahmat Shah, Naveen Ul Haq, Zahir Khan, Sandeep Lamichhane, Fazal Haq, Imran Janat, Nasratullah Quarishi, Khyber Omar, Ibrahim Zadran, Faal Nazai
Kandahar – Brendon McCullum, Wahab Riaz, Asghar Afghan, Paul Stirling, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Tymal Mills, Sam Billings, Iftkhar Ahmed, Hamza Hotak, Karim Sadeq, Sayed Shirzad, Mohammad Naveed, Waqar, Abdul Baqi, Waheed Shafaq, Waqarullah Ishaq, Nazir Jamal
