Arch rivals India and Pakistan to clash yet again at Sharjah Stadium

26 February 2020, Dubai: Traditional rivals India and Pakistan will once again go head to head at the historic Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah.

A specially drawn up India XI and Pakistan XI will clash against each other on the sidelines of the third edition of 10PL-World Cup of Tennis Ball Cricket tournament on 11 March. The game is set to be played at 8.30 pm on 11 March and will feature some of the best tennis ball cricket players in action. The tournament itself will be played from 8-13 March 2020 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, like in the first two editions.

West Indies’ limited-overs legend Dwayne Bravo, who was named as the face of 10PL-the World Cup of tennis ball cricket, also offered support to the tournament and the marquee clash. As the face of the tournament, Mr Bravo will make an appearance on the final day of the tournament at Sharjah.

While the India squad for the match will be coached by Bharat Lohar and managed by Javid Shaikh, the Pakistan line-up will have Asif Mumtaz as coach and Usman Manzoor as manager. An interesting choice in the Pakistan line-up is Shiraz Ahmed who played under Bravo’s for Maratha Arabians in their triumphant T10 league campaign at Abu Dhabi.

The last time an India and Pakistan side played each other at Sharjah was in 2013-14 during the final of the Under-19 Asia Cup. Much before that the senior sides clashed for the last time in March 2000 during a triangular tournament also featuring South Africa.

So this will be a first in many ways because the two sides have not been featured in any clash at the Sharjah Stadium. The venue has been the scene of many a historic battle between the two sides especially in the mid-1980s and 1990s.

The 10PL tournament is the brainchild of UAE-based company Petromann. The Petromann, brainchild of Mr Abdul Latif Khan, also known as Arif Khan in the sporting arena. The World Cup boasts the highest prize money for tennis ball cricket anywhere in the world and is valued at a total of 250,000 Dirhams.

The tournament will be staged under the aegis of the Sharjah Cricket Council and Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), thanks to the able leadership of Waleed Bukhatir. The tournament will also feature ECB’s Anti-Corruption guidelines. As a result, an Anti-Corruption Officer of ECB will be on hand at all times during the tournament.

On the marquee clash, Mr Bravo said: “It is an exciting new initiative by Petromann. The India-Pakistan matches at Sharjah have always been a humdinger. I am expecting no less this time even in the 10PL. I am excitedly looking forward to the clash and to the tournament. I have always believed this tournament promises to be the perfect platform for raw talents to showcase what they are capable.”

A total of 16 teams participated in the first two editions of 10PL-World Cup of tennis ball cricket and for this year nearly 40 expression of interests have already been received by the organisers for an available 20 spots. This year, the tournament is also expected to attract teams from a number of major corporate houses. Interested teams can register for the tournament by simply emailing [email protected]

Abdul Latif Khan, chairman, Petromann said: “This format is very popular in the Indian subcontinent. We have had many of cricketing legends from the subcontinent rising from playing this brand of cricket. So it was only appropriate that we offer them a rich tribute by staging this special India-Pakistan match. If we succeed then we can see more such matches between the two sides in the future. We have chosen two very exciting squads from the best available players in the format from the two countries.”

In the last two editions, in addition to regular tennis ball cricketers, former Pakistan wicket-keeper batsman Zulqarnain Haider, former Sri Lankan Test cricketers-Chamara Silva and Thilan Thushara-have also be seen in action.

Teams (from)

India: Ankur Singh, Omkar Desai, Thomas Dias, Moyoddin Shaikh, Krishna Satpute, Usman Patel, Sumeet Dhekale, Yogesh Penkar, Ajith Mohithe, Dinesh Nakrani, Sarooj, Vishwajith Taqoor, Jafar Jamal, Vijay Pawle, Sultan Khan; Coach: Bharat Lohar; Manager: Javid Shaikh.

Pakistan: Shiraz Ahmed, Zaheer Kalia, Mubashar Ahmad, Karim Khan, Fahimullah Shah, Wajid Khan, Irfan, Saddam Shah, Usman Pacer, Jalat Khan, Karna Zahid, Shebaz Ahmed, Nadir, Sayed Maqsood, Samiullah; Coach: Asif Mumtaz; Manager: Usman Manzoor.