The Sialkot Stallions defeated the Faisalabad Wolves in the RBS Twenty20 final on Sunday for their fifth straight title. The Sialkot side, full of stars like Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq, and Mohammad Asif, gave an all-round performance in front of a capacity crowd at National Stadium Karachi. The five-wicket win was their twentieth straight win the tournament, which goes a long way in stamping their authority on the national Twenty20 circuit. The following are some highlights from the tournament:

RBS Twenty20 turns on the colours

It has been known as a format akin to “Wham. Bam. Thank you, fan.” The Twenty20 format has brought life to the gentleman’s game and the RBS Twenty20 has always boasted the excitement that Tests and ODIs seem to be losing at the domestic level.

An improvement this year has been the kits. I have spent my entire working life in branding and it’s obvious that a lot of thought has gone into the impressive designs. Hyderabad and Multan, the dusty areas, were attired in browns while Karachi players donned an ocean blue – the overall effect was quite regionalist. The clean aesthetics were a nice change, with a wonderful use of negative space. Great work from the graphic designers.

Afridi does the PR drive

Shahid Afridi has been known for his powerful pulling, hooking, and driving. But in his first Twenty20 appearance before a home crowd, it was his off-the-field performance that excited fans. Afridi’s time at the fences to seemed like a PR drive if ever there was one.

To be fair, Afridi has had a hard time since he bit the ball. No wonder then that after agreeing to play under Sami’s captaincy, he threatened to quit the Karachi team on the basis of being overlooked for the leadership role. The U-turn disease is getting infectious amongst Pakistani cricketers. Perhaps Afridi’s selection as Pakistan’s ambassador for the environment has made him realise he can’t play second fiddle to anyone.

As for the fans, they melt when they see Afridi. A society desperate for heroes was happy to welcome him with hands dangling out to greet him on his birthday.

The keeping conundrum

Since Kamran Akmal’s dismal showing in Australia, the selectors have been looking out for a replacement wicketkeeper. Akmal may bat his way into the team, at least in the shorter forms of the game. But Sarfraz Ahmed’s last catch leading up to the semis was breathtaking, and served as a reminder of our alternatives to Akmal. Ahmed was also promoted to number three to show the selectors his batting technique.

Still, attempting to topple both Akmal and Ahmed will be Mohammad Salman of the Wolves. He led the pack with six dismissals (four catches and two stumpings) in four games, while Sarfraz had four in three, and Akmal had five catches in four games.

Yousuf’s U-turn

After terming it the mother of all ills plaguing Pakistan cricket, Mohammad Yousuf manoeuvred his way into Twenty20 cricket by turning out for Islamabad. Beats me why he wanted to play in the version of the game that he says is destroying batting. His contradictory stance reveals his desperation to be in on the national Twenty20 squad and, consequently, international Twenty20 leagues.

Rawalpindi express chugs through the station

It was sad to see the once fearsome Shoaib Akhtar almost struggling to reach the bowling crease, signs that the surgery on both knees has taken its toll on the ageing engine. His captaincy was also lacklustre, making it apparent that his desire to one day captain Pakistan holds no water (primarily because he has to be in the team to have a shot at the top slot).

Running tall

I’ve seen tall bowlers. Tony Grieg (6’ 6”) and Roger Harper (6’ 5”) are two off spinners I remember from the 1970s and 1980s. Among the fast men, Joel Garner and Bruce Reid at 6’ 8” are the tallest recorded. Ishant Sharma is one among the current crop of players who stands at 6’ 4”. But watching Mohammad Irfan of Multan was a revelation.

As is expected, the Perennially Confused Board (PCB) has quoted Irfan’s height in the range from 6’8” to 7’1”. Despite what the actual figure is, it is nevertheless true that Irfan is perhaps the tallest fast bowler to have played cricket seriously. I vaguely remember a Will Jefferson who played a few years back for Essex and was reported to be 6’ 10”. But he was a batsman.

As such, Irfan is the newest entrant in the league of extraordinary tall men. It remains to be seen whether he enters the league of extraordinary fast bowlers.

In short…

The Dolphins were the only challengers from the four southern contenders against the three centrals comprising the Wolves, Lions, and Stallions. Six from the north and northwest were eliminated quite early.

Overall, the Hawks, Bears, Rhinos, and Leopards did not stand much of a chance. For their part, the Zebras, Eagles, Tigers, Rams, and Panthers threatened in small bursts like in the years before.

sohaib80
Sohaib Alvi has been a cricket writer since 1979, and has edited The Cricketer International (UK) Asian Edition. He also has 25 years’ top management experience and now works as a strategic and marketing consultant.

The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.

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