Central Punjab cricket team
 | |
| Personnel | |
|---|---|
| Captain |  Babar Azam |
| Coach | Abdul Razzaq |
| Owner | Central Punjab Cricket Association |
| Manager | Ashraf Ali (Test Cricketer) |
| Team information | |
| Colors | Blue Orange |
| Founded | 2019 |
| Home ground | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
| Secondary home ground(s) | Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad |
| History | |
| Quaid-e-Azam Trophy wins | 2 (2019-20 & 2020-21) |
| Pakistan Cup wins | 0 |
| National T20 Cup wins | 0 |
Central Punjab is a domestic cricket team in Pakistan representing the northern and central parts of the Punjab province. It competes in domestic first-class, List A and T20 cricket competitions, namely the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan Cup and National T20 Cup. The team is operated by the Central Punjab Cricket Association.
History
The team was introduced as a part of a new domestic structure introduced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on 31 August 2019.[1] On 3 September 2019, PCB confirmed the inaugural squad for the team.[2] Babar Azam was announced as the captain of the team.[3]
2019/20 Season
Central Punjab won the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, defeating Northern by an innings and 16 runs in the final.[4] The team was eliminated in the group stage of the National T20 Cup. The Pakistan Cup was cancelled this season due to the covid-19 pandemic.
2020/21 Season
The team came back from a bad start in defence of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy to win five successive matches and reach the final. The final against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa resulted in a tie, and they were declared joint winners. The team again struggled in the limited overs formats, finishing in fourth and fifth place respectively in the Pakistan Cup and National T20 Cup.
Structure
As of 2019, domestic cricket in Pakistan was reorganised into six regional teams (on provincial lines). A three tier bottom-up system[5] is in operation with the Tier 1 teams participating in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (First Class), Pakistan Cup (List A) and National T20 Cup (Regional T20). The Tier 2 teams participate in the City Cricket Association Tournament whilst the Tier 3 teams participate in various local tournaments as both tiers feed players to the Tier 1 team.
- Tier 1: Central Punjab
- Tier 2: Lahore (East), Lahore (West), Lahore (North), Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Sialkot, Narowal, Hafizabad, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Mianwali, Jhang & Bhakkar.
- Tier 3: Various Clubs & Schools.
Current squad
Squad for the 2021–22 season:-
| Name | Birth date | Batting Style | Bowling Style | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batsmen | ||||
| Saad Nasim | 29 April 1990 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| Mohammad Saad | 24 March 1990 | Right-handed | ||
| Rizwan Hussain | 26 April 1996 | Left-handed | ||
| Ali Zaryab | 27 December 1998 | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| Ahmed Shehzad | 23 November 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| Azhar Ali | 19 February 1985 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | First Class captain |
| Abid Ali | 16 October 1987 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| Babar Azam | 15 October 1994 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Twenty20 Captain |
| Shoaib Malik | 1 February 1982 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| Saif Badar | 3 July 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| All-Rounders | ||||
| Qasim Akram | 1 December 2002 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| Hussain Talat | 12 February 1996 | Left-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | |
| Wicket-keepers | ||||
| Muhammad Akhlaq | 12 November 1992 | Right-handed | ||
| Kamran Akmal | 13 January 1982 | Right-handed | ||
| Spin Bowlers | ||||
| Ahmed Safi Abdullah | 1 March 1998 | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | |
| Usman Qadir | 10 August 1993 | Left-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| Zafar Gohar | 1 February 1995 | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | |
| Pace Bowlers | ||||
| Waqas Maqsood | 4 November 1987 | Left-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | |
| Ahmed Bashir | 10 December 1995 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| Hasan Ali | 2 July 1994 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | List A captain |
| Faheem Ashraf | 16 January 1994 | Left-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | |
| Wahab Riaz | 28 June 1985 | Right-handed | Left-arm fast | |
| Ehsan Adil | 15 March 1993 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | |
| Sameen Gul | 4 February 1999 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | on loan from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| Muhammad Faizan | 7 May 1997 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | |
See also
- Balochistan cricket team
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cricket team
- Northern cricket team
- Sindh cricket team
- Southern Punjab cricket team
References
- ^ "PCB unveils new domestic set-up with 'stay at the top' mantra". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
- ^ "PCB announces squads for 2019-20 domestic season". Pakistan Cricket Board. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
- ^ "Sarfaraz Ahmed and Babar Azam to take charge of Pakistan domestic sides". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
- ^ "Central Punjab win first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2019-20". Dunya News. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
- ^ "City Cricket Association tournament schedule announced".
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