Champions League: Muhammad Hafeez backs Lahore Lions as title contenders

Captain to depart with team today after receiving Indian visas.

KARACHI:

Lahore Lions’ skipper Muhammad Hafeez says he is confident of his team’s chances of winning the Champions League T20 title ahead of their departure on Tuesday.

The Lions, who received their India visas on Monday, boast a star-studded squad with national players such as Hafeez, Ahmed Shahzad, Nasir Jamshed, Umar Akmal, Wahab Riaz and Aizaz Cheema. Other promising cricketers include Umar Siddique and Hafiz Saad Naseem.

Previously, the Sialkot Stallions and Faisalabad Wolves had the opportunity of participating in the lucrative tournament, but both sides failed to move past the qualifying stage.

The domestic T20 champion will be up against Mumbai Indians, New Zealand’s Northern Districts and Sri Lanka’s Southern Express in the qualifiers. The top two sides will move into the main round.

“We have a decent side that can vie for CLT20 title,” Hafeez told The Express Tribune in an exclusive interview.

“Our initial focus will be to qualify for the main round, a feat which hasn’t been achieved by any Pakistan team. We need to back ourselves to play our natural game; there’s no reason why we can’t play good cricket and become title contenders.”

Speaking about his team’s strength, Hafeez said that there will be huge responsibility on international players, but he believes the youngster can cause a surprise as well.

“We’ve got talented young prospects in Siddique and Saad, who are capable of playing match-winning knocks. There is a greater responsibility on us national players, but the others can be really handy too.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 9^th, 2014.

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