PSL draft — from rookies to riches

Two dozen players who have been active on domestic front have gained an opportunity of making at least $10,000 each

The Pakistan Super League’s first ever draft has provided a rare opportunity for some of the rookies in the domestic circuit to not only earn a substantial amount, but also to make a name for themselves at the highest level of the competition.

In the years gone by, Pakistan’s second and third tier players have slogged it out to make a decent living, with most of them forced to survive on measly salaries and match fees. Only the lucky ones who are drafted in a departmental outfit get to make a sustainable standard of life.



After the two-day long players’ draft, nearly two dozen players who have been active on the domestic front in recent years have gained an opportunity of making at least $10,000 each over the course of the first edition of the league that is schedule to take place in the UAE in February.

Some of them have toiled long and hard in the endless grind of domestic cricket, while some of them are budding cricketers with a possibly prosperous career ahead of them. The rookies in the Islamabad United franchise include Kamran Ghulam, Ammad Butt and Rumman Raees.

Karachi Kings have their own share of rookies who have been given a great opportunity of establishing their credentials in the T20 league. Left-arm pacer Mir Hamza, leg-spinner Usama Mir and wicketkeeper-batsman Saifullah Bangash are the three players who are yet to have a taste of international cricket but are all abundantly talented.



Hamza, who was part of Wasim Akram’s bowling clinic that trained quicks for a fortnight in Karachi earlier in the year, is one of the brightest fast-bowling talents in the country. Similarly, Usama is a feisty leg-spinner who has been a force to reckon with at the domestic T20 tournaments recently.

Lahore Qalandars have their own mix of rookies with a chance to elevate their status in the crash, bang and wallop format, opting for left-arm pacer Ziaul Haq (another member of the Akram training programme), Imran Butt and Zohaib Khan, captain of the domestic Peshawar team.

Butt is a top-order batsman who made big strides at a young age both for Lahore and his departmental team SNGPL, while Zohaib led Peshawar to back-to-back national T20 titles in the last two seasons and has been in fine batting form in the ongoing first-class season.



Peshawar Zalmi have also picked a fair share of rookies. Locals like Taj Wali, Israrullah and Quetta’s Mohammad Asghar make up their supplementary list, while Musadiq Ahmed and exciting fast-bowler Hasan Ali are part of the 16-member squad.

Quetta Gladiators, who are being coached by former Pakistan captain Moin Khan, included local wicketkeeper-batsman Bismillah Khan and Karachi’s prolific young batting sensation Akbarur Rehman.



Akbar — a pure product of tape-ball cricket — went on to score a double century on the day he was selected to be part of Quetta Gladiators, while Bismillah remains the best player from Quetta after international batsman Shoaib Khan.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24^th, 2015.

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