By Asghar Ali Mubarak
Islambad: The 2020–21 National T20 Cup is a Twenty20 domestic cricket competition being played in Pakistan and Pindi Cricket Stadium is ready to host National T20 Cup. It is the seventeenth season of the National T20 Cup, and was started on 30 September 2020 at Multan, and is scheduled to finish on 18 October 2020 at Rawalpindi .The season features an expanded format, with an increase from 18 to 33 matches. With Zimbabwe set to arrive for three One-day Internationals and as many Twenty20 Internationals against Pakistan at the end of October, there are opportunities for a number of fringe cricketers to stake their claims in front of Pakistan head coach-cum-chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq and the head coaches of the six teams who are part of the national selection committee. Pakistan squad for the three One-Day Internationals and three Twenty20 Internationals will be announced here on October 19, a day after the conclusion of the First XI National T20 Cup. Zimbabwe will arrive later this month for the three ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League matches on 30 October, 1 and 3 November in Multan, which will be followed by three T20Is on 7, 8 and 10 November.
A total of 14 fixtures were played at the Multan Cricket Stadium before the event’s second leg starts from Oct 9 at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi, where another lot of 14 matches are scheduled at the league phase. The top four sides will progress through to the Oct 17 semi-finals, which also will be staged in Rawalpindi along with the final on Oct 18.While PTV Sports would broadcast the entire tournament live, the six outfits will be battling for supremacy to lay their hands on the trophy and the hefty winners’ purse of Rs5 million. The runners-up will receive Rs2.5 million out of the total prize-money of Rs9 million. The tournament is being organized in bio-score bubble with all fixtures to be played behind closed doors under strict protocols because of corona virus (Covid-19) pandemic to ensure health and safety of players and officials involved. The Pakistan Cricket Board is the first cricket board to announce and organize a complete domestic season in these unprecedented and difficult Covid-19 times. The PCB has made comprehensive arrangements for the upcoming season to protect the wellbeing and livelihood of the domestic cricketers. Due to the ongoing pandemic and to ensure health and safety of all competitors, the tournament will be played behind closed doors under strict Covid-19 protocols. The tournament is scheduled in two phases: the first one was starts from 30 September to 6th October in Multan and now the second phase to be staged at Pindi cricket stadium from 9-18 October in Rawalpindi. With two ACC Asia Cups and ICC Men’s T20 World Cups scheduled for the next two years, this year’s National T20 Cup First XI tournament is scheduled on double-league basis to provide adequate preparation to the players who are likely to represent the Pakistan men’s national team in these events. The tournament also providing an opportunity for the country’s best short format cricketers to impress the national selectors and, also, the HBL Pakistan Super League franchise owners and management ahead of the Player Draft for the 2021 season, which is scheduled to be held in November.
With a coveted trophy and total prize money of PKR9million on offer, Northern, who is led by Shadab Khan until their captain Imad Wasim (currently engaged in the Vitality Blast T20 tournament in the UK) joins the side in Rawalpindi, will be eager to defend their title. And, the other five teams are fighting tooth and nail to secure berths in the final of the tournament, which will be played at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on 18 October.
