Pakistan Super League Concludes... Wins Hearts- Special Edition by Shoby

Pakistan Super League Concludes... Wins Hearts- Special Edition by Shoby

Our land was desperate for cricket. Our nation was waiting anxiously for this one moment and ALHAMDO LILLAH March 5th, 2017 witnessed Pakistan celebrating the return of cricket in our very dear homeland, when Quetta Gladiators took on Peshawar Zalmi for the biggest bonanza of Cricket i.e. HBL PSL 2017 Finale.

It is one of those rare moments when questions like which team won or which player played the better cricket do not matter at all. It was a simple equation. Pakistan was playing against terrorism and at the end of the day, By the Grace of ALMIGHTY ALLAH PAK, we the Pakistanis have won... Cricket has won... Pakistan Super League has won and ultimately it is the victory of Pakistan.

PSL Final saw a handful of foreign players participating and without any doubt, these players especially the captain of Peshawar Zalmi Darren Sammy made the event a huge success. And it is not about the final only, the whole tournament was a wonderful success, much more successful than the edition one of PSL courtesy super performances & entertainment provided by the foreign & domestic players along with the commentators and hosts.

As already committed by the PSL Chairman Mr. Najam Sethi, PSL 2 Final was meant to be played in Pakistan and this was a dream come true for this cricket crazy nation when houseful jam packed Gaddafi Stadium located in Lahore, Pakistan saw thousands of people from all over the country chanting just one slogan Pakistan Zindabad.

PSL closing ceremony featured some powerful performances by Ali Zafar, Farhaad Humayun (Overload) and Ali Azmat. When Sammy tried some dance moves on the stage, the crowd went crazy. Fans never hesitated taking selfies with their favourite players and the evening concluded with Peshawar Zalmi standing tall on the victory stand.

Although, it is too early to say that all is now well and everything is settled in terms of bringing international cricket back in our country but this one thing is for sure. The way people has welcomed the return of cricket was exceptional. I feel, this one game was mandatory to be played in Pakistan. The reason is pretty obvious. We just wanted to show the world how peaceful, fun loving and united we are as a nation and we reject, oppose & hate any sort of terrorism. Our message was quite loud. We love cricket and we want more & more international cricket in our country. And yes, we can arrange tournaments of this big scale.

I hope, we shall have an even bigger tournament with bigger cricketing stars from all around the world participating in the next season of Pakistan Super League.

At the end, I want to share my latest poem, which was written exclusively for PSL:

Islamabad United (United We Stand)- Feature by Shoby

Islamabad United (United We Stand)- Feature by Shoby

Finally the wait is over and cricket hungry nation is all set to embrace the best of cricket excitement as we welcome the inaugural edition of our very own T20 league PSL (Pakistan Super Leagure). Dubai Sports City will host the first ever T20 match of the tournament today Thursday dated February 4, 2016 which will be played between Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators.

At Shobywood, here comes an exclusive series where we are going to discuss the teams participating in HBL PSL as the season of cricket is just about to begin.

At the start lets talk about the team representing the coolest capital of Pakistan Islamabad United captained by ex-Pakistani national team captain Misbah ul Haq and coached by none other than the Sultan of Swing the legendary all rounder Waseem Akram. 

Misbah has been a very successful captain in all the three versions of the games & is regarded as Pakistan's most successful test captain and although he is considered as a bit slow and defensive, he will surely put up his experience and skills to make a prominent name for his team. Similarly one should not doubt Waseem Akram who has not only been a one of its kind bowler in the history of cricket but also acted as a coach of the winning franchise of KKR in IPL.

Other players to be watched closely in the team are Shane Watson, Andre Russell, Sam Billings, Umar Amin and Babar Azam. With a good mix of young & experienced players, this team has the potential to deduce good results on the day.

Heres Shobywood wishing all the luck to Islamabad United for their great success in PSL. Team constitutes the below mentioned players:

1 Shane Watson, 2 Andre Russell, 3 Misbah-ul-Haq (Captain), 4 Samuel Badree, 5 Mohammad Irfan, 6 Brad Haddin, 7 Sharjeel Khan, 8 Mohammad Sami, 9 Khalid Latif, 10 Babar Azam, 11 Imran Khalid, 12 Kamran Ghulam, 13 Umar Amin, 14 Sam Billings, 15 Rumman Raees, 16 Amad Butt, 17 Ashar Zaidi, 18 Saeed Ajmal, 19 Hussain Talat, 20 Umar Siddiq

HBL PSL- Now Backed by Media Giants... Feature by Shoby

HBL PSL- Now Backed by Media Giants... Special Feature by Shoby

First edition of Pakistan Super League (i.e. HBL PSL) is just about to commence at the start of February 2016 and as its starting date is coming nearby, it is converting into an extremely interesting & media driven phenomenon.

As we all know that Franchise of Karachi (Karachi Kings) is purchased by media giant ARY Group and (rightly so) this media group is leaving no stone unturned to make it the most popular team of PSL. 

They arranged a super cool logo unveiling ceremony at National Stadium Karachi for the same titled as "Karachi Night" which featured many cricketers & artists and made an exciting & entertaining event for the Karachiites. Pakistani rock star Ali Azmat & Faakhir rocked the night and presence of different cricketers including Team's captain Shoaib Malik made it an icing on the cake.

Franchise of Lahore titled Lahore Qalandars have now joined hands with another media giant Geo (Jang Group) and this announcement was made by the authorities of Lahore Qalandars in the logo/ kit unveiling ceremony in Lahore.

This ceremony also featured some very talented artists like Ali Sethi, Nabeel Shoukat Ali, Pappu Saeen &  latest singing sensation Israr. Many cricketers were also present in the ceremony and a cricket crazy crowd was present there to support Lahore.

Although other three teams Quetta Gladiators, Peshawar Zulmi and Islamabad United are a bit silent in this regard till now, I do hope that coming days will see these Franchises promoting themselves in equally interesting manner. Pakistan, where there is a draught of cricket from quite sometime has now at least some beautiful moments to cheer & celebrate.

I believe with this valuable participation of two great media groups, HBL PSL which is slated to be started on February 5, 2016 will surely going to be a massive hit and Pakistanis will surely able to bring the game back for this cricket hungry nation. After all, we all love cricket and want cricket to be played in our very own land, which has been able to produce gems of the game earlier.

Here Comes Mohammad Amir Once Again- Feature by Shoby

Here Comes Mohammad Amir Once Again- Feature by Shoby

He made his ODI debut against Srilanka at Dambulla on Jul 30, 2009 and left an unforgettable mark with his medium pace bowling. He further strengthened the impact of his adorable bowling skills in test matches and T20s. His bowling looked like making a huge statement like he was saying, "Hey guys, watch out. As I am I here to stay for long. I am here to rule".

People started calling him a fresh version of cricket legend Waseem Akram. He was honestly a treat to watch against world cricket giants where he made the greats of the games look like in miserable conditions through his versatile deliveries. He came into limelight as one of those very few bowlers in history who could deliver six altogether different deliveries in an over, making pitch a hell for the batsmen. He came, he played, he conquered and then an unfortunate incident occurred...

Team Pakistan was on the tour of England when on Aug 26-29, 2010 at Lords, Amir along with Mohammad Asif and the then skipper Salman Butt were accused of Spot fixing. Amir delivered some extra deliveries and they were noticed by the keen observers who later on declared them part of Fancy Fixing, a term which was not much known in the game of cricket.

These three players were prosecuted in the courts and found guilty for the act. Ultimately they were punished and doors of cricket were closed for them for years to come. Mohammad Amir had five long years when he was not allowed to play cricket for domestic, national & international level.

After a long hiatus of five years, his punishment concluded and he was provided with a clean chit to play for the domestic tournaments in Pakistan. He came back with a bang and showed his class in the tournaments. Few weeks back, he participated in Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and once again won hearts through his devastating bowling. And now he has been given yet another golden opportunity to represent his nation on the global stage.

Coming Pakistan- New Zeeland tournament will witness the much talked about return of this gem of a cricketer. A few players initially refused to share the dressing room with him but PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) and Amir's fan supported him which made them withdraw from their decision.

Now I believe this debate should be over that whether a guilty and convicted player should play for the nation or not. Ok he has done corruption and he has been proven guilty but at the same time we should not forget that he has learnt a lesson as he has tasted the punishment on the account of the same and now he has been declared clear to play. So one should not further discuss his eligibility.

To me, Amir has this once in a lifetime opportunity now. He should be feeling all the nerves along with the excitement that yes, I have been given this opportunity and I am not at all going to waste this chance.

As stated by PCB chairman and others, we all should support Amir now so that he may not panic on the field. And for Amir, he should forget the dark episodes of past and should now focus entirely on cricket. He has a lot to give to Pakistan as lots of cricket is still remaining for this young talented sportsman. Wishing Green Shorts and Mohammad Amir, all the very best for the future.

HBL PSL- A Cricket Bonanza in Pakistan- Special Feature by Shoby

HBL Pakistan Super League- A Cricket Bonanza in Pakistan- Special Feature by Shoby

Pakistan, a country that has a passion for cricket like no other country possess. We do not just play cricket, we live it in literal terms. Our nation has produced legends in this gentlemen's game. Gems like mighty Imran Khan, run machine Javed Miandad, creator of gugly Abdul Qadir, Asian Bradman Zaheer Abbas, creator of Doosra Saqlain Mushtaq, master of Doosra Saeed Ajmal, classical left handed opening duo Saeed Anwer- Amir Sohail, best two Ws, Waseem Akram- Waqar Younis, the fastest bowler in history Shoaib Akhtar, the most devastating batsman all rounder Boom Boom Shahid Afridi, record holder of most test run scorer Mohammad Yousaf and the list goes on & on. We have been champion of ODI World Cup in 1992 and World T 20 Championship in 2009.

And the regretful phenomena on the planet is that the land having such a talent has been deprived of cricket for many years citing security reasons. And in this cricket drought country, here is PCB presenting the most awaited & much anticipated first ever international level T 20 tournament named as HBL Pakistan Super League (HBL PSL). So all the reasons to celebrate, joy  and pray that the event goes  & concludes in a smooth manner.

In the first edition of PSL, there would be 5 teams in the  names of four provincial & the state capital (Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Quetta & Peshawar). 315 cricketers including world class players from 8 countries will participate in the event and showcase their superb talent in PSL. Cricketers are divided into five categories namely Platinum, Diamond, Gold, Silver and Emerging. Each team will pick three players each from Platinum, Diamond and Gold categories. It is mandatory for every team to pick minimum of four Pakistanis & four foreign cricketers.

Today (December 21, 2015) the organizers of HBL PSL conducted first ever bidding for the players. It is the most proud & exciting moment for all of us in Pakistan. Ceremony witnessed some greats of the game as the guest including Waseem Akram, Rameez Raja & Dean Jones. Now lets have a look on bidding and team formations.

Five icons players were included in the most prestigious (Platinum category). Peshwar Zalmi picked captain of Pakistan National Cricket Team Boom Boom Shahid Afridi and Karachi Kings chose king of comebacks Shoaib Malik. Islamabad United went with Shane Watson and Quetta Gladiators made bid for Kevin Peterson, leaving Chris Gayle as the only option left for Lahore Qalanders.

I personally feel that seniors like Younis Khan & Misbah ul Haq should have been included in this list as both of them have given their best in cricket. They both have captained Pakistan in international level and should been given due share of respect.

Event is scheduled to be held in Dubai (UAE) in coming February (2016) and as per organizers they will strive to bring this cricket extravaganza in Pakistan so that the cricket deprived nation can witness the great players playing in their homeland. Shobywood wishes all the luck for the super success of this Super League.