Champions One-Day Cup: Afridi, Rizwan, Shadab, Shakeel and Haris named captains

Each of the five sides at the Champions One-Day Cup – Pakistan’s newer, flashier version of the domestic 50-over competition – will be captained by Pakistan internationals. Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Haris have been announced as captains of the sides they represent, taking charge of the Lions, Wolves, Panthers, Dolphins and Stallions respectively.

Haris’ captaincy of the Stallions – chosen by the team’s mentor Shoaib Malik – appears to mark a remarkable, and sudden – return to favour with the PCB. He last played ODI cricket a year ago, and was left out of Pakistan’s World Cup squad. He also lost his place in the T20 side, the format most conducive to his skillset, during Wahab Riaz’s stint as chief selector. Now, however, he captains a team that also includes Babar Azam, Pakistan’s white-ball captain, as well as Haris’ captain at Peshawar Zalmi, where the two play at the PSL.

Unlike previous iterations of the tournament, the PCB has pulled out all the stops to ensure maximum participation of Pakistan’s highest-profile players. There is no international cricket for Pakistan which coincides with the competition, with just about every fit centrally contracted player taking part.

During the mentors’ unveiling press conferences, Misbah-ul-Haq, mentor of the Wolves, said any unfit players would be excluded from the competition. The PCB has provided a list of players who did not make the cut on that account, including former Pakistan opener Sharjeel Khan.

All games will take place in Faisalabad, with the tournament running from September 12-29 with playoffs rather than semi-finals. The tournament concludes eight days before the start of the first Test between Pakistan and England.

Each side has announced extended squad lists, which are to be trimmed by September 10. The sides do not have affiliated city names, though each name does have historical links to previous domestic cup sides: Lahore for Lions, Karachi for Dolphins, Peshawar for Panthers, Faisalabad for Wolves and, perhaps most famously, Sialkot for Stallions.

Sarfaraz Ahmed is the only player-mentor, operating in that role with the Dolphins. Misbah (Wolves), Malik (Stallions), Saqlain Mushtaq (Panthers) and Waqar Younis (Lions) are the other mentors.