Sialkot carry Pakistan hopes on debut
ESPNcricinfo presents the preview of the CLT20 qualifying match between Auckland Aces and Sialkot Stallions
Match facts
October 9, 2012Start time 1730 (1530 GMT)
How they qualified
Auckland Aces: Winners of the HRV Cup, New Zealand's domestic competitionSialkot Stallions: Winners of the Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 Cup, one of Pakistan's T20 domestic competitions
Big Picture
At long last, a Pakistan team will make its debut in the Champions League T20, when Sialkot Stallions face off against Auckland Aces. Sialkot were scheduled to play in the inaugural CLT20 in 2008, but the Mumbai bomb blasts caused that event to be postponed and the resulting freeze in India-Pakistan relations kept them out of the tournament since. At that time, they were midway through compiling one of the most awesome records in cricket - a streak of 25 successive wins in T20s, the most fickle and egalitarian format of the game.Players to watch
While Naved-ul-Hasan hasn't managed to nail down a spot in Pakistan's T20 side, he is a fixture in the short-form leagues around the world. This year itself, he has represented Uthura Oryxes (in the SLPL), Derbyshire (in the Friends Life t20), Sialkot Stallions, Dhaka Gladiators (in the BPL) and Hobart Hurricanes (in the Big Bash League). In Hobart, he has become something of a local cult hero with his ability to regularly take wickets, and his flamboyant mullet. A master of bowling at the death, with great control over the slower ball and the yorker, his form will have a huge role in determining how far Sialkot progress in the tournament.Quotes
"We're not looking to qualify but to win this tournament. That spirit is special."Azhar Mahmood is aiming high
Sialkot coach Naved Anjum thinks his team can go far in the tournment
Siddarth Ravindran is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo