The player draft for the Cool & Cool Haier Pakistan Cup 2016 was held during which teams for the premier domestic 50-over tournament were finalised. Tainted player Salman Butt was among the players selected for the Pakistan Cup 2016 starting from April 19.
The 15-member squad for ZIC Islamabad, Brighto Paints Balochistan, Boom Boom Bubble Gum Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Inverex Sindh and Cookania Cake Rusk Punjab were finalised after the team captains and coaches participated in the Player Draft. Led by Pakistan's Test captain Misbah ul Haq, ZIC Islamabad will include Mohammad Sami, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Irfan, Nasir Jamshed, Zafar Gohar and Sharjeel Khan. The team will be coached by Mansoor Rana and Sabih Azhar.
Brighto Paints Balochistan will be led by Pakistan ODI skipper Azhar Ali. The team includes Babar Azam, Junaid Khan, Umar Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul and Bilawal Bhatti. Ijaz Ahmed and Taimur Azam will coach the Balochistan side. Boom Boom Bubble Gum Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be led by star batsman Younus Khan.
Encapsulating the true spirit of the Pakistan Cup, Khan's selection for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa side include promising cricketers Mohammad Asghar, Fakhar Zaman, Musaddiq Ahmed, Zohaib Khan and Faheem Ashraf. Pakistani leg-spinner Yasir Shah will mark a return to competitive cricket as he prepares himself to play for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the domestic One Day tournament. Abdul Rehman and Kabir Khan will coach the KP side.
Inverex Sindh will be captained by newly-appointed national T20 skipper Sarfraz Ahmed. Left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir was the first pick made by Sarfaraz. The team also includes Sohail Khan, Khalid Latif, Sohaib Maqsood, Fawad Alam, Imad Wasim, Anwar Ali and Sami Aslam. Tauseef Ahmed and Iqbal Imam will coach the Sindh team.
Cookania Cake Rusk Punjab will be led by star all-rounder Shoaib Malik. Malik's squad includes left-handed opening batsmen Shan Masood and Salman Butt. Mohammad Rizwan, Asad Shafiq, Zulfiqar Babar, Ehsan Adil and Saad Nasim will also play for Punjab in the tournament. The team will be coached by former Pakistan wicket-keeper Atiq uz Zaman and Mautashim Rashid.
Cool & Cool presents Haier Pakistan Cup 2016 will take place from 19th April to 1st May in Faisalabad. Chairman PCB Shaharyar M. Khan, Chairman Executive Committee Najam Sethi, COO PCB Subhan Ahmad and CEO Haier Pakistan Javed Afridi were also present at the occasion. Speaking about this new initiative, Shaharyar Khan said: "Our aim is to ensure that our domestic cricket becomes more competitive and the Cool & Cool presents Haier Pakistan Cup 2016 is a key step on this journey. Top cricketers of Pakistan will take part in this tournament and the youngsters will have the perfect opportunity to learn from their seniors."
The pick order for the Draft was determined through a draw conducted by Chairman Executive Committee Najam Sethi. "After successfully organising PSL, we need to further improve our domestic cricket. Player remunerations for this tournament have been increased by 100% and introducing the Player Draft in a domestic One Day tournament has generated immense interest from the public," he stated. CEO Haier Pakistan Javed Afridi reiterated Haier Pakistan's commitment towards both, international and domestic cricket: "Haier's name in Pakistan is synonymous with cricket. I urge other sponsors to step forward and support Pakistan Cricket."