Peshawar sign Afridi, Karachi get Amir while Ajmal and Younus go unpicked

LAHORE, December 21: In the first phase of drafting of Pakistan Super League (PSL), Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Shane Watson, Kevin Pietersen, Chris Gayle were picked up as iconic players of Peshawar Zalmi, Karachi Kings, Islamabad United, Quetta Gladiators and Lahore Qalandars respectively.
Pakistan’s Twenty-20 skipper Shahid Afridi became the first pick of the PSL after Peshawar Zalmi signed up the flamboyant all-rounder to play for its franchise in Lahore’s National Cricket Academy.
In the Platinum category players selection, Pakistan Test captain Misbahul Haq was picked by Islamabad. Meanwhile, Umar Akmal was picked by Lahore from the Platinum category. Pakistan opener Ahmad Shehzad and wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed were picked by Quetta from the Platinum category.
In the Diamond category players selection, all-rounder Imad Wasim was picked by Karachi. Meanwhile, Muhammad Hafeez, who was demoted to the Diamond category after being ignored during the Platinum category players selection, was picked by Peshawar.
Left-arm fast-bowler Muhammad Amir was the most important player when the Gold category players selection started and Karachi immediately made sure they bagged him in their first pick.
Surprisingly, Pakistan World T-20 winning captain Younus Khan was not selected by any team.
The second phase of drafting is scheduled to take place in NCA today (Tuesday). Players belonging to the ‘Silver’ and ‘Emerging’ categories will be inducted into the league’s five franchises.
Shahid Afridi said he would have loved to play for any team but it made more sense for him to play for Peshawar Zalmi because it complements the work his foundation is doing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s remote areas. Giving credit to the PCB for organising the mega cricket league, Afridi said the platform should be used to promote new faces and to encourage new talent.
List of the teams are in the following after the first phase of drafting.
Karachi Kings (Head coach Mickey Arthur): Shoaib Malik, Shakib alHasan, Sohail Tanvir, Imad Wasim, Ravi Bopara, Lendll Simmons, Muhammad Amir, Bilawal Bhatti, James Vince.
Peshawar Zalmi (Head coach Mohammad Akram): Shahid Afridi, Wahab Riaz, Darren Sammy, Kamran Akmal, Muhammad Hafeez, Chris Jordan, Tamim Iqbal, Junaid Khan, Jim Allenby.
Islamabad United (Head coach – Dean Jones): Shane Watson, Andre Russell, Misbahul Haq, Samuel Badree, Muhammad Irfan, Brad Haddin, Sharjeel Khan, Muhammad Sami, Khalid Latif.
Lahore Qalandars (Head coach – Paddy Upton): Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Umar Akmal, Muhammad Rizwan, Yasir Shah, Sohaib Maqsood, Mustafizur Rahman, Kevon Cooper, Cameron Delport.
Quetta Gladiators (Head coach Moin Khan): Kevin Pietersen, Sarfraz Ahmed, Ahmed Shehzad, Anwar Ali, Jason Holder, Luke Wright, Zulfiqar Babar, Umar Gul, Elton Chigumbura.