Ghaffar to lead Pakistan in Veterans World Cup

KARACHI: All-rounder Ghaffar Kazmi will lead Pakistan in the second edition of the Over-50 Veterans World Cup Cricket Tournament to be staged in Cape Town early next year.

This was announced by Fawad Ijaz Khan, Chairman, Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA), who also unveiled the 15-member squad for the Over-50 World Cup, here on Thursday.

Ghaffar, who will turn 57 next week, has been a prolific top-order batsman besides a handy leg-break and googly bowler. He had played the last of 150 first-class matches way back in 2001-02.

The 56-year-old opening batsman Sajid Ali, who represented Pakistan in 13 One-day Internationals, has been appointed vice-captain of the squad whose other members are Mahmood Hamid, Jaffer Qureshi, Dastagir Butt, Muhammad Javed, Babar Butt, Raja Arshad, Azhar Khan (wicketkeeper), Mazhar Hussain, Aziz-ur-Rehman, Zafar Ali, Fawad Barry, Asif Hayat and Ahmed Hayat.

Behzad Anwar and Amir Sarfaraz will be accompanying the team as manager and assistant manager respectively.

According to the details shared by the PVCA Chairman, a total of 12 teams, divided equally into two groups, will be taking part in the Veterans World Cup, scheduled to be played from March 9 to 24 next year.

Defending champions Australia have been drawn in Group A in the company of New Zealand, Canada, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe. Pakistan, who ended as runners-up in the inaugural tournament in Australia, have been placed in Group B along with England, South Africa, Wales, India and Namibia.

The tournament will be played on round-robin format. Each team will play five matches in the preliminary rounds at the end of which the top two teams of both groups will advance to the semi-finals.