When a certain event or a show proves a resounding success, it is always the protagonists who walk away with all the accolades. Usually the people working behind the scene to ensure that success do not get their fair share of praise. Such people are known as the unsung heroes.

For me, the unsung heroes of the National T20 Cup which concluded at Karachi’s National Stadium last Sunday were its organisers, the groundsmen, the pitch curators and, of course, the security personnel.

The T20 Cup was originally scheduled to be played in Multan but was shifted on a week’s notice to Karachi owing to the floods. It is nothing short of a miracle how briskly and efficiently things were put into shape at the National Stadium to ensure the smooth staging of this high-profile tournament.

And for the marvelous job done, credit must also go to Commissioner Karachi Shoaib Siddiqui and his wonderful team, besides of course the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Since the time the commissioner was informed about the shifting of the event to the metropolis, he and his men worked tirelessly and sincerely to make the T20 Cup a success. Thanks to their magnificent efforts, the T20 Cup remained absolutely incident-free. The security, the travel of players from hotel to the stadium and back and a thousand and one other things were superbly taken care of which is, indeed, admirable, especially in a volatile city like Karachi.

Some may point out that the crowds continued to stay away from the T20 Cup. Yes, they did, but there could be a number of reasons for that, including the schedule of the matches which clashed with school and office timings, as well as the frequent ‘dharnas’.

The other set of unsung heroes in the T20 Cup, I believe, were the pitch curators like Ehsan Arain and the groundsmen who did incredibly well to get the ground in shape for the event at barely a week’s notice. The pitches used in the tournament were firmly laid, sporting tracks which were ideally suited to T20 type of slam bang cricket where the batsmen make hay and the bowlers, too, have a fair chance to prove their mettle.

NSK manager Arshad Khan also contributed handsomely to the success of the event by doing a fine coordination job.

As for the action on the field, I must hand it to Peshawar Panthers for their stupendous effort to clinch the coveted title against heavy odds.

Although they had no star in their line-up, they looked a winning combination right from the moment they took the field for their first game in the tournament.

Led astutely by Zohaib Khan, they proved a complete surprise packet and stunned some big and reputed teams in the tournament, including five times champions Sialkot Stallions. Their players Adil Amin, Mohammad Rizwan and the two Imran Khans particularly impressed me with their skills and ability and I can say with confidence that they will soon be representing the country.

A few other young players who caught my attention included Karachi Dolphins’ batsman Waqas Ahmed and his left-handed namesake from Rawalpindi.

Pakistan under-19 player Kamran Ghulam, who plays for Abbottabad Falcons, is also one to watch out for as he is emerging as a front-ranking all-rounder in the domestic season.

But the innings of the tournament was played by Mukhtar Ahmed of Sialkot Stallions against Karachi Dolphins which I must rate as one of the best exhibitions of clean hitting that I have seen in my long association with the game.

Mukhtar displayed class and guts in his breathtaking knock of 100 off just 48 balls against a side studded with Pakistan players, including Shahid Afridi and Anwar Ali. With that kind of potential, he could well qualify for the national team in the near future.

All-rounder Bilawal Bhatti also impressed with both bat and ball. He is bound to serve Pakistan for many more years.

As for the large number of bowlers reported in the tournament for their suspect action, I would like to commend the PCB and its Director Domestic Cricket Intikhab Alam for their effort to keep the discipline of the game paramount among their priorities.

It may be discouraging for the bowlers reported, but in the longer run the crackdown will do Pakistan a lot of good and prevent mishaps like the one which struck Saeed Ajmal so close to the all-important World Cup 2015.

It is better to pre-empt such things than face the embarrassment of being reported or banned later when there is hardly any option left to salvage things.