After a hugely successful 2014 edition, Superstars T20 will be back bigger and better than ever next year, according to the organisers of the popular tournament.
Wings Ahmedabad Aces retained their title at the Dubai Men’s College last weekend with the standard of cricket even higher than last year’s inaugural event.
Attendances were also up and manager Rahul Dalwale is confident the tournament has a bright future.
This year saw the top UAE players joined by quality overseas stars like Pakistani batsmen Kamran Akmal, Hasan Raza and Khurram Mansoor, and Dalwale thinks they’ll be able to attract an even bigger array of talent in 2015.
“Both last season and this year were a learning curve for us – we will improve for next season and want to do better," said Dalwale.
“This has been our best one so far because attracting people to attend domestic cricket in the UAE has been a challenge.
“We had a great turn-out for the matches, especially in the knock-out stages. The matches were of the highest quality and the feedback from the spectators was positive. We had a lot of Pakistani players playing in the competition and we will now look to broaden our horizons in other countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and see if they’re interested in the competition.”
At the forefront of Wings Ahmedabad’s success was Pakistani international Shahzaib Hasan, who was in imperious form.
Hasan, a member of Pakistan’s victorious 2009 World T20 squad, hasn’t played for his country since a 57-run ODI defeat against South Africa in Dubai in November 2010.
He has since been playing domestic cricket in Pakistan where he began 2014 with 50 runs in three T20 matches.
In the UAE he was dominant, posting the highest score in Superstars T20 history when he blasted 159 (11 fours and 15 sixes) in the Aces’ semi-final win over GMW Sharjah Royal Challengers.
He followed that up with a fluent knock of 72 (five fours and six sixes) in the six-wicket win over Ibsons Sialkot Sharks in the final.
Hasan, 24, says he is ready to play should the Pakistan selectors deem him worthy of a recall.
“I’m working really hard on the domestic circuit and I’m playing shots naturally. If the selectors feel I’m playing well and I’m worthy of being selected for the national team then I will be ready for it," said Hasan.
“Superstars T20 is a really big tournament in the UAE and I have enjoyed playing here. This is a major tournament and it attracts many players from Afghanistan and Pakistan which shows you how strong the competition is.”
Friday’s triumph was the second time Hasan tasted victory with Aces having been with the side last year, and he had nothing but praise for the tournament.
The Aces proved worth of their early season favourites tag and were able to rely on the talents of UAE captain Khurram Khan, Zimbabwe’s Charles Coventry and West Indies’ all-rounder Ryan Hinds, alongside Hasan.
