Discarded Pakistan all-rounder, Azhar Mahmood, is geared up for the Champions League T20 2012 and hopes that his side, Auckland Aces will be able to qualify for the tournament.
The cricketer from Rawalpindi last represented Pakistan in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies but has been playing competitive cricket in all parts of the world since then, taking part in county cricket in England, Indian Premier League (IPL), Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL).
Pakistan’s domestic champions, Sialkot Stallions, are going to take part in the illustrious competition for the first time. On top of that, a number of Pakistan players like Azhar, Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul are representing different teams in the tournament.
Auckland are placed alongside Sialkot and Hampshire in the group 1 of the qualifying round of the glamorous event. Both Sialkot and Hampshire have been in superb form in the recent times, which makes it very hard for the Kiwis to proceed in the league.
While talking to Pakpassion, the out of favour cricketer admitted that the Aces are going to face stern competition from the other teams but claims that his side have the potential to surprise the cricket pundits.
“Hampshire and Sialkot are excellent teams. However, we have a good team and we should do well in this tournament,” said Mahmood. “I Hope Auckland do better this time around. We are placed alongside the Pakistani boys (Sialkot Stallions) – they have a good side and so do we. Hopefully, we’ll be able to advance to the later stages.”
Auckland will play their opening match today against the Stallions, followed by another fixture tomorrow versus Hampshire. In case of not qualifying for the main tournament, the Aces will be going back home.
Mahmood, being a seasoned professional, knows that the side does not have any room for error.
“If we get to the next stage, we’ll have a lot of games to play, and if you lose a game there, you still have a chance. However, the qualifying stage is the crucial one where you cannot afford to make any mistakes,” he added.
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