Waqas confident of North West Warriors success in LMS Super League
By our correspondent
LIVERPOOL: North West Warriors captain Waqas Khan on Monday said that his brigade has a bright chance to qualify for the final round of the 100-ball Last Man Stands (LMS) event being held here in England at various venues.
“We have a balanced side and are confident to qualify for the main round,” Waqas told thecricketplus.com in an interview.
“We also have a hard-hitting batsman Sultan Zeb who can also bowl well and pacer Sohrab Khan. I lead the team as an all-rounder. Our entire bunch is highly talented and we have beaten some tough teams in the preliminaries,” Waqas said.
North West Warriors, featuring cricketers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have qualified for the semi-finals where they will meet Liverpool Tigers, featuring cricketers from Afghanistan, on September 4 here at the Port Sunlight Cricket Club Ground.
“Our preparation for the Super League is very good. We practice regularly and hopefully we will achieve our goal. The winners will then feature in the main round to be held in Cape Town, South Africa,” Waqas said.
South African former premier batsman AB de Villiers is the creator of this tournament in which majority of the nations from around the world are taking part.
The preliminary rounds are being conducted on carpet pitches while the final round will be held on grassy pitches at Cape Town.
Liverpool region has been divided into six different zones including Merseyside, Liverpool South, Liverpool North, Saint Hellens, Wirral and Warrington.
One outfit from each zone progressed to the Super League. This is an eight-a-side event and the last man also can bat in it. However, he can only take a double, four or hit a six. He cannot take a single or three runs.
Each bowler can bowl four fours in the 20-over show. Each over comprises five balls. The wide balls are too counted but with varied penalties.
On the first wide there is one run penalty while on the second it goes to three runs.
North West Warriors are being technically supported by former Pakistan Test pacer Mohammad Zahid who is serving as coach of Sefton Park Cricket Club here in Liverpool.
“Yes, Zahid bhai is helping us a lot,” Waqas said. Waqas, who belongs to Peshawar, has formed his team.