CRICKET Namibia yesterday announced its inaugural Global T20 Namibia tournament, which will go ahead next month with three in stead of four teams, after the withdrawal of Bengal.
Telegraph India reported on Monday that the Indian state side had withdrawn from the T20 tournament after the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) refused to allow it's participation.
"Because it's a T20 competition with teams from other countries participating, and will be held in a league format, the board didn't give the go-ahead.
"The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) was told that had it been a 50-overs-aside tournament, participation would've been approved then," the Telegraph reported, adding that Indian cricketers are not allowed to take part in overseas T20 leagues in order to maintain the Indian Premier League's exclusivity.
Cricinfo also reported a CAB official as saying that the format was an issue.
"There seems to be a problem because of the format, it appears that had it not been T20s, there wouldn't be an issue," it said.
Cricket Namibia did not respond to queries about Bengal's withdrawal, but yesterday announced that the Pakistani franchise Lahore Qalandars and South African franchise DP World Lions will now compete against Namibia's Richelieu Eagles in the tournament which will take place at Wanderers in Windhoek from 1 to 9 September.
Each team will play each other twice, with the top two sides meeting in the final on 5 September. Following the T20 matches, the Richelieu Eagles will meet Lahore Qalandars in two 50-over games on 7 and 9 September," Cricket Namibia reported.
"The double header on Sunday, 4 September will be APS Pink Day, bringing together the entire Namibian community to raise both awareness of cancer and money in support of charities fighting the disease in the country," it added. "Fans will be encouraged to show their support by sharing #Pledge4Pink on social media and to dress up in pink as Lahore Qalandars take on DP World Lions in the morning and Richelieu Eagles close out the day against their South African neighbours in the evening," it said.
Cricket Namibia CEO, Johan Muller added: "We are extremely excited to announce this tournament. We believe there is value in a team-based tournament creating the platform for future stars to be seen."
"Inviting top domestic teams from prominent cricket nations will attract high domestic and international interest while delivering quality on-field entertainment. The purpose of the tournament is to aid our player development, World Cup preparations and player exposure, while creating a commercial product," he said.
Lahore Qalandars COO, Sameen Rana, added: "We're thrilled to be part of the inaugural Global T20 Namibia and our thanks go to Cricket Namibia for making this unique tournament a reality. We enjoy a special relationship with the country and its cricket fans thanks to David Wiese's integral role in helping us win our first Pakistan Super League trophy earlier this year and we can't wait to see everyone in Windhoek.
"This historic first edition will allow our young players to continue their development against two excellent teams. The opportunity to test their skills against this quality of opposition in different conditions to what we're used to will only improve their cricket."
DP World Lions CEO, Jono Leaf- Wright said they are looking forward to the tournament.
"We'll be up against some tough teams which will no doubt serve us well for the domestic season ahead and be an amazing experience for all of our players. Our excellent relationship with Cricket Namibia continues and the fact that they are uniting these three teams from three different nations - was a major drawcard for us at Lions Cricket."
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Richelieu Eagles squad:
Gerhard Erasmus (captain), JJ Smit (vice captain), Stephen Baard, Karl Birkenstock, Jan Frylinck, Zane Green (wicket-keeper), Divan La Cock, Nicol Loftie Eaton, Lohan Louwrens (wicket-keeper), Michael van Lingen, Tangeni Lungameni, Mauritius Ngupita, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo, Ruben Trumpelmann, Pikkie Ya France, Dirkie Theunissen.
Lahore Qalandars squad:
Hamza Nazar (captain), Ahsan Hafeez Bhatti, Aitizaz Habib Khan, Dilbar Hussain, Jalat Khan, Jehanzeb Naveed (Wicket-keeper), Mamoon Ur Riaz, Mansoor Saleem (Wicket-keeper), Mehboob Ur Rahman Usmani, Mirza Tahir Baig, Muhammad Naeem, Shane Dadswell, Sudais Khan, Usama Mir, Usman Khalid
DP World Lions squad: TBC
