When Lahore Lions qualified for the main tournament, the whole build-up was around their batting unit, which many thought was their strongest point. There was a common belief that Lahore Lions are a side that relies on its batting to win the matches. The likes of Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal are all international players and Lahore Lions were relying heavily on them, as far as Champions League Twenty20 2014(CLT20 2014) is concerned.
But, contrary to the common belief before the start of the tournament, Lahore Lions’ batting failed and apart from a couple of good performances, Lahore Lions’ batsmen struggled to score runs, and this led to their downfall in the tournament. The biggest disappointment for the Lahore Lions was the horrible batting form of their captain Mohammad Hafeez, who scored on 17 runs in three matches. Nasir Jamshed, who’s struggling to make a comeback to the national side, also didn’t make any contribution and scored only 21 runs in the tournament. Ahmed Shehzad, who got injured before the last match, played two matches and scored 65 runs, including a brilliant knock of 59 runs of 42 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Umar Akmal was the only highlight of Lahore Lions batting. Akmal scored 135 runs in the tournament. He played two knocks- 40 off 24 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders and 73 off 45 balls against Dolphins.
Yong Saad Nasim was one of the few positives for Lahore Lions. Naseem scored 112 runs and took 3 wickets in the tournament.
All in all, it was a very disappointing tournament for Lahore Lions, as they managed to win only one match.
But, having said this, the young players will surely learn form the experience of playing against the best in the world and in front of big crowds. Lahore Lions’ inclusion in the main stage of CLT20 2014 will encourage other domestic teams in Pakistan to do better.
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by The Cricket Lounge
image source: ESPNCRICINFO
