Pakistani off-spinner Saeed Ajmal has expressed his excitement at his participation in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament to be held in India later this year, saying that he hoped that the Indian pitches will be an advantage for him in the tournament.
Doubts surrounding Pakistan’s participation in this year’s Champions League T20 were dismissed after the Indian organisers confirmed that the country’s domestic champions will feature in the qualifiers of the tournament.
However, the organisers later named Faisalabad Wolves, Ajmal’s team, among the teams that will take part in the qualifiers for the event that will be played in India from October 6 to October 17.
Expressing delight on the confirmation, Ajmal said that the conditions in India will suit his team as they have a good number of spinners, adding that he is looking forward to playing in India and having a good debut.
Terming the development as crucial, a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said that although it was doubted that the tournament will take place because of the fragile relations between India and Pakistan, the confirmation shows that the PCB’s diplomatic ties with India are intact.
Due to strained relations between the governments, the Champions League T20, run by the Indian board, ignored domestic sides from Pakistan in its first few years, the report added.