Pakistan's ICC World Twenty20 squad members were given a rest from the RBS 20-20 Cup final, which was contested tonight between the Lahore Lions and the Sialkot Stallions.

The Stallions' skipper, Shoaib Malik, along with the Lions' openers Salman Butt and Ahmed Shehzad, and Kamran Akmal were given a day off before they fly out to England, along with the rest of the squad, tomorrow.

Imran Nazir stepped in for Shoaib Malik and captained the Stallions, taking them to their 4th consecutive domestic twenty20 title.

Batting first, the Lions posted 150 on the back of a typical Imran Farhat knock of 47 off 27 deliveries (6 fours, 2 sixes).

Imran Nazir was once again at the top of his game and took the match away from the Lions with his 3rd fifty in 4 matches. Nazir smashed the Lions around for a 26 ball 57 that included 3 sixes and 6 fours.

Nazir posted his 50 off only 17 deliveries, which was one of the fastest 50s in all twenty20 cricket. But he couldn't better his 2005 effort of 14 balls.

Imran Nazir's awesome form in the 20-20 cup, which he ended as the leading run scorer (211 runs in 4 innings at an average of 70), is a reminder to the selectors of what they are missing. He needs to be whisked away from domestic cricket and hurled back into the Pakistan ranks asap!

He wasn't the only "ICL rebel" who reminded the PCB selectors of where they had wronged in the past; Abdul Razzak was the leading wicket taker of the RBS Cup with 11 wickets in 5 matches, and well ahead of all others.

Something to think about PCB selectors!

For all those who keep doubting Kamran Akmal behind the stumps, here's a little something to think about: no one in Pakistan's domestic circles comes close to him when it comes to wicket keeping.

Contrary to what I reported yesterday, Pakistan's ICC World Twenty20 squad members did turn out for the RBS 20-20 Cup semi finals.

Salman Butt (25 off 33) and Ahmed Shehzad (10 off 13) once again showed why the PCB selectors have been so wrong in their choice of openers for the 20-20 world cup.

Hell, Salman Butt hasn't even opened in the last few matches.

Lahore Lions have so many of them in these two, Nasir Jamshed (1st ball duck), and Imran Farhat (33 off 27), that it confuses Abdul Razzak.

Butt, Shehzad, and Nasir have taken turns in getting those 1st ball ducks. Well it was 2nd ball ducks for the former two, but you know what I mean.

Despite that, the Lahore Lions won a close match against the Islamabad Leopards and booked their place in tonight's final.

If it wasn't for Kamran Akmal the Lions would have been embarassed, but he managed a well made unbeaten 27 off 18 deliveries with 2 sixes and a boundary, to take them home by 3 wickets in the last over.

Razzak hasn't used Akmal well during the RBS Cup. In the first 2 games, he didn't get a hit; and then in the last game and the semi he batted at numbers 7 and 8. With the World Twenty20 around the corner, I believe Akmal should have been given more batting practice.

Akmal's keeping however has been top notch! - with another 2 catches in the semi, he's on 9 dismissals in 4 matches.

In the 2nd semi final, the defending champions Sialkot Stallions easily beat the Lahore Eagles after posting 181 in their 20 overs.

Imran Nazir faced only 10 deliveries - 4 he missed or hit to the fielders, 3 of them he hit out of the ground, 2 of them he hit to the boundary, and 1 he got out on. And that is what he scored - 26 off 10.

Oh how we are going to miss him at the 20-20 world cup.

Shoaib Malik continued his good run with the bat with an aggressive 45 off 27 balls with 5 boundaries.

The Stallions are not only the defending champions but they have also won the domestic 20-20 title thrice in 3 years.

If they beat the Lahore Lions, who have been on a rampage under Razzak, they will make it 4 in a row.

Can the Lions stop them?

Should be a cracker tonight.

In the match of the day, the Lahore Lions beat the Faisalabad Wolves, to qualify for the semi finals of the RBS 20-20 Cup.

Abdul Razzak continued his fine form in the competition and reminded the Pakistan selectors of what they have been missing for a long time.

After his whirlwind century yesterday, Razzak made the ball talk today with a haul of 4-13, which helped restrict the Wolves to a low chaseable total.

Ahmed Shehzad (23 off 13) finally showed that he can bat at a better strike rate than 100, while this time it was Salman Butt's turn to get out for a 2nd ball duck.

Kamran Akmal (12* off 4) finally got a hit in the middle and all he needed was 4 deliveries to hit a 6 and a 4 to bring up the 5-wkt win for the Lions.

He continued his form behind the stumps with another 2 dismissals; he may finally make it into the Pakistan team as only a keeper!

Misbah continues to be absent from the Wolves' ranks. Where is he? He has disappeared after the Pakistan camp in the mountains. He even missed the 2 warm up matches that Pakistan played before this RBS Cup.

The Lahore Eagles who boast of no big names sprung a surprise on the favorites, the Karachi Dolphins, who look more like a Pakistan international team, beating them by 11 runs and qualifying for the semis.

Fawad Alam never fails to score or impress and was at his best today as well with an aggressive knock of 51 off 36 deliveries with a six and five boundaries.

If this isn't enough for Younis Khan then I don't know what Alam needs to do to get into a Pakistan playing XI.

Sohail Tanvir (2-18 off 4) picked up wickets again today, however what was a good sign was him being economical. Its good for Pakistan that he is getting into some form before the ICC World Twenty20.

Mohammad Aamer (3-20), the 17 year old left armer who is touted as the next big bowling thing for Pakistan and has been picked in the World Twenty20 squad, hit some form too, albeit after 2 very expensive games.

In the final match of the night, Imran Nazir once again lit up the Gaddafi with a belligerent 29 ball 60 with 9 fours and 2 sixes.

How Pakistan are going to miss him in the 20-20 world cup. He needs to be recalled back into the national team soon.

Shoaib Malik, the Stallions' skipper, was in great touch as well while knocking an unbeaten 62 off only 37 deliveries. His knock included a six and 6 boundaries.

These are good positive signs for Pakistan with most of their World Twenty20 squad members getting good hits out in the middle in 20-20 cricket. The bowlers have also done well.

The semi finals are tomorrow with Razzak's Lahore Lions taking on the Islamabad Leopards; and Malik's Sialkot Stallions clashing with the Lahore Eagles.

Still can't believe the Dolphins did not make it.

I hear that the Pakistan world twenty20 squad members will not be appearing in the semi finals.
They have been given a 2 day rest before they fly to England to play a couple of warm up 20-20 matches against South Africa (1st June) and India (3rd June), before starting their World Twenty20 campaign against hosts England on 7th June.

The day started with the news of why Shoaib Akhtar did not lead the Islamabad Leopards last night, and ended with the first century of the RBS 20-20 Cup.

Apparently the PCB contacted the Islamabad Cricket Association and told them that if they included Shoaib, he would be in violation of his central contract by not following the advice of PCB's medical experts.

That ends the genital warts saga, or maybe not so. Shoaib still has to speak and he will soon I think.

The 1st century of the RBS 20-20 Cup came from the bat of ICL rebel Abdul Razzak, who smashed the Quetta Bears for 8 sixes and 8 boundaries in a belligerent knock of 109 off only 51 deliveries.

Razzak raced to his 100 off only 48 balls; what was even more remarkable was that his 2nd 50 came off only 15 deliveries.

In hindsight, maybe the PCB should have fought harder for the inclusion of the ICL players in the World Twenty20 squad.

Salman Butt (31 off 20) continued his run of thirties; atleast he was more attacking than yesterday, but his opening partner Ahmed Shehzad failed to open his account.

With every innings I wonder why Nasir Jamshed is not in Pakistan's squad for the 20-20 world cup. For the 2nd day in a row he out shone Butt and Ahmed, with a knock of 58.

Razzak and Nasir ensured a huge total for the Lahore Lions, which was too big for the Bears who ended up losing by 74 runs.

The Lions are looking extremely strong - particularly the batting. Kamran Akmal has not had a hit yet in 2 matches, but he has been brilliant behind the stumps - 5 dismissals in 2 days and no drops - good going Kami!

The Karachi Dolphins, my favorites for the tournament, kicked off their campaign today with a big win over the Abottabad Rhinos.

For some reason Shahid Afridi is not leading the Dolhpins; Khalid Latif is. Found that quite strange considering that Afridi has led them to a couple of finals over the last few years.

Nevertheless, Afridi (34 off 20) was in fine form with the bat, but surprisingly he didn't pick up any wickets.

Fawad Alam as always showed once again why he is so highly rated on the domestic circuit -his 70 runs came off a mere 36 deliveries and inclued 11 boundaries; he even picked up 2 wickets with his left armers.

Pakistan need to make sure they get him in the XI once the World Twenty20 starts.

Alam was involved in a 100 run partnership with the Dolphin's opener and captain, Khalid Latif who smashed a 50 ball 81. His innings included 5 sixes and 7 fours and was another reminder to the PCB selectors about their wrong choice of openers for the 20-20 world cup.

Shahzaib Hasan though, who has been picked as the reserve opener, finally showed us why Younis Khan rates him so highly with an aggressive knock of 56 while opening the innings for the Karachi Zebras.

He has to do a bit more though to show me that he is a better bet than Nasir or Khalid.

Younis Khan (38 off 28) had another good day with the bat, however he led the Panthers to their 2nd loss in as many days. His and Pakistan's strike bowler Umar Gul though had another lacklustre day - he has now gone 2 matches without a wicket.

Misbah continues to be absent from the Faisalabad Wolves' ranks, and his stand-in Mohammad Hafeez continues to shine. He followed up his 74 and 3-5 yesterday with a 56 ball 79 and 3-14 against the Rawal Pindi Rams today.

Hafeez unfortunately will remain a domestic star; he has been unable to translate similar success in previous seasons at the international level.

Sohail Tanvir finally hit some form picking up 3 wickets today, but his effort was not enough to avoid a 2nd loss for the Rams.

After 2 days, the Wolves, Stallions, Dolphins, and the Leopards are leading their groups, with the latter 3 looking set for the Semi Finals.

The Lions look like the strongest team but they face a tough challenge against the Wolves tomorrow, the winner of which will win the race to the semi finals.

The first day of the RBS 20-20 Cup in Lahore witnessed Pakistan's ICL players returning to 20-20 cricket with a bang, while the Pakistan team members warmed up for their ICC World Twenty20 campaign.

The 13 team tournament kicked off today with 5 league games in Lahore.

As was reported earlier, Shoaib Akhtar did not turn out for the Islamabad Leopards. His genitals are probably still hurting and maybe someone forgot to tell him that painkillers do no good to warts in strange areas.

Coincidentally it was the same man who replaced Shoaib in Pakistan's World Twenty20 squad that captained the Leopards - Iftikhar Anjum.

Pakistan's captain, Younis Khan, leading the Peshawar Panthers in the competition, was the pick of the batsmen on day 1 as he played a belligerent knock of 70 runs off only 46 deliveries against the Leopards.

That was a welcome innings from the Pak skipper who has been struggling for runs of late in ODIs and 20-20 cricket. It couldn't have come at a better time with the World Twenty20 round the corner.

Imran Nazir, undoubtedly Pakistan's biggest star in 20-20 cricket who caught the world's imagination with a whirlwind century in the ICL final, returned to domestic cricket in Pakistan in a way that only Imran Nazir can.

He smashed the Karachi Zebras bowling to all corners of the Gaddafi Stadium in an unbeaten 68 off only 38 deliveries that included 5 sixes and 6 fours.

His effort led the defending champions, Sialkot Stallions, to an easy 8 wicket win over the Zebras as they chased down 133 with over 7 overs to spare.

The Stallions' captain, Shoaib Malik, was the pick of the bowlers with 3-25 in his 4.

Shahzaib Hasan, the 19 year old who was recently picked in Pakistan's World Twenty20 squad and is rated highly by Younis Khan, was bowled off the first ball of the Zebras' innings.

Saeed Ajmal, celebrated his clearance from the ICC with a top bowling effort for the Faisalabad Wolves, in which he conceded only 13 runs off his 4 overs and picked up 1 wicket.

The Wolves' skipper, Misbah, was missing from action for reasons that I have no idea about.

Mohammad Hafeez captained the Wolves in Misbah's place and came out with the performance of the day. His 74 runs led the Wolves to 218-2 in their 20 overs, and then he returned to destroy Quetta with his off spinners and ended with remarkable figures of 3-5 from his 4 overs.

Another ICL returnee to the ranks today was Abdul Razzak who captained the Lahore Lions and led them to an easy 8 wicket win over the Rawal Pindi Rams. Razzak did well with the ball picking up 2-28 in his 4 overs.

Sohail Tanvir, captaining the Rams, failed with both bat and ball. He came to bat at first drop and could manage only 7 runs, while his 2 overs cost him 20.

For the Lions, both the Pakistan openers - Salman Butt (30* off 24) and Ahmed Shehzad (28 off 32) - were among the runs, while discarded opener Nasir Jamshed played a little cameo knock off 32 off 17 deliveries.

I still don't get it what Nasir is not in the World Twenty20 squad.

In other news, while keeping for the Lions, Kamran Akmal managed to hold on to 1 catch and also effected a stumping. News is that he did not drop any, nor did he concede any byes.

The PCB selectors dished out two shockers in one day today.

A shock from the PCB is normal routine really, but two in the same day is a bit much!

The first shock came when they announced the 15 man squad for the series against Australia in the UAE.

Shoaib Akhtar made it to the team!

Shocked?

So was I. Well not really after hearing Abdul Qadir over the last few days, but even then it was shocking.

After his pathetic performance against Sri Lanka, after being dropped for the 3rd ODI against Sri Lanka, after missing the test and a half against Sri Lanka due to a knee injury, after claiming to have floating bones in his knees that require surgery, after being turned down by a doctor for conducting surgery on him, after claiming that the floaters have been removed without surgery, asfter appearing in 2 domestic ODI games and looking half fit, and after going through 3 days of fitness tests, in which Qadir claimed he looked fit, Shoaib Akhtar is back!

For how long though?

1 game? Maybe 2?

Maybe half a game!

The other shocker from the PCB was the inclusion of Imran Nazir, Abdul Razzak, and Rana Naveed ul Hasan in the 30 probables for the 20-20 World Cup.

Yes sir the ICL rebels are back!

With a small footnote however, which says "Inclusion in final team subject to ICC approval ".

Now now!

What sort of approval are they looking at I wonder.

Allowing ICL players to play international cricket?

Or allowing ICL players with cancelled contracts to return to international cricket?

Or making the ICL official?

The PCB has stepped into dangerous territory with this announcement.

The ICC reaction and more so the BCCI reaction are going to be interesting in the coming days.

"It is true that ICL is facing problems and they couldn't organise their tournament in March-April. But you go through good and bad times and one expects people to behave more maturely when tested."

"I didn't like the way Yousuf and Razzaq had offered to switch loyalty"

That is Moin Khan reacting to Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzak's statements saying that they were willing to cancel their ICL contracts if selected for Pakistan.

What else did you expect of these guys Moin?

Did you think they were going to stay loyal to you and the ICL for as long as they played?

You talk about behaving maturely when tested - is that how they behaved when they left their own country to join the ICL?

The moment they were tested, either by the captain or the selectors, they shifted loyalties.

Yet you expected that they would stand by the ICL during its bad times.

By now we all should know that all these players care about is themselves.

Had another league come up that would have offered them more money than the ICL, they would have torn their ICL contracts and jumped ship long time ago.

So Moin Khan, you of all people, definitely should know better.

Related Article: Moin Khan Miffed at Loyalty Switch

We first had MoYo.

Then we got YoYo.

Then came HaHa.

And today we bring to you RaRa!

Last ICL season, Ra denied the Lahore Badshahs the championship, despite all the efforts of the other Ra.

On opposite sides, Ra and Ra were at each other throats during the finals of the ICL 20-20 Championship - last season as well as this season.

In the 1st final this season, Ra smashed Ra all over the park before Ra got his wicket and dished out some abusive remarks.

Tempers flared between Ra nd Ra. Ra complained but no one listened.

In the 2nd final Ra clean bowled Ra and the contest stood even.

They did not cross paths in the 3rd final but stayed away from each other when handshakes were exchanged.

And then in true bollywood style, they were brought together in the ICL World Series as part of the ICL Pakistanis.

In today's must win game they were set an imposing target of 189 by the World XI, and were soon 2 down with only 38 on the board.

That's when Ra and Ra came together.

74 deliveries, 133 runs, 19 boundaries, 4 sixes, a record partnership, and a joint man of the match award later Ra and Ra became RaRa!

I have been reporting on the Australians who have taken the IPL by storm. Coaches, assistant coaches, domestic players, strength trainers - you name it and the IPL teams have these Aussies on their pay roll.

One glance at the other 20-20 league and you see that its the Pakistanis who are making the ICL their very own.

The Lahore Badshahs was an all Pakistani outfit that made it to the finals of the ICL Edelweiss 20s Challenge with an unbeaten run of 7 wins. In the finals they were stopped by another Pakistani, Abdul Razzak, who also won the player of the series award.

Lahore Badshahs won a lot of hearts in India and the public back in Pakistan followed them with intent. People around Dubai were also buzzing about how good the Badshahs looked.

Inzamam's leadership, the fielding, the attacking strokeplay from Imran Nazir, Imran Farhat, and Hasan Raza were all admired.

Mushy's guile and Saqlain taking wickets again reminded everyone about the great spinners Pakistan used to once have.

Azhar Mahmood showed how he has been treated so unfairly by the Pakistan selectors. And Abdul Razzak made sure that the PCB and its selectors have a lot more than just egg left on their face.

The Badshahs success and popularity across India, Pakistan, and elsewhere also led the ICL to hastily organize a 3-way tournament including teams from Pakistan, India, and a World XI.

The ICL have siezed on the classic India-Pakistan rivalry and it has given their league a new look altogether.

But what does this mean for Pakistan?

Domestic stars have left their departments and regional teams high and dry to play in India. Inzamam is leading a Pakistan XI, which can easily pass of as an international team. And the public is actually enjoying watching a Pakistan team that looks unbeatable. It doesn't matter who the competition is.

Is this good?

Initially I thought it was great since it brought an altogether different atmosphere to the ICL. But going forward if the Lahore Badshahs / ICL Pakistan do become the invincibles within the league, the fans will be somewhat divided. Who would watch an international side that easily beats the minnows but looks like one itself when facing tougher competition?

Already the public is more interested in the progress of ICL Pakistan in the ICL 20s World Series than it is in the on going international series against Bangladesh.

I heard that a victory parade in Lahore was being planned for the Lahore Badshahs before Razzak came to spoil the party. The same is being planned for ICL Pakistan if they win the 20s World Series. I can already sense the buzz around such a victory parade if it does happen.

The cricket starved Pakistani public will appear in thousands to watch Inzamam and his troops on a bus top driving from the airport to the Gaddafi or wherever else. Would they even care that the international team is playing Bangladesh?

Kapil Dev has announced that they are looking to take the ICL to Pakistan. In the next season the ICL will look to hold the Badshahs' matches in Lahore and Karachi. Talks are already taking place for this to happen in October. Its a great business move considering the interest the Badshahs have created in Pakistan.

But it definitely divides the public.

Imagine what would happen when an international team is touring Pakistan in October. There will be an ODI going on in the Gaddafi with Shoaib Malik and his men taking on Australia or South Africa. At the same time, Inzamam's Badshahs will be taking on the Hyderabad Heroes at the Lahore Gymkhana or the Garrison Cricket Ground.

Where would you go? Who would you rather watch?

There's a certain nostalgic factor associated with the Badhshahs. At the same time they are playing more exciting cricket than the international Pakistan team. The public is anti-PCB and the Badshahs boasts of players who have been projected as those treated unfairly by the cricket board.

The public's sentiment is with the Badshahs / ICL Pakistan.

The Pakistanis have 2 teams to support on the world stage. We may be fortunate but its also a dilemma. I hope the international team is not lost among the hype the Badshahs create.

I want the Badshahs' / ICL Pakistan's success but not at the expense of Pakistan's international team.

After the Lahore Badshahs won their first match of the ICL Edelweiss 20s Challenge, I mentioned elsewhere that knowing the Pakistani players I wouldn't be surprised to see them reaching the final undefeated and then losing it. That is exactly how ICL's 2nd edition ended last night.

I think I said it on Soulberry's blog or it could have been on Ottayan's. I tried looking for it but couldn't find it. (SB & OTT, can you help?)