Veterans XI, AJK XI to play exhibition match to inaugurate Stadium

ISLAMABAD—The International-standard Cricket Stadium at Mirpur (Azad Kashmir) will be formally inaugurated with an exhibition match between Pakistan Veterans’ XI and AJK XI at the newly-constructed venue on Thursday.
The proceeds from the One-Day match at the 14,000-capacity Stadium will go to the President’s Relief Fund for the Earthquake- affectees, the officials said.
The Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir has built the Stadium from its own resources at a cost of roughly Rs. 80 million. Situated on the banks of 130-Square Kilometer Mangla Lake which is Pakistan’s biggest man-made lake, the Stadium has a picturesque background view.
Pakistan Veterans’ XI selected for the exhibition match includes former Test captains Javed Miandad and Wasim Akram while half the AJK XI will be made up of England-based players hailing from Azad Kashmir.
“The professional cricketers from England with family origins to Azad Kashmir are eager to compete in this match and other cricket tournaments in this country since it’s an off-season for cricket in England”, according to cricket circles.
They said that the opening of Mirpur Cricket Stadium will also help further promote this game in Azad Kashmir which would soon be upgraded to full-fledged “cricket region” and this region will be represented in the first-class domestic cricket.
The “Cricket for a Cause” exhibition match between Veterans XI and AJK XI will be live-televised. Besides former superstars Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram and Mudassar Nazar, who will have token participation in the match, the other prominent cricketers of yesteryears on the field for Veterans XI will be leg spinners Abdul Qadir and Mushtaq Ahmed, fast bowler Aaqib Javed and brothers Manzoor Elahi and Zahoor Elahi etc.
The Veterans XI will be as: Nadeem Abbasi, Zahoor Elahi, Shahid Anwar, Ali Zia, Manzoor Elahi, Akram Raza, Ashraf Ali, Abdul Qadir, Mushtaq Ahmed, Aaqib Javed, Mohsin Kamal, Jawaid Hayat, Mudassar Nazar, Javed Miandad and Waseem Akram.
The AJK XI will be selected as:Tahir Naqqash, Qadeer Ali, Moin Ali (Captain), Muhammad Fiaz, Omer Ali, Muhammad Imran, Mumtaz Ali, Sajjad Ali (all from UK), Usman Mir, Fahad Ikram, Imran Rafiq, Imran Talib, Muhammad Javed, Furqan Habib (all AJK).—APP