Abu Dhabi Twenty20: teams, fixtures, tickets and all you need to know

Amith Passela gives you the lowdown on Abu Dhabi Cricket's October 4-6 tournament

Tymal Mills will be in action for the Hobart Hurricanes at the Abu Dhabi T20. Getty Images

Abu Dhabi Cricket’s first Twenty20 tournament has drawn some of the best from around the globe featuring teams from the Big Bash in Australia, the Vitality Blast in England and the Pakistan Super League.

The competition is made up of six teams split in to two groups and will be played over three days from Thursday, October 4. Each team will face their respective group opponents in a round-robin league with the top two meeting in the final at Zayed Cricket Stadium.

When

Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Where

Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi.

The teams

Group A

Yorkshire Vikings (England), Hobart Hurricanes (Australia), Lahore Qalandars (Pakistan). Group B

Auckland Aces (New Zealand), Boost Defenders (Afghanistan), Multiply Titans (South Africa).

Fixtures

Thursday, October 4

4pm: Auckland v Boost; 8pm: Vikings v Lahore

Friday, October 5

3pm: Hobart v Lahore; 7pm: Titans v Boost

Saturday, October 6

11am: Vikings v Hobart; 3pm: Titans v Auckland; 8pm: Final

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Players to watch

Gary Ballance (Yorkshire Vikings)

At 16, the left handed batsman played for Zimbabwe in the 2006 U19 World Cup and later represented England in 23 Tests and 16 ODIs. He arrives in Abu Dhabi after scoring 194 and 60 in Yorkshire’s seven-wicket win over Worcestershire in the County Championship.

Farhaan Behardien (Multiply Titans)

The South African all-rounder reached 6,000 first-class runs before heading to Abu Dhabi. He is one of the most capped players in the Abu Dhabi T20, having played for the Proteas in 59 ODIs and 37 T20 internationals. His last appearance for South Africa was in a T20 match against India in February.

Imran Nazeer (Lahore Qalandars)

The dashing Pakistan opener makes his long awaited return almost five years after arthritis threatened to cut short his career. An exciting batsman to watch when he has the wind in his sails. Will be great to see it the old sparkle is still there.

Ben Duckett (Hobart Hurricanes)

The wicketkeeper-batsman amassed 2,705 runs in 2016 to earn a call-up for England’s winter tour to Bangladesh and India. Off-field indiscipline has seen his international ambitions put on hold but the 23 year old has not given up hopes of a recall in the future.

Kyle Abbott (Boost Defenders)

The tall South African seam bowler is returning from a super final month with Hampshire. He bagged three five-wicket hauls in a row and a hat-trick to round off the 2018 season with 51 County Championship wickets. Was named fans player of the year and bowler of the year.

Craig Cachopa (Auckland Aces)

With the New Zealand national team players not available for the Abu Dhabi T20, the Aces captain believes it’s an opportunity for some of their young players to show their skills to a new audience. The South African-born wicketkeeper-batsman has captained the New Zealand Under 19 side and had a spell with English County side Sussex in 2016.

Tickets

Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.ae or the Zayed Cricket Stadium box office. Prices start from Dh25.

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Read more:

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