Dates | 11 September 2017 – 21 September 2017 |
---|---|
Administrator(s) | Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) |
Cricket format | Twenty20 |
Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and playoffs |
Host(s) | Afghanistan |
Champions | Band-e-Amir Dragons |
Participants | 6 |
Matches | 19 |
Player of the series | Karim Sadiq (Kabul Eagles) |
Most runs | Asghar Afghan (Kabul Eagles) 250 |
Most wickets | Zahir Khan (Mis Ainak Knights) 15 |
Official website | www |
The 2017 season of the Shpageeza Cricket League (Pashto: شپږيزه کريکټ ليګ ۲۰۱۷), also known as SCL 5, was the fifth edition of the Shpageeza, a professional Twenty20 cricket league established by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in 2013. The tournament featured the six teams that played in the previous season. The 2017 season was reported to be played from 18 to 28 July 2017, but took place in September 2017, with the Kabul International Cricket Ground hosting all the matches.[1]
The player auction took place in May 2017.[2] Overseas players sold during the auction included Umar Akmal, Sohail Tanvir, Kamran Akmal, Rumman Raees, Sohail Khan, Mohammad Nawaz and Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes and Sabbir Rahman (Bangladesh), Sikandar Raza, Solomon Mire, Sean Williams and Hamilton Masakadza (Zimbabwe) and Rayad Emrit (West Indies).[2] However, following a breakdown in relations between the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the PCB banned its players from taking part.[3] The Bangladesh players also withdrew. As a result of this, and the tournament moving from July to September, overseas players were redrafted.[4] Shortly before the tournament, Sean Williams decided not to travel to join up with Spin Ghar Tigers in order to work on his fitness.[5]
On 13 September 2017, during the match between Boost Defenders and Mis Ainak Knights, a suicide bomber detonated explosives at a checkpoint near the road leading to the stadium, killing three people.[6] The match was briefly halted, but soon resumed.[6] Following the blast, the South African and Zimbabwean cricket boards ordered their representatives to return home. However, most of the Zimbabwean players opted to remain and continue with the tournament, as did the majority of other overseas players, coaches, and commentators[7][8][9] such as Dean Jones who expressed his solidarity with the people of Afghanistan.[10] This was the first edition of the tournament since the ICC granted it official Twenty20 status (originally it was given List A cricket status before the 50-over Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One Day Tournament was also recognised).[11][12]
For the first time in the history of the tournament, since its introduction in 2013 edition of Shpageeza Cricket League, the six teams are now franchise based team and are sold/owned for 3 years, by the winning bid franchises.
After the squads were announced,[4] Band-e-Amir Dragons added Tendai Chatara (Zimbabwe) and Ashan Priyanjan (Sri Lanka), while Boost Defenders added Abdul Razak (South Africa) and Johnathan Campbell (Zimbabwe) to their squads as overseas players.
Team[14] | Pld | W | L | T | NRR | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Band-e-Amir Dragons | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | +1.689 | 8 |
Mis Ainak Knights | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | +0.437 | 8 |
Kabul Eagles | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | +0.337 | 6 |
Boost Defenders | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | –0.172 | 4 |
Spin Ghar Tigers | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | –1.017 | 4 |
Amo Sharks | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | –1.441 | 0 |
11 September 2017
Scorecard |
Boost Defenders
136/7 (20 overs) |
v
|
Kabul Eagles
140/2 (17.2 overs) |
11 September 2017
Scorecard |
Amo Sharks
159/7 (20 overs) |
v
|
Spin Ghar Tigers
159/8 (20 overs) |
12 September 2017
Scorecard |
Mis Ainak Knights
139/6 (20 overs) |
v
|
Band-e-Amir Dragons
133 (18.5 overs) |
12 September 2017
Scorecard |
Spin Ghar Tigers
193/6 (20 overs) |
v
|
Boost Defenders
180/8 (20 overs) |
13 September 2017
Scorecard |
Amo Sharks
130/9 (20 overs) |
v
|
Kabul Eagles
131/4 (17 overs) |
13 September 2017
Scorecard |
Boost Defenders
201/6 (20 overs) |
v
|
Mis Ainak Knights
194/8 (20 overs) |
14 September 2017
Scorecard |
Band-e-Amir Dragons
162/9 (20 overs) |
v
|
Spin Ghar Tigers
80 (14.3 overs) |
14 September 2017
Scorecard |
Amo Sharks
111/7 (20 overs) |
v
|
Mis Ainak Knights
112/2 (17.4 overs) |
15 September 2017
Scorecard |
Band-e-Amir Dragons
154/7 (20 overs) |
v
|
Boost Defenders
148/9 (20 overs) |
15 September 2017
Scorecard |
Spin Ghar Tigers
182/4 (20 overs) |
v
|
Kabul Eagles
157/2 (16.1 overs) |
16 September 2017
Scorecard |
Kabul Eagles
146/8 (20 overs) |
v
|
Mis Ainak Knights
152/8 (20 overs) |
16 September 2017
Scorecard |
Boost Defenders
130/7 (20 overs) |
v
|
Amo Sharks
66/6 (12 overs) |
17 September 2017
Scorecard |
Spin Ghar Tigers
130/9 (20 overs) |
v
|
Mis Ainak Knights
132/3 (17.4 overs) |
17 September 2017
Scorecard |
Amo Sharks
102 (18.3 overs) |
v
|
Band-e-Amir Dragons
105/1 (11.2 overs) |
18 September 2017
Scorecard |
Kabul Eagles
133/9 (20 overs) |
v
|
Band-e-Amir Dragons
136/5 (18.1 overs) |
Mis Ainak Knights
164/8 (20 overs) |
v
|
Band-e-Amir Dragons
140 (19.1 overs) |
Boost Defenders
131/9 (20 overs) |
v
|
Kabul Eagles
132/5 (19.4 overs) |
Band-e-Amir Dragons
182/3 (20 overs) |
v
|
Kabul Eagles
168/3 (20 overs) |
Band-e-Amir Dragons
158/7 (20 overs) |
v
|
Mis Ainak Knights
154/7 (20 overs) |