The T20 Vitality Blast in the United Kingdom will feature eight Pakistani players.

BIRMINGHAM: As many as eight Pakistani players will take part in this year’s Vitality Blast, which kicks off on Saturday (today) at Birmingham’s Edgbaston stadium.

This will be the 21st season of the event, which began in June 2003 as the Twenty20 Cup and was the first precision T20 league.

The tournament will feature Pakistan’s ace fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, experienced pacer Hasan Ali, stylish left-hand opening batsman Shan Masood, all-rounder Shadab Khan, left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar, leg-spinner Usama Mir, and young guns Haider Ali and Zaman Khan.

Afridi, Shaheen Shah
Shaheen Shah Afridi, a left-arm fast bowler, has signed with Nottinghamshire Outlaws for this year’s Blast.

Shaheen temporarily represented Hampshire Hawks in the 2020 competition. He grabbed four wickets in four deliveries against Middlesex.

Shan Masood’s
Opening batter is a left-handed hitter. This season, Yorkshire Vikings are led by Shan Masood.

Masood also played in last year’s Vitality Blast and was the Derbyshire Falcons’ leading run scorer. He had 547 runs and guided the Falcons to the quarterfinals.

Hasan Ali, an experienced Test cricketer who has signed a deal with Warwickshire CCC for this season, will also play in the T20 league.

Hasan, the Birmingham Bears’ right-arm pacer, will likely spearhead the pace assault with Chris Woakes.

Khan, Shadab
Shadab Khan, an all-rounder, has signed a contract with Sussex Sharks and will play for them throughout the competition.

Shadab, a right-arm leg spinner who plays for Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), was a Yorkshire player last season.

Derbyshire have recruited explosive batsman Haider Ali for the upcoming county season. Haider will also represent Derbyshire Falcons in the T20 Blast.

The 22-year-old has appeared in 33 Twenty20 Internationals for Pakistan. In the PSL, he has played for Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings.

Derbyshire coach Mickey Arthur, who is also the director of the Pakistan men’s cricket team, recruited Haider.

Zafar Gohar, a left-arm spinner, will return to play for Gloucestershire CCC. Zafar, who has secured his position in the Gloucestershire fold with his all-round excellence over the previous three seasons, will play in the blast for Gloucester Gorillas.

Khan, Zaman
The Derbyshire Falcons have selected the 21-year-old pacer, along with Haider Ali, for the competition.

The youthful pace wonder is a product of the Lahore Qalandars’ player development programme and made his international debut for Pakistan in a T20I series against Afghanistan.

Usama Mir’s
Usama Mir, a leg spinner, will compete for Worcestershire Rapids in the blast.

Mir has appeared in six One-Day Internationals for Pakistan, as well as for Karachi Kings and, most recently, Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League.