Report By Maqsood Ahmed.
The trophy of the IMC Over-40 T20 World Cup was unveiled at a local hotel in Karachi, marking the official start of the event today. During the media briefing, Chairman of the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association, Fawad Ejaz Khan, said that for the first time, the International Masters Cricket Council is organizing the Over-40 World Cup in the T20 format. Hosting this major event is a great honor for Pakistan.
He expressed heartfelt gratitude to PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, police, and other security agencies for their full cooperation in making the event possible.
A total of 42 matches will be played across five venues in Karachi — including National Bank Stadium, Moin Khan Academy DHA, NBP Sports Complex, Karachi Gymkhana, and Southend Club DHA — between teams from Pakistan, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, USA, Canada, Hong Kong, UAE, Rest of the World XI, and Rest of Gulf XI.
All of Pakistan’s matches, including the semifinals and final, are scheduled at National Bank Stadium at 1:30 PM, while matches at other venues will begin at 9 AM.
Responding to a question, Fawad Ejaz Khan said he wished to see Pakistan-India matches happen, but they do not know why these fixtures are not taking place. He added that the PCB chairman’s stance against the policies of the Indian cricket board is justified. The 2026 Over-40 World Cup was earlier scheduled to be held in India, but IMC has now awarded the hosting rights to Guyana.
Fawad Ejaz further said that former Test all-rounder Abdul Razzaq will lead the Pakistan team, while former Test cricketer Fawad Alam will serve as vice-captain. The squad includes former captain Shahid Afridi, ex-Test players Zulfiqar Babar, Sohail Khan, Tabish Khan, Humayun Farhat, along with Shehryar Ghani, Nadeem Javed, Irfan Mushtaq, Adnan Baig, Mohammad Ali, Atif Maqbool, Javed Mansoor, Hassan Nasir, Mohammad Suleman, Tariq Mahmood, and Imran Ali.
Former Test cricketer Ejaz Faqih is the chief selector, while Jalaluddin is serving as head coach. Legendary cricketer Javed Miandad has been appointed as the team mentor, and Azam Khan as team manager. For the first time in history, women umpires from the IMC panel will also officiate matches.