Former Pakistan legend Akram hails ILT20’s global rise

Legendary Pakistan cricketer and DP World ILT20 commentator Wasim Akram has praised the DP World ILT20’s rise as a global T20 league, highlighting the quality of cricket and the rapid development of UAE players across four seasons.

On Sunday night, the Desert Vipers clinched their maiden DP World ILT20 title with a victory over MI Emirates in front of a full house at the Dubai International Stadium.

Reflecting on the atmosphere at the blockbuster final, Akram said, “You can see the atmosphere outside, it’s a packed house. Families, kids, all enjoying the game. My call time was at four in the afternoon and when I arrived it was already full. That shows this league is going places. I think it’s definitely up there with the top leagues in the world. The cricket has been exceptional, so many games going down to the last over, including a Super Over and that’s what makes this tournament special.”

The icon with 916 wickets across formats pointed to the impact made by UAE players as one of the most encouraging aspects of the season.

He opined, “What makes me happy is the way the UAE players performed. Players like Muhammad Waseem [MI Emirates], Khuzaima Tanveer [Desert Vipers], Ajay Kumar [Abu Dhabi Knight Riders], and of course Zahoor Khan [MI Emirates] before his injury - they’ve all done well.

“Tanveer got 17 wickets, and his length was excellent. Ajay Kumar also impressed everyone. Zahoor is a specialist - after 12 or 13 overs he would come in and bowl three overs, and he was MI Emirates’ main bowler at the back end.”

Associated with the DP World ILT20 since its inaugural season, the 59-year-old noted the league’s evolution and the clear improvement in local talent, reflected in the race for the tournament’s signature belts. Muhammad Waseem finished second in the race for the Green Belt (Best Batter) and secured the fourth place in the hunt for the Red Belt (Most Valuable Player).

Meanwhile Abu Dhabi Knight Riders’ Ajay Kumar picked up 18 wickets - the same number as the White Belt (Best Bowler) winner, Dubai Capitals’ Waqar Salamkheil.

“If you look from the first year to the fourth year, you can see how much the local talent has improved. There are belts for batting, for MVP, for bowling - and now your bowlers are competing for them. That tells you how much this league is about developing local talent. Everyone knows their names now. You didn’t know them in the first year, not even the second, but you’re getting better performances every year.”

Looking ahead, he stressed the importance of longer-format cricket as a foundation for sustained progress for UAE.

“If you want to further improve your cricket, you must play longer formats as well.”