KARBONN SMART CLt20 PREVIEW: Yorkshire flying high

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The excitement generated by Yorkshire’s charge to become runners-up in the Friends Life t20 competition this summer is set to be rekindled as Andrew Gale’s side fly out to South Africa to make their debut in the Karbonn Smart CLt20.

A 15-man squad flies out to the Champions League on Tuesday ahead of a two-match Pool B qualifying campaign starting on 9 October.

It is just reward for a superb showing in t20 cricket this summer which culminated in a crunching 36-run win against the much fancied Sussex Sharks in Cardiff on 25 August. That win, arguably the best Yorkshire performance of a host of excellent outings in 2012, saw a Champions League berth secured.

The narrow defeat to Hampshire in the evening’s final was disappointing as it denied the club silverware, but could not take away a prize that will see Andrew Gale’s men pit their wits against the very best club sides in the world.

Yorkshire start their time in the world’s spotlight in a three team Pool B, also consisting of Uva Next from Sri Lanka and Trinidad and Tobago from West Indies. Each side plays the others once with the table toppers progressing into the five-team Group ‘B’ of the main draw to play Sydney Sixers, Mumbai Indians, Highveld Lions and Chennai Super Kings.

The top two sides in Group B join the top two from Group A to contest the semi-finals and final between 25 and 28 October.

Somerset have been the most successful of the English contingent during the three previous competed tournaments (the 2008 inaugural competition was cancelled due to the Mumbai bombings) as they reached the semi-finals in India last year.

Qualifying for the group stages would guarantee Yorkshire a minimum of US$200,000, while the winners bank US$2.5 million.

England’s progress in the World Twenty20 could affect the availability of Jonny Bairstow with the final on October 7 in Colombo with Yorkshire playing their two qualifying matches on October 9 and 10.

Trinidad and Tobago however are weakened by the absence of Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo and Sunil Narine who will play for their Indian Premier League sides.

YORKSHIRE’S SQUAD

Andrew GALE (capt), Moin ASHRAF, Gary BALLANCE, Oliver HANNON-DALBY, Dan HODGSON, Phil JAQUES, Adam LYTH, David MILLER, Azeem RAFIQ, Adil RASHID, Joe ROOT, Steve PATTERSON, Ryan SIDEBOTTOM, Iain WARDLAW and Eddie WILSON.

PRIZE MONEY

Winner – $2.5 million (£1.54m)
Runner-up – $.1.3m (£800,000)
Losing semi-finalists – $500,000 (£308,000)
Teams finishing fifth-to-tenth – $200,000 (£123,000)

PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR (non-Yorkshire)

Martin Guptill (Auckland)
MS Dhoni (Chennai)
Kevin Pietersen (Delhi)
Shahid Afridi (Hampshire)
Jacques Kallis (Kolkata)
Dirk Nannes (Lions)
Sachin Tendulkar (Mumbai)
Mitchell Marsh (Perth)
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan (Sialkot)
Mitchell Starc (Sydney)
Jacques Rudolph (Titans)
Adrian Barath (T&T)
Umar Gul (Uva Next)

WEBSITE COVERAGE

You need look no further than the Yorkshire website to keep up-to-date with all of the Yorkshire action from arrival to departure, whenever that will be.

James Buttler is travelling to South Africa to continue the website, Twitter and video coverage as the 2012 season stretches into October.