South African great Jacques Kallis attracts top bid at MCL auction

This content was originally posted in 7DAYS UAE website at: South African great Jacques Kallis attracts top bid at MCL auction South African great Jacques Kallis was the most expensive purchase at the inaugural Masters Cricket League auction as he was snapped up by the Libra Legends for $175,000. The all-rounder only retired from the game last year after amassing 13,289 runs and taking 292 wickets in Test cricket. One of 250 players who will participate in next year’s highly-anticipated Twenty20 tournament, Kallis will be joined by legends such as Brian Lara, Muttiah Muralitharan and Adam Gilchirst. Six teams assembled their squads at the auction, with only players that have retired from all forms of professional cricket eligible to play in the MCL. The UAE will be represented in the competition, with former captain Khurram Khan joining the Sagittarius Soldiers for $22,000, while all-rounder Mohammad Tauqir was snapped up by the Leo Lions for $10,000. Speaking at the auction, former Pakistan bowler Azhar Mahmood said he is confident the tournament will be a success. “It’s great to see players from all around the world involved in the MCL and I’m sure it will be a really good tournament,” Mahmood, who will play for Virgo Super Kings, told 7DAYS. “The level of players involved is very high and I’m sure it will be very competitive.” Scheduled to take place between January 18 – February 14, 2016, all matches will be played at Dubai International Cricket Stadium and Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The MCL also announced it has received 10-year approval from the Emirates Cricket Board. Full squad lists: Capricorn Commanders – Michael Vaughan, Abdul Razzaq, Paul Collingwood, Andrew Symonds, Chamara Silva, Ashwell Prince, Upul Chandana, Ryan McLaren, Jeetan Patel, Rikki Clarke, Rory Kleinveldt, Ben Laughlin, Rizwan Cheema, Geraint Jones, Sunil Joshi, Saleem Elahi. Gemini Arabians – Virender Sehwag, Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kyle Mills, Saqlain Mushtaq, Jacques Rudolph, Naved-ul-Hasan, Justin Kemp, Paul Harris, Brad Hodge, Richard Levi, Ashish Bagai, Graham Onions, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Saqib Ali. Libra Legends – Sourav Ganguly, Graeme Swann, Jacques Kallis, Brad Hogg, Ryan ten Doeschate, Ajay Ratra, Chris Read, Sean Ervine, Shaun Tait, Ryan Sidebottom, Michael Lumb, Marcus North, Taufeeq Umar, Nicky Boje, Ian Butler. Leo Lions – Heath Streak, Scott Styris, Brian Lara, Herschelle Gibbs, Brendan Taylor, James Franklin, Johan Botha, Robin Peterson, Fidel Edwards, Mohammad Tauqir, Neil Carter, Hamish Marshall, Kyle Jarvis, Ramesh Powar, Simon Jones, Darren Gough. Sagittarius Soldiers – Mahela Jayawardene, Daniel Vettori, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Bond, Khurram Khan, Phil Mustard, Tino Best, Nathan Hauritz, Alviro Petersen, Michael Carberry, Krishmar Santokie, Jonathan Trott, Yasir Hameed, Mushtaq Ahmed, Gavin Hamilton. Virgo Super Kings – Graeme Smith, Azhar Mahmood, Brett Lee, Jonty Rhodes, Neil McKenzie, John Mooney, Dirk Nannes, Owais Shah, James Foster, Murali Kartik, Malinga Bandara, Gareth Batty, Hasan Raza, Jacob Oram, Humayun Farhat, Mohammad Yousuf. Read the original story at: South African great Jacques Kallis attracts top bid at MCL auction