PESHAWAR
A trial to select the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Women Softball team got underway here at PSB Coaching Center on Thursday.
Talking to APP, President KP Softball Association Shahid Khan Shinwari along with three members selection committee comprising Miss Sumayyah (Swat), Miss Sana Liaqat (Peshawar) and Asim Khan (Swabi) have thoroughly monitored the performance of the players before short-listing them to the camps. The female players from Swat, Haripur, Mansehera, Abbottabad, Nowshera, Charsadda, Swabi, Mardan turned up for the trials on their own expenses.
The players expressed their concern over inclusion of players of Peshawar in the different teams and said that despite talented players of other districts attending the trials on their own expenses, they are not given any chance to be part of the team, representing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The organizers mostly preferred players from Peshawar and ignored the talented players from other districts in the selection for the forthcoming National Games.
“How can we record the protest? Even though we have more talent than the players they have given preference in selection, we are mostly ignored in the team selection.
“We went through different newspapers and turned up for the trials from far flung districts but we could not find a place in the selection,” the players told this agency when contacted. “We we can record our protest and to whom,” they said.
There should be a proper committee to see the performance of the players on merits before selection, the protesting players told media.
When contacted, President of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Softball Association Shahid Khan Shinwari assured that they would hold a trial purely based on merits instead of selecting players only from Peshawar.
He said a proper selection committee, headed by him, has been announced, who would see the performance of the players during the 10-days camp to be starting from Friday (May 5) at PSB Coaching Center or Jinnah College for Women, University of Peshawar. The place for the camp would be decided on Friday.
It is good that players from other districts have turned up for the trials and the association has given travelling expenses and accommodations to the players even during the trials, which is happening for the first time.
He said a good and strong team would be selected for the 34th National Games instead of selecting players only from Peshawar district and giving the name of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa team has representation of all districts even from the merged areas could also participate in the trials, Shahid Khan said.
