PESHAWAR
Six foreign coaches including three Test cricketers will be involved in the second year of the Engro Cricket Coaching Project under the PCB Pathway Cricket Program that commences next week.
Around 120 players from U13 to U19 age group will be provided training by foreign as well as local coaches from July 10 to August 10 in Lahore and Muridke. For the program, PCB and Engro Corporation entered into a three-year agreement last year, on the basis of which, Engro Corporation is sponsoring the foreign coaches involved in the program.
The Elite coaches include Australia’s Geoff Lawson, New Zealand’s Scott McLaren (strength and conditioning coach), South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs, United Kingdom’s Gordon Parsons and Julien Fountain and Zimbabwe’s Tatenda Taibu.
The coaches that have played international cricket include Australia’s Lawson (46 Tests, 79 ODIs), South Africa’s Gibbs (90 Tests, 248 ODIs, 23 T20Is) and Zimbabwe’s Taibu (28 Tests, 150 ODIs, 17 T20Is).
At one time, five coaches will work in the coaching project, with Gibbs working with the U13 and U16 players only. He will depart on July 16 and will be replaced by Lawson, who will arrive on July 22 to work a couple of days with the U16 players before joining the U19 cricket clinic.
Parsons, who has worked as bowling and head coach in South Africa and the UK, was involved in last year’s program and remained bowling coach during Pakistan U19’s home series against Bangladesh in November 2022. Parsons will be bowling coach in the program, while former Pakistan Men’s fielding coach Fountain will work as fielding coach in the program.
U13
A total of 25 U13 players selected for the program will undergo training at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) from July 13-25. The players born on or after September 1, 2010 are eligible for selection. Furthermore, the players have been selected considering their performances in the Inter-Region U13 One-Day Tournament which was held this year from March 12 to May 5 and the players who were part of the 100 Program last year. The players that have performed in the U13 tournament, but are overage have been migrated to U16 level.
U16
Similarly, 37 U16 players will take part in the program at the Muridke Country Club (MCC) from July 10 to 25. The players born on or after September 1, 2007 have been selected to feature in the program. The players are selected after performing in the Inter-Region U16 One-Day Tournament which was held this year from March 12 to May 6 and who were part of 100 programs last year. Like U13, the players that have performed in the U16 tournament, but are overage have progressed to U19 level.
U19
Likewise, around 58 U19 players in two groups will work under elite coaches at the NCA and MCC concurrently from July 26 to August 10, 2023. The eligibility criteria for the U19 players is September 1, 2004. The names of the players will be announced in due course.
