our correspondent
PESHAWAR
Former Test cricketer and pacer Muhammad Ikram, Director Cricket, Peshawar Zalmi Cricket Team, Monday said that in order to find new talent from all over the country, a talent hunt program called Mega Zalmi Camp got under way from Jamrud Sports Complex, Khyber District.
He said Peshawar Zalmi initiated search for new cricket talent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and in other cities of the country by introducing MGZalmi Camp wherein 70 short-listed players, who sent their videos during coronavirus, from Mohmand, Bajaur, Kohat and Khyber Districts turned up.
The best cricketers, he said, would be coaching and guiding them, Muhammad Akram said in a media talks. He said for the encouragement of the upcoming players, world-class players like Hashim Amla, Darren Sammy and other Zalmi Cricketers would play alongside the short-listed youngsters. Young cricketers who sent videos to Peshawar Zalmi on social media, he said, were invited to Zalmi camp in Peshawar, Wana, Miranshah, Abbottabad, Lahore and Karachi. “We will also go to Swat, Mardan, Swabi as well to search out new faces,” he informed.
He said, after the coronavirus situation improved, Peshawar Zalmi started its activities by following all SOPs with the name of “#MGZalmiCamp.” Peshawar Zalmi Cricket Director and former pacer Muhammad Akram met the young cricketers at the Jamrud Cricket Stadium and supervise the Talent Hunt program where shortlisted cricketers have been invited along side another former Test cricketer and world-class off spinner Arshad Khan and local Zalmi player Mohsin.
All cricketers and officials have followed Coronavirus precautions and SOPs during the trials. Cricketers who uploaded videos in #MGZalmiCamp during the Coronavirus outbreak have been invited to Talent Hunt to encourage these new faces. Peshawar Zalmi’s Director Cricketing Affairs Muhammad Akram said that to find new talent in merged tribal districts and in other cities of Pakistan such activities was launched.
The best young cricketers will be given coaching and chance to select in Zalmi’s emerging category, he said. He said Peshawar Zalmi received thousands of videos in the social media campaign of #MGZalmiCamp. He said after thoroughly going through the videos, the players were invited on merits besides 25 to 30 other players were also given a chance to show their skills.
Muhammad Akram said that Peshawar Zalmi had advertised the Camp to bring out new talent in which thousands of players from all over the country sent their videos, invited more than three hundred players each to different camps for trials at Khyber District, Peshawar, Abbottabad, North Waziristan (Wana).
He said holding trials across Pakistan initially eight teams would be constituted to have matches and through such competition talented players would be short-listed among them 15 players would be selected and given them a chance in the emerging category.
After Jamrud, camps will also be organized in Peshawar, Swat, Swabi, Abbottabad, Miranshah, Wana North Waziristan, Lahore, Karachi and Quetta. He said that there is no shortage of talent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and hoped that in the next five years most of the players in the national cricket team will be from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Speaking on the occasion, Arshad Khan, selector of Peshawar Zalmi, said that the combination of fast bowling and spinners has a lot of talent in the districts but they need to be polished because if the players here are given proper training, it is hoped that the country will move forward.
