National Men’s U19 tournaments to begin on Tuesday

LAHORE: The National Men’s U19 three-day Championship and One-Day Cup are set to begin on Tuesday, 10 September.

Each round of the three-day games will be followed by the One-Day games. As such, a total of 98 matches each will be played over a 61-day period.

Eighteen teams of 16 regions will participate in the tournament, whose one-day final will be held on 22 October and the three-day final from 6-9 November. Venues of the final will be announced in due course.

The 18 regional teams will be equally divided into three groups with the matches to be played on a single-league basis till 12 October.

The next phase will include one-day matches between three group toppers on a single-league from 16-22 October, followed by three-day matches between the group toppers again on a single-league basis from 25 October to 9 November.

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Peshawar will defend the three-day title, while Karachi Whites are the reigning one-day champions.

The squads have been selected following the Regional Inter-District U19 Tournament from 23 May to 10 June in which 104 district sides had participated.

The National Men’s U19 Championship and Cup is expected to provide the budding and emerging teenagers to prove their mettle and stake a claim in the Pakistan U19 team for the upcoming tri-nation 50-over series in November in UAE, which will be followed by the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup 2024.

Groups:

Group A (matches in Karachi): FATA, Islamabad, Karachi Whites, Larkana, Multan and Quetta regions

Group B (matches in Abbottabad, Charsada, Peshawar and Risalpur): Abbottabad, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Karachi Blues, Lahore Blues and Rawalpindi regions

Group C (matches in Faisalabad, Sargodha and Sheikhupura): Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Dera Murad Jamali (DM Jamali), Hyderabad, Lahore Whites, Peshawar and Sialkot regions.

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Mohsin Naqvi says selectors, coaches to select Pakistan captain

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi shared that the national selectors and coaches will decide regarding the appointment of the Pakistan men’s team’s captain.

Naqvi, in an interaction with the media after inspecting the ongoing construction work at the Gaddafi Stadium here, revealed that he has entrusted the decision regarding the potential shift in Pakistan’s captaincy to the selectors and coaches.

“The decision regarding captaincy will be made after consultation with the coaches, mentors and selection committee,” said Naqvi.

“A workshop is scheduled for September 22, where everyone will be invited to give their suggestions, and decisions will be made afterwards,” he added.

“I know that if there is any mistake, it falls on me. If the team does not perform well, if there is a selection mistake, or if the coach loses, it will all reflect on me,” he added while revealing that he is meeting the selection committee today as well.”

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Earlier today, it was reported that the PCB has decided to call a high-profile meeting on September 22, dubbed “Connection Camp”, to discuss the future of Pakistan cricket which includes the captaincy of the national men’s teams.

The high-profile meeting will feature the current head coaches of the Pakistan red-ball and white-ball teams, Jason Gillespie and Gary Kirsten respectively, accompanied by the heads of international, domestic, and high-performance departments while senior cricketers, coaches and PCB officials will also be in the attendance.

Details further suggested that the future of Pakistan white-ball captain Babar Azam and Test captain Shan Masood will come under discussion and there is a chance that the former may get removed from the position ahead of Pakistan’s tour to Australia later this year.

Mohsin Naqvi further shared that the Test series between Pakistan and England will be played in Multan and Rawalpindi.

He further shared that the PCB is in contact with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the latter is satisfied.

“The home Test series against England will be held in Multan and Rawalpindi,” said Naqvi.

“We are in touch with the England board and they are satisfied,” he added.

The three-match series, part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC), is scheduled to run from October 7 to 28.

READ: PCB chairman Naqvi opens up on India’s participation in Champions Trophy

PCB chief Naqvi addresses venue concerns regarding England Test series

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi addressed the concerns regarding the availability of the venues for the upcoming three-match Test series between Pakistan and England.

Reports emerged earlier this week that the second Test of the three-match series between Pakistan and England, originally scheduled to take place at the National Stadium, Karachi may likely be shifted to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to the ongoing renovation at the country’s major stadiums.

England head coach Brendon McCullum also commented on the issue on Thursday while speaking to reporters at The Oval ahead of the third Test against Sri Lanka, stating that the management can not pick a team until they are aware of the playing conditions.

“We don’t really know (what is happening in Pakistan) but we can’t pick a team until we know where we’re going to play,” he said.

“It would be nice if, over the next couple of days, we found out.”

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The former New Zealand captain added: “Then we’ll sit down and make sure we’ve got the right team for the right conditions and the right opposition.”

Meanwhile, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi in a media interaction here at the Gaddafi Stadium, revealed that the Test series between Pakistan and England will be played in Multan and Rawalpindi.

He further shared that the PCB is in contact with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the latter is satisfied.

“The home Test series against England will be held in Multan and Rawalpindi,” said Naqvi.

“We are in touch with the England board and they are satisfied,” he added.

The three-match series, part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC), is scheduled to run from October 7 to 28.

READ: PCB chairman Naqvi opens up on India’s participation in Champions Trophy

PCB chairman Naqvi opens up on India’s participation in Champions Trophy

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday, asserted that the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will be held in Pakistan despite the uncertainty regarding arch-rivals India’s participation in the tournament.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025  is scheduled to take place in Pakistan from February to March, however, India’s participation in the tournament is uncertain as the BCCI seeks the government’s approval to visit the country.

Meanwhile, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, in an interaction with the media after his visit to oversee the ongoing renovation work being done at the Gaddafi Stadium here, revealed that he has been in contact with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary regarding the global eight-team tournament.

“Champions Trophy will be held in Pakistan, we are in touch with the BCCI Secretary,” said Naqvi.

“[We are] also in contact with the boards of the teams participating in the Champions Trophy,” he added.

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Mohsin Naqvi further commented on the appointment of BCCI Secretary Jay Shah as the new Independent International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman, stating there is no concern.

“There is no problem with Jay Shah becoming ICC Chairman,” Naqvi stated.

The PCB chief then shared that the renovations of the stadiums will be completed before the commencement of the Champions Trophy.

“The basement of Gaddafi Stadium will be constructed by September 30. Each floor will be completed in a three-week period. The front building would consist of a steel structure. The main building of Gaddafi Stadium will be completed by December 31,” said Naqvi.

“Pindi Stadium will have to be completely demolished and rebuilt, the seats will be installed in the stadium before the Champions Trophy.

“The renovation at Karachi’s [National Stadium] will also be completed before the Champions Trophy,” he concluded.

READ: PCB to hold high-profile meeting to discuss Pakistan team’s future, captaincy

PCB to hold high-profile meeting to decide on Pakistan team’s future, captaincy

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to hold a high-profile meeting and workshop to discuss the future of the national cricket team as well as all-format captaincy.

According to the sources, the meeting, dubbed the “Connection Camp” is likely to be held on September 22 and will be presided by PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who will also attend the workshop.

The high-profile meeting will also feature the current head coaches of the Pakistan red-ball and white-ball teams, Jason Gillespie and Gary Kirsten respectively, accompanied by the heads of international, domestic, and high-performance departments while senior cricketers, coaches and PCB officials will also be in the attendance.

Notably, Kirsten had left for South Africa after submitting his report regarding the Pakistan cricket team’s performance in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 whereas Gillespie left for Australia after the conclusion of the two-match Test series against Bangladesh this week.

Details further suggested that the future of the current Pakistan white-ball captain Babar Azam will come under discussion and there is a chance that he may get removed from the position ahead of Pakistan’s tour to Australia later this year.

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Babar, who relinquished all-format captaincy following the national team’s dismal run at the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023, was reinstated as white-ball captain in March this year.

He led Pakistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 where the former champions suffered gut-wrenching defeats against United States of America (USA) and arch-rivals India, which eventually resulted in them failing to qualify for the Super Eights stage for the first time in the tournament’s history.

Meanwhile, Shan Masood’s captaincy as Pakistan Test captain has also come under scrutiny.

Remember, Shan, who was given the leadership of the Pakistan Test side in November 2023, is yet to lead the national team to a victory. He has lost five matches as Pakistan Test captain, three against Australia and two against Bangladesh.

READ: Ashwin sympathizes with Pakistan cricket after Bangladesh whitewash

PCB reveals captains, provisional squads for Champions Cup

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today announced the captains of the five Champions One-Day Cup teams, as well as provisional squads for the tournament, which will be held in Faisalabad from 12-29 September.

The captains were appointed by the five team mentors: Misbah-ul-Haq (Wolves), Saqlain Mushtaq (Panthers), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Dolphins), Shoaib Malik (Stallions) and Waqar Younis (Lions).

Pakistan’s Test vice-captain Saud Shakeel has been appointed captain of the Dolphins, former Pakistan T20I captain Shaheen Shah Afridi will lead the Lions and the Panthers will be skippered by former white-ball vice-captain, Shadab Khan.

Pakistan Shaheens’ captain Mohammad Haris will lead the Stallions, while ex-all-format vice-captain Mohammad Rizwan will captain the Wolves.

The Champions One-Day Cup will feature the country’s top cricketers. This 50-over tournament will be played in a single-league format.

All matches will commence at 3 pm, except for the Lions vs Panthers match on 16 September, which will start at 9:30 am.

The tournament will conclude with three playoff matches over four days, culminating in the final on Sunday, 29 September.

The PCB has also announced provisional squads for the five teams. These were selected by the team mentors through a draft process from a pool of 150 players, which was provided by the PCB following fitness tests—one of the primary selection criteria for domestic contracted players.

The centrally contracted players will undergo fitness tests in Faisalabad on 7 and 9 September.

Out of the 150 players, 125 were leading performers from the past three domestic seasons. The remaining 25 players were wildcards, selected based on their experience and performances for Pakistan, Pakistan Shaheens and Pakistan Under-19 teams over the last three years.

Each team includes existing centrally contracted players. These are:

Dolphins: Saud Shakeel, Faheem Ashraf and Sarfaraz Ahmed

Lions: Abdullah Shafique, Aamir Jamal, Imam-ul-Haq and Shaheen Shah Afridi

Panthers: Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan and Usama Mir

Stallions: Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir and Zaman Khan

Wolves: Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha and Shahnawaz Dahani

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Centrally contracted players who are not part of the squads include Mohammad Nawaz (personal reasons), Imad Wasim (unavailable), Arshad Iqbal, Hasan Ali, Ihsanullah and Mohammad Wasim Jnr (undergoing rehabilitation).

In addition to Imad Wasim, who is currently playing in the CPL, the following players have made themselves unavailable for the Faisalabad tournament: Ahmed Shehzad, Azam Khan (CPL), Haris Sohail, Mohammad Amir (CPL), Mohammad Abbas (County cricket in the UK), Mohammad Ilyas and Umar Akmal.

Fakhar Zaman, who is also playing in the CPL, is due to return on 10 September.

Other players undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) include Ahsan Ali, Athar Mahmood, Rizwan Hussain, and Zeeshan Zamir, in addition to Arshad Iqbal, Hasan Ali, Ihsanullah, and Mohammad Wasim Jnr.

Nine domestic contracted players were excluded from the Champions One-Day Cup squads after failing their fitness tests.

They are Ali Shafique, Ali Zaryab, Arif Yaqoob, Danish Aziz, Mohammad Rameez Jnr, Saad Baig, Rameez Aziz, Sharjeel Khan, and Shawaiz Irfan.

Four cricketers, returning to competitive cricket after successfully passing their fitness tests and completing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy, are Hunain Shah (Lions), Sameen Gul, Sufiyan Moqim (both Dolphins), and Shahnawaz Dahani (Wolves).

Champions One-Day Cup Squads (to be reduced to 15 players on 10 Sep)

DOLPHINS: Saud Shakeel (captain, Karachi), Aftab Ibrahim (Karachi), Asif Ali (Faisalabad), Awais Ali (Gujranwala), Faheem Ashraf (Kasur), Kashif Ali (Rawalpindi), Mir Hamza (Karachi), Mohammad Huraira (Sialkot), Mohammad Abbas Afridi (Peshawar), Muhammad Akhlaq (Kamoki), Muhammad Ghazi Ghori (Karachi), Muhammad Riazullah (Peshawar), Noman Ali (Hyderabad), Qasim Akram (Lahore), Sameen Gul (Jamrud), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Karachi), Sahibzada Farhan (Peshawar), Sufiyan Moqim (Kotli), Umar Amin (Rawalpindi) and Usman Qadir (Lahore)

Mentor – Sarfaraz Ahmed

LIONS: Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain, Peshawar), Abdullah Shafique (Sialkot), Aamir Jamal (Islamabad), Aamer Yamin (Multan), Faisal Akram (Multan), Hassan Nawaz (Islamabad), Hunain Shah (Lahore), Imam-ul-Haq (Lahore), Imran Butt (Lahore), Khushdil Shah (Bannu), Mohammad Asghar (Karachi), Muhammad Irfan Khan (Mianwali), Mohammad Taha (Karachi), Omair Bin Yousuf (Karachi), Rohail Nazir (Islamabad), Shahab Khan (Mardan), Sharoon Siraj (Sahiwal), Sirajuddin (Bajaur) and Waqar Hussain (Okara)

Mentor – Waqar Younis

PANTHERS: Shadab Khan (captain, Islamabad), Abdul Wahid Bangalzai (Quetta), Ahmed Bashir (Lahore), Ali Asfand (Faisalabad), Ali Raza (Sheikhupura), Amad Butt (Sialkot), Arafat Minhas (Multan), Azan Awais (Sialkot), Haider Ali (Attock), Mohammad Hasnain (Hyderabad), Mohammad Umar (Karachi), Mohammad Zeeshan (Faisalabad), Mubasir Khan (Rawalpindi), Rehan Afridi (Khyber), Rizwan Mehmood (Hyderabad), Saim Ayub (Karachi), Umar Siddiq (Lahore), Usama Mir (Sialkot), Usman Khan (Karachi) and Usman Salahuddin (Lahore)

Mentor – Saqlain Mushtaq

STALLIONS: Mohammad Haris (captain, Peshawar), Abrar Ahmed (Karachi), Adil Amin (Peshawar), Azam Khan (Peshawar), Babar Azam (Lahore), Haris Rauf (Islamabad), Hussain Talat (Lahore), Jahandad Khan (Rawalpindi), Junaid Ali (Lahore), Maaz Ahmad Sadaqat (Peshawar), Mehran Mumtaz (Rawalpindi), Mohammad Ali (Sialkot), Mohammad Amir Khan (Swat), Saad Khan (Hyderabad), Shamyl Hussain (Islamabad), Shan Masood (Karachi), Tayyab Tahir (Sarai Alamgir), Ubaid Shah (Lahore), Yasir Khan (Rawalpindi) and Zaman Khan (Mirpur)

Mentor – Shoaib Malik

WOLVES: Mohammad Rizwan (captain, Peshawar), Fakhar Zaman (Abbottabad), Abdul Samad (Faisalabad), Akif Javed (FATA), Ali Usman (Multan), Bilawal Bhatti (Muridke), Haseebullah (Pishin), Iftikhar Ahmed (Peshawar), Kamran Ghulam (Peshawar), Mohammad Faizan (Faisalabad), Mohammad Imran Jnr (Peshawar), Mohammad Sarwar Afridi (FATA), Muhammad Imran (Khanewal), Naseem Shah (Lahore), Nisar Ahmed (Lahore), Salman Ali Agha (Lahore), Shahnawaz Dahani (Larkana), Zahid Mehmood (Dadu) and Zain Abbas (Multan)

Mentor – Misbah-ul-Haq

READ: Brendon McCullum eager to make England white-ball teams ‘bulletproof’

PCB Regional Inter-District senior tournament to commence on Thursday

The Regional Inter-District senior cricket tournament is set to commence on Thursday, 5 September in six regions across the country including Abbottabad, Bahawalpur, Hyderabad, Karachi, Multan and Sialkot Regions.

Meanwhile, the tournament will kick off on 8 September in eight other regions including Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Dera Murad Jamali, FATA, Faisalabad, Islamabad, Larkana, Peshawar and Quetta Regions.

The inter-district senior tournament matches in Rawalpindi Region and Lahore Region will begin from 12 September. A total of 103 district/zonal teams will play 255 matches across the 16 regions in the country while over 1500 players will participate in the tournament.

The tournament will provide talent for the upcoming Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and the National T20 Cup 2024-25 where 18 teams of the 16 regional sides will take on each other.

The Regional Inter-District senior cricket tournament is part of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) initiative to bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket by providing a tougher, more competitive and high-pressure cricket playing environment, and creating better and enhanced earning opportunities for its future stars.

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The cricketing body also announced the addition of three Champions tournaments as part of the PCB Men’s Domestic Cricket Season 2024-25.

The Champions One-Day Cup, Champions T20 Cup and Champions First-Class Cup will join the National T20 Cup, Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (regional first-class tournament), President’s Trophy (departmental first-class tournament), President’s Cup (departmental 50-over event), and HBL Pakistan Super League 2025 in the 2024-25 domestic cricket season, expected to run from 1 September 2024 to 5 August 2025.

With the addition of three Champions tournaments, the PCB will now organise a total of 261 matches across eight men’s senior tournaments. This includes 131 first-class matches in three events, 40 50-over matches in two events and 97 T20 matches in three events.

In the 2023-24 season, the PCB had organised 203 matches in the six men’s senior tournaments, including 51 first-class matches in two tournaments, 55 50-over matches in two events and 97 T20 matches.

READ: Sarfaraz Ahmed advises “talented” Umar Akmal, Ahmed Shehzad

Sarfaraz Ahmed excited to be part of Dolphins in Champions Cup

LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed was confirmed as the mentor of the Dolphins side for this month’s Champions One-Day Cup, which will be played in Faisalabad from 12-29 September.

Dolphins will be based at the Hanif Mohammad High-Performance Centre in Karachi and will launch their campaign against Saqlain Mushtaq’s Panthers on 14 September.

The Champions One-Day Cup will feature the country’s 150 best of the best cricketers. This will be a 50-over tournament that will be played in a single-league format.

All but the 16 September match between Lions and Panthers, which will start at 9.30 am, will commence at 3 pm. There will be three playoffs in four days with the final on Sunday, 29 September.

Sarfaraz Ahmed has captained Pakistan to victories in the ICC U19 World Cup 2006 and ICC Champions Trophy 2017.

He was also a member of the Pakistan side that won the ACC Asia Cup 2012. As a captain, he also led Pakistan to No.1 in ICC T20I Team Rankings.

Sarfaraz also became the first Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter to score an ODI World Cup century when he scored 101 not out against Ireland in Adelaide in 2015.

He also holds the record for most dismissals in an ODI match (all 6 catches) and is only the second wicket-keeper to have captained his side in 50 or more ODIs. He is also the 17th on the ODI list of wicket-keepers with 2,000 runs and 100 dismissals.

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“Mentoring a highly-rated Dolphins side in what promises to be a keenly contested and hard-fought tournament is something I’m eagerly looking forward to,” said the former captain.

“This will be a new experience for me and I’m excited about the opportunity to learn and further develop my skills as a cricket professional.

“What makes this role even more exciting and challenging is that I will also be participating in the tournament as a player.

“While my passion and drive to win each match remain as strong as ever, my role will also involve supporting and assisting the captain, players, and coaching staff to enhance their skills and become better players.

“I am fully committed to this role and am eager to make a meaningful contribution to the Dolphins side, with whom I have been involved in some of the most memorable matches.

“These include the last-over loss to the Stallions in the 2007/08 T20 Cup final, a 78-run victory over the Bears in the 2009/10 Pentangular One-Day Cup final and a 37-run loss to the Lions in the 2010/11 T20 Cup final.

“With the country’s best players and top-notch coaches under the watchful eyes of experienced former stalwarts as mentors, I am confident that this Champions One-Day Cup will exceed the expectations of the Pakistan Cricket Board and the passionate Pakistan cricket fans, whose unwavering support is always crucial.

“I believe all players will deliver their best performances, making this tournament an overwhelming success.”

READ: Bangladesh captain imitates Lionel Messi after series victory over Pakistan

Jason Gillespie to depart for Australia after Pakistan-Bangladesh series

Jason Gillespie, the red-ball head coach of Pakistan, is set to depart for Australia after the conclusion of the second and final Test against Bangladesh, according to sources.

Gillespie, along with the team’s high-performance coach Tim Nielsen, is scheduled to leave Pakistan on Wednesday (tomorrow).

The second Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh is currently underway in Rawalpindi, where the hosts are on the cusp of a historic clean sweep.

Prior to this series, Bangladesh had never defeated Pakistan in a Test match.

Meanwhile, Jason Gillespie and Tim Nielsen will return to Pakistan ahead of the pre-series training camp for the series against England.

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England will tour Pakistan for a three-match Test series, scheduled to run from October 7 to 24 with matches scheduled in Multan, Karachi and Rawalpindi respectively.

Meanwhile, the training camp is likely to start on October 1, as revealed by the sources.

It’s worth noting that team physio Cliff Deacon and strength and conditioning coach Dreks Simon will stay in Pakistan.

Deacon and Simon will conduct fitness tests of the national team’s players ahead of the upcoming Champions One-Day Cup.

The Champions One-Day Cup is scheduled to be played from 12-29 September at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.

The Champions One-Day Cup will feature the country’s 150 best of the best cricketers. This will be a 50-over tournament that will be played in a single-league format.

READ: “We have a game to win tomorrow,” believes Jason Gillespie

Waqar Younis excited to boost player development

LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis has been confirmed as mentor of the Lions side for this month’s Champions One-Day Cup, which will be played in Faisalabad from 12-29 September.

Additionally, the Lions have been allocated National Cricket Academy for training and practice during the 2024-25 domestic cricket season.

Last week, Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq were named as mentors of the Stallions and Wolves, respectively. Details of the player names and player support personnel will follow later this week.

The Champions One-Day Cup will feature the country’s 150 best of the best cricketers. This will be a 50-over tournament that will be played in a single-league format.

The Lions will open their campaign against Shoaib Malik’s Stallions on 13 September, followed by matches against Panthers (day match), Misbah’s Wolves on 20 September and Dolphins on 22 September.

Waqar Younis has led Pakistan to 17 Tests and 62 ODIs. He has featured in three ODI World Cups and holds the record for fastest to 400 ODI wickets.

The former fast bowler also leads the list of captains with the best ODI bowling figures and is one of the bowlers to dismiss all 11 batters in a Test match.

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He was named as one of Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1992. Later, he was inducted into the ICC and PCB Hall of Fames in 2013 and 2021, respectively.

He has also coached Pakistan in the 2010 and 2016 T20 World Cups as well as the 2011 and 2015 ODI World Cups. Moreover, he also served as Pakistan’s bowling coach from 2019-2021.

“I am excited about the opportunity to once again contribute to player development. This new role presents a fresh challenge that I embrace with great enthusiasm,” said Waqar.

“Beyond the chance to work with some of the most talented cricketers, there will be a fascinating dynamic among the mentors as each of us will strive to outmanoeuvre the others.

“With a series of high-profile 50-over international matches on the horizon, culminating in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the Champions One-Day Cup is an invaluable opportunity for players to showcase their skills and stake their claim for national selection.

“I have no doubt that this tournament will help us identify future stars who, with the right guidance and development, can serve our country for many years to come.

“As for my role, I am committed to sharing as much knowledge and insight as possible with both the coaching staff and the players. My goal is to help them grow into more effective and impactful players, ensuring a bright future for our Lions and the Pakistan cricket team.”

READ: Former Pakistan captain compares Babar’s technique to Tendulkar