LAHORE:Five elite cricket coaches will start work at the Engro CricketCoaching Project under the PCB Pathway Cricket Programme.
The first phase of the programme began here at the National HighPerformance Centre,Lahore later this week. The coaches are expected toarrive in Lahore in the next seven to 10 days. Before the arrival of thecoaches, screening and fitness testing of the participating players willtake place.
The PCB and Engro Corporation entered a three-year agreement earlier thisyear,on the basis of which, Engro Corporation is sponsoring the foreign coachesinvolvedin the programme.
South Africa’s Gordon Parsons and New Zealand’s Nicholas Webb join JulianFountain,Julian Wood and Toby Radford who all hail from the United Kingdom.
The five coaches will provide specialist coaching and training to theparticipants in batting, bowling and fielding disciplines with a specialemphasis on enhancing the power-hitting, spin and pace bowling skills.
The foreign coaches selected for the coaching programme are richlyexperienced andhave produced results in age-group and senior cricket around the world fordomestic,national and franchise teams.
PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja said here on Wednesday: “We are delighted toannouncea high-profile coaching panel for the Engro Cricket Coaching Project underthe PCB Pathway Cricket Programme. These coaches have made their name andreputation with innovative coaching on modern lines that has helpedcricketers from around the world.”
He said: “With Engro’s support, we want to shape the future of Pakistancricket by investment at the grassroots level.
The best age to learn about the game and make technical adjustments is atthis level. By providing world-class coaching and training to the futurePakistan stars we are building the foundations of a potentially worldbeating side that can take on teams from around the world for the next 10to 15 years.”
“The project is one of my top priorities and I am pleased that we at thePCB with support of Engro Corporation have made some rapid strides in ashort span of time and are now ready to execute this potentially gamechanging plan for the future of Pakistan cricket,” he added.
President and CEO Engro Corporation Ghias Khan said: “It is heartening towitness Engro’s support for PCB’s Pathway Cricket Programme being taken tothe next level.
An integral leg of the programme, the Engro Cricket Coaching Project willgreatly benefit Pakistan’s young cricketers under the coaching supervisionof five specialist coaches who will provide dedicated support needed by theyoung talent to sharpen their playing skills, while teaching them how tobecome better team players and leaders.
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“Engro recognises the positive role of sports in Pakistan’s youthdevelopment, and will continue to support such initiatives in the future.”
Coaches’ background:
Fountain has remained a globetrotting coach, has served as Pakistan men’sfielding coach and has also given his services at the NHPC. Fountain wasalso involved with the Quetta Gladiators in the HBL Pakistan Super League.
Parsons has worked extensively as bowling and head coach in South Africaand the UK and has been recognised in the cricketing world for his coachingexpertise.
Webb has worked as strength and conditioning coach for India and NewZealand. He also possesses in-depth experience of training at the countylevel in the UK.
Wood is regarded as one of the pioneers of modern-day power-hittingtraining he has extensive county cricket experience and has also workedwith some of England’s leading batters in a bid to improve theirpower-hitting.
Radford possesses rich county cricket experience; he has also worked in theWest Indies as director High Performance and assistant coach of the men’sside. He also coached England in this year’sICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies.
The five coaches will work closely with the PCB coaches during the trainingcamps for the U13, U16 and U19 players. A total of 107 players have beenenrolled in the first-batch. These players include the leading performersof the national U19, U16 and U13 tournaments.
After the completion of the pathway camp, the players selected for theinaugural edition of the Pakistan Junior League will join their respectivesides in the lead-up to the tournament that starts in the first week ofOctober at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
