PCB launches Lahore cricket academies

The first National Cricket Academy (NCA)and Pakistan Junior Academy (PJA) were formally launched in a simple ceremony at the Gaddafi Stadium on Monday.

Inthe NCA, 22 cricketers will learn the finer points of the game while for the Junior Academy 24 players have been selected. Former Test player Mohammad Ijaz Butt inaugurated the academies.

Mohsin Kamal and Ali Zia are on the coaching panel of the NCA while the Junior Academy will be looked after by the former Test batsmen Haroon Rasheed and Azhar Khan.

Later the chief coach Mudassar NazartoldDawnthattwo sessionswill be held daily. In the morning, the first session will be conducted from 5.30am to 10.30pm in which the boys would do physical exercises, swimming at the Shape Club, weight training and period for the improvement of the communicative skills of the boys. In the second session the net practice will be held for four days in a week from 4.30pm to 6.30pm. For the remaining three days, different options had been selected for the evening session, included inviting a former Test cricketer or a Test umpire who will deliver their expert comments and lectures with the help of video films.

The Pakistan Cricket Board director Brig. Munawar AhmadRana said that two nurseries for boys, ages between 7-12 years would be developed at Lahore and Karachi soon. He said that those academies were being sponsored by a multi-national food company.

SalmanButt,Toufeeq Umar (Lahore), ImranNazir(Muridke), HasanRaza(Karachi),Misbahul Haq(Mianwali),QaiserAbbas (Muridke), Asim Kamal (Karachi), Naveed Latif (Sargodha),Faisal Naveed(Sialkot), Humayun Farhat, Kamran Akmal (Lahore),Shoaib Malik(Sialkot), Azhar Ali (Lahore), Yasir Arafat(Rawalpindi), ShabbirAhmad(Khanewal), KahshifRaza(Sheikhupura),Faisal Afridi(Sargodha), Irfan Fazil (Lahore), Zahid Saeed(Sialkot), NajafShah (Rawalpindi), Danish Kenaria (Karachi),AqeelAhmad (Faisalabad). Juniors Academy, Lahore. KhalidLatif(Karachi), Atiq-ur-Rehman(Gujranwala),Faisal Khan(Sialkot), Shahid Yousaf (Sialkot), Aftab Ahmad(Karachi), SalmanQadir(Lahore),Asim Munir(Gujranwala),AzamHusain (Karachi), Adnan Akmal (Lahore), Kashif Mahmood (Lahore),Farooq Babar (Faisalabad), Junaid Zia, Talal Zia (Rawalpindi),Mohammad Khalil(Lahore),MansoorAmjad(Sialkot), Shakeel-ur-Rehman (Peshawar),Adnan Raza, Raza Ali Dar, Zulqarnain Haider,Kamran Sajid (Lahore), Ali Raza (Muridke), Ali Ahmad (Dera GhaziKhan), Nadeem Javed (Sheikhupura), Kamran Ali (Peshawar).