Pakistan cricket board ready to train Asian players

Islamabad, Sep 26 (IANS):

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is ready to provide facilities at its state of the art National Cricket Academy (NCA) to train and groom players of associate members of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).

A PCB official, demanding anonymity, said the board had completed its homework to provide the facilities on demand to countries like China, Bahrain, Iran and Maldives, reports Xinhua.

“PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf extended offer to the ACC associate members and PCB would provide all kind of support to improve skills of their players at our training academies,” said the official.

Pakistan established the NCA in February 2003 in Lahore with the purpose of meeting international training standards by producing quality players, coaches and supporting staff through scientific methods and techniques.

Ashraf extended this offer during the meeting of the ACC Development Committee in Islamabad on Monday which was called in to discuss the development aspects of the sports in the region.

According to a source, the participants of the meeting discussed ongoing plans and future programmes for the game’s development in the region.

During the meeting, ACC members also stressed that Pakistan and Indian cricket boards should come forward to promote the game in the region.

A numbers of players from China and Afghanistan have been taking training and coaching from Pakistani coaches, both at home and abroad.

Afghanistan, under a Pakistani coach, played at the T20 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka, the second time after 2010 in West Indies.

Pakistan has also invited ACC members to play in Pakistan as an attempt to revive international cricket, suspended since the attack on Sri Lankan cricket team in March 2009.

Tajikistan and Cambodia have also submitted applications to join the affiliate members’ pool that already has 11 countries, including China, Bahrain, Iran and Maldives.

The PCB chairman said at the meeting that China has 71 coaches of level-I and 10 coaches of level-II coaches.