Daily Times

LAHORE: Six foreign coaches including three Test cricketers will be involved in the second year of the Engro Cricket Coaching Project under the PCB Pathway Cricket Programme that commences from Monday (today). Around 120 players from Under-13 to Under-19 age group will be provided training by foreign as well as local coaches from July 10 to August 10 in Lahore and Muridke. For the programme, PCB and Engro Corporation entered into a three-year agreement last year, on the basis of which, Engro Corporation is sponsoring the foreign coaches involved in the programme. The Elite coaches include Australia’s Geoff Lawson, New Zealand’s Scott McLaren (strength and conditioning coach), South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs, United Kingdom’s Gordon Parsons and Julien Fountain and Zimbabwe’s Tatenda Taibu. The coaches that have played international cricket include Australia’s Lawson (46 Tests, 79 ODIs), South Africa’s Gibbs (90 Tests, 248 ODIs, 23 T20Is) and Zimbabwe’s Taibu (28 Tests, 150 ODIs, 17 T20Is).

At one time, five coaches will work in the coaching project, with Gibbs working with the U-13 and U-16 players only. He will depart on July 16 and will be replaced by Lawson, who will arrive on July 22 to work couple of days with the U-16 players before joining the U-19 cricket clinic. Parsons, who has worked as bowling and head coach in South Africa and the UK, was involved in last year’s programme and remained bowling coach during Pakistan U-19’s home series against Bangladesh in November 2022. Parsons will be bowling coach in the programme, while former Pakistan Men’s fielding coach Fountain will work as fielding coach in the programme.

Under-13: 25 U-13 players selected for the programme will undergo training at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) from July 13 to 25. The players born on or after September 1, 2010 are eligible for selection. Furthermore, the players have been selected considering their performances in the Inter-Region U13 One-Day Tournament which was held this year from March 12 to May 5 and the players who were part of the 100 Programme last year. The players that have performed in the U-13 tournament, but are overage have been migrated to U-16 level. More details on the criteria for U-13 players selection is available here.

Under-16: 37 U-16 players will take part in the programme at the Muridke Country Club (MCC) from July 10 to 25. The players born on or after September 1, 2007 have been selected to feature in the programme. The players are selected after performing in the Inter-Region U16 One-Day Tournament which was held this year from March 12 to May 6 and who were part of 100 programme last year. Like U-13, the players that have performed in the U16 tournament, but are overage have been progressed to U-19 level.

Under-19: Around 58 U-19 players in two groups will work under elite coaches at the NCA and MCC concurrently from July 26 to August 10. The eligibility criteria for the U-19 players is September 1, 2004. The names of the players will be announced in due course.