KARACHI: Quetta Gladiators, who reached the final of the inaugural Pakistan Super League (PSL) last February, on Monday unveiled an under-23 talent hunt programme for cricketers belonging to Balochistan.

Titled ‘Your gateway to stardom’, the franchise owner Nadeem Omar speaking at the launching at a local hotel said he has fulfilled his promise to unearth new talent from Sept 1-8 when the Gladiators’ team of coaches, headed by former Pakistan spinner Iqbal Qasim, travel to Quetta and Hub.

The first phase will be conducted at the Bugti Stadium in Quetta from Sept 1 to 3, while Hub’s Jam Mir Ghulam Qadir Stadium would be the venue for a two-day second phase from Sept 7.

According the schedule announced, the final phase is slated to be held at Quetta in the third week of September during Gladiators head coach Moin Khan, the ex-Pakistan skipper and former chief selector, will also oversee the trials from which between 20 to 25 players will be picked for specialised training in Karachi.

“We have approached the Pakistan Cricket Board to enable us to use facilities at the regional academy located at the National Stadium to train the selected players,” Nadeem told the gathering. “We are planning to award 12-month contracts to these cricketers who will receive training from qualified coaches.

According to the Gladiators’ official media release some 15 players would be picked from the talent hunt scheme, while the rest will be automatically included from the top performers of Balochistan at the conclusion of the PCB Regional Under-19 Tournament.

Apart from Iqbal, ex-Test paceman Saleem Jaffer, who especially arrived in the city for the announcement from his ongoing assignment as head coach of Karachi Whites in the National T20 Cup in Rawalpindi, and former Karachi first-class cricketer Zafar Ahmed.

Nadeem said all three have committed themselves to work during the scheme on honorary basis.

Zafar has been entrusted with the task of heading the selection panel, which also includes Aqil Baloch and Javed Iqbal (Quetta), Hafiz Abdul Quddoos (Turbat) and Abdul Sattar (Hub), which will shortlist around 40 players for final trials.

According to the programme, players belonging to Quetta have been invited for the trials on Sept 1. The next day, cricketers of Pishin, Kalat, Loralai, Nushki and Killa Abdullah would be present, followed by players from Jaffarabad, Naseerabad, Khuzdar and Sibi on Sept 3.

Players from Hub and Dera Murad Jamali will attend the trials on Sept 7 and 8.

The Gladiators owner further said the deprived talent of Balochistan would immensely benefit from the initiative undertaken by his franchise.

“We believe in giving them equal opportunity to these hugely talented cricketers about whom we all know so little or nothing at all,” Nadeem remarked. “But I am confident they are capable of competing with best players of the country if they are provided with proper facilities and ideal platform to showcase their true value.

“For past many years Balochistan has been a neglected region since there is lack of sports culture and the basic infrastructure nonexistent. However, our sole aim is to gather the best talent from remote regions of the country’s biggest province. My dream is to see this fairytale continue through the talent hunt programme.”

Murad Ismail, president of Quetta Region Cricket Association, told Dawn that only a handful of people outside his province heard of Bismillah Khan, the wicket-keeper/batsman. “But being a member of the Gladiators squad made Bismillah a household name across the country. We want more and more cricketers from Balochistan to emulate Bismillah Khan,” Ismail hoped. “Before Nadeem Omar took over Quetta Gladiators, the cricketers of our region felt like orphans but now we have an identity.”

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2016