LAHORE: Lahore Qalandars (LQ), which finished at the bottom in all the three seasons of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) came out with another hectic preparations programme with claims that it will show better results in the fourth edition, to be held in 2019.

Head coach of Qalandars , former pacer Aaqib Javed while announcing the preparation programme at a joint press conference with owner and chairman Rana Fawad, mentor Shoaib Akhtar and advisor and current chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq said that now the main areas of focus to pick the players were Gilgit, Azad Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said a new idea has also been floated in order to expand the base of the selection of players by providing an opportunity to all the Pakistani cricketers living abroad as a separate team with the name of “Perdesi Rising” which would also play in an eight-team tournament very soon.

All the willing and available foreign players will send their videos carrying their skills in bowling, batting and fielding departments. Best 50 of them would be selected to appear in the trials in Lahore and to get a place in the Perdesi Rising team to take part in the eight-team tournament which would start in August.

Seven other teams which will take part in that tournament are Gilgit, Azad Jammu Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (including Fata), Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Gujra­nwala, Lahore. The selectors will go to these areas to pick up the teams.

Aaqib admitted that the performance of the LQ has not been encouraging in the PSL but his team was not disheartened and it would try its level best to raise a formidable team for the fourth editon.

Asked why no team from the South Punjab was included in the programme, Aqib said last time the main emphasis was South Punjab but now it had been switched to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgat and Azad Jammu Kashmir.

Inzamam said such kind of activities would help the talented players to come into the national radar and it is a huge exercise to pick the final team for the PSL after extensive programme. He said wins and losses were the part of the game but the determination to get the goal was much important.

Shoaib also admitted that the performance of the LQ was not satisfactory but the way Rana’s Fawad team was working, hopefully in the next edition, the situation would change. He said credit must be given to the LQ team for introducing such an elaborate programme of selecting the boys from far flung areas of the country.

Rana Fawad said luckily he had the best team of workers and they were doing their job diligently to overcome the grim situation faced by LQ in PSL.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2018