Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), on August 26, 2024, unveiled the mentors of the five participating teams in the Champions Cup tournament. Misbah-ul-Haq, Saqlain Mushtaq, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shoaib Malik, and Waqar Younis were confirmed as guides for the young teams.
On August 5th, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced the addition of three new tournaments, branded as the Champions One-Day Cup, Champions T20 Cup, and Champions First-Class Cup, to its Men’s Domestic Cricket Season 2024-25.
The mentors’ first job in the PCB Domestic Cricket Season 2024-25 will be the Champions One-Day Cup, which will be hosted in Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium from September 12 to 29.
The greatest of the country’s cricketers will compete in the single-league competition, which will also mark the return of men’s senior competitive cricket to Faisalabad after nearly two years. The last domestic men’s 50-over match at the Iqbal Stadium was in March 2022, against Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
PCB Chair Mohsin Naqvi expressed his enthusiasm for the appointments.
He stated: “I am pleased to welcome five exceptional champions as mentors for the Champions Cup teams. These individuals bring a wealth of cricketing experience, knowledge, and expertise, which will help the Pakistan Cricket Board identify, develop, and nurture the next generation of cricketers across all formats.”
PCB alters Champions Cup schedule
Misbah-ul-Haq, Saqlain Mushtaq, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shoaib Malik, and Waqar Younis have a combined experience of 1,621 international matches, with 32,780 runs and 1,503 wickets. Sarfaraz Ahmed led Pakistan to the ICC Champions Trophy win in 2017, and Shoaib Malik was part of that squad.
Saqlain Mushtaq and Waqar Younis were part of the 1999 Pakistan team that played in the final of the World Cup that year. Misbah Ul Haq captained Pakistan to a 2012 Asia Cup win.
The Champions One-Day Cup was scheduled to begin on September 1 but was rescheduled to start on September 12. This change was made to accommodate the attendance of all national team players, assuring their full participation in the competition.
The timetable adjustment coincides with the completion of Pakistan’s Test series against Bangladesh, which will end on September 3. The new start date will allow national players to participate in the domestic competition following their international obligations fully.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has chosen Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad to host the tournament.
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