Sarfaraz Ahmed opens up on his playing future after becoming mentor for Champions Cup

Former Pakistan captain will mentor Dolphins in PCB's new tournament

September 04, 2024
Sarfaraz Ahmed during press conference in Lahore. - PCB

LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed has opened up on his future as a player after being named as the mentor of the Dolphins side for the Champions One-Day Cup, scheduled to be held in Faisalabad from 12-29 September.

Sarfaraz is the active Pakistan player out of the five mentors announced for the Champions Cup. The 37-year-old has rated this as a great learning opportunity for him and confirmed that he will be available for domestic and international duties.

"This is a great opportunity for me. It’s also a chance for me to learn. I will strive to bring forward good players who can represent Pakistan," he said in a presser.

"I will be available for the Pakistan team. When I will have domestic duties, I will fulfill them. Whenever I am selected, I will be available.

"With time, everything will fall into place. Right now, I feel I can still play. I will continue to play as long as I can," he added.

Pakistan recently slumped to a 2-0 Test series defeat to Bangladesh and Sarfaraz has asked fans to support.

"My message to the fans is that this Pakistan team will make a comeback. Support your players. Support your players in the Champions Cup."

Sarfaraz revealed how he picked his side for the forthcoming competition.

"I have selected the team while working closely. We have chosen players from a draft of 150 players.

"We will focus on the development of U19 players and with my experience, we will try to bring forward good players.

"In just twelve to fourteen days, it’s not possible to fix everything. What’s done is done, but we will now try to set Pakistan cricket on the right path," he added.

Mentors of Champions One-Day Cup

Shoaib Malik - Stallions

Misbah-ul-Haq - Wolves

Waqar Younis - Lions

Saqlain Mushtaq - Panthers

Sarfaraz Ahmed - Dolphins

Event schedule (all matches at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad)

12 Sep – Wolves v Panthers

13 Sep – Stallions v Lions

14 Sep – Dolphins v Panthers

15 Sep – Wolves v Stallions

16 Sep – Lions v Panthers

17 Sep – Dolphins v Wolves

19 Sep – Stallions v Dolphins

20 Sep – Lions v Wolves

21 Sep – Panthers v Stallions

22 Sep – Dolphins v Lions

24 Sep – Qualifier (Team No.1 v Team No. 2)

25 Sep – Eliminator 1 (Team No.3 v Team No.4)

27 Sep – Eliminator 2 (Losing Qualifier v Winning Eliminator 2)

29 Sep - Final

Sohail Imran is a senior reporter for Geo News.

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