Champions Cup: Nadeem Khan highlights tournament’s role in elevating domestic cricket
‘This tournament will bridge domestic-international gap,’ former cricketer says
Nadeem Khan, Director High-Performance of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) highlighted the significance of the forthcoming Champions One-Day Cup.
“The concept of the Champions One-Day Cup was initiated in April and we launched it in July. The PCB decided to bring together the best of the best players from its local competitions in order to bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket,” Nadeem said.
The tournament is scheduled from September 12-29 at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.
The PCB announced the captains and provisional squads on Friday.
Team mentors of the five sides include Misbah-ul-Haq (Wolves), Saqlain Mushtaq (Panthers), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Dolphins), Shoaib Malik (Stallions), and Waqar Younis (Lions).
Continuing with the conversation, the former cricketer shed light over the experienced mentors included in this tournament.
“For the first time, all the five teams have been allocated their respective regional academies so that the players can train and work on their skills throughout the year. The best thing about the concept is the teams have highly experienced and dedicated mentors who will not only manage the men’s Champions teams but will also be involved at the women’s and age-group cricket, which will have positive effects on Pakistan cricket,” he said.
“The five high-profile mentors understand the requirements of the international cricket and they will prepare the players accordingly in the domestic competitions,” Nadeem added.
Additionally, the 54-year-old discussed the positive impact this tournament will have on the future white-ball cricket, most importantly, the mega event of ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
“The Champions One-Day Cup will help us unearth future white-ball prospects for the Pakistan’s white-ball teams, also marking the start of the preparation for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025,” former cricketer stated.
“Having the Champions Cup in September will allow us to give an extended opportunity to the top performers of this tournament in international cricket before the mega-event commences home,” he said.
The former right-handed batter revealed that the One-Day Cup will determine the emerging players who can perform under pressure.
He added: “The squads comprise of a good mixture of young and experienced players, and one of our goals is to provide quality dressing room and on-filed exposure and experience to the emerging and U19 players part of the Champions One-Day Cup squads.
He added period to his statement by revealing that this tournament was in talks since April.
“Moreover, the players in this day and age are professional and used to switching between formats that it should not be a huge concern. In fact, their presence has added quality to the first major domestic tournament of the 2024-25 season.”
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