Haris, Shaheen and Nawaz mentor schoolchildren at NCA coaching clinic

LAHORE: The second coaching clinic for schoolchildren was held at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) on Wednesday as part of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Talent Hunt Programme for Schools.

The Star School cricket team participated in the training session, where the young players were mentored by Pakistan’s national cricketers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Nawaz.

With momentum building for the second edition of the PCB Talent Hunt Programme for Schools, training and preparation camps for all 1,400 participating schools across 100 districts have been underway since the second week of August.

The tournament is scheduled to begin on 19 September, with the opening match set to be played at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

The school cricket season has returned on a strong note following the successful staging of its inaugural edition in 2025. With the support of the PCB and in line with the vision of PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, the second edition is set to provide playing opportunities to around 21,000 schoolchildren.

On Tuesday, players from Star School remained focused during their training session as their techniques and playing styles were closely observed and analysed by the national cricketers.

There was plenty of excitement and energy at the nets, with Haris Rauf guiding the fast bowlers and Mohammad Nawaz sharing key aspects of spin bowling with the young players.

Shaheen Shah Afridi also worked with Star School’s pace attack and shared valuable tips with the batters during the net session.

Following the conclusion of the coaching clinic, the schoolchildren also had the opportunity to observe the national players’ training session at the NCA.