Salman Mirza seeks President's Trophy opportunity after missing initial selection
Mirza contacted departments after injury but their squads were finalised
LAHORE: Pakistan fast bowler Salman Mirza has expressed his willingness to feature in the upcoming President’s Trophy Grade-I after missing out on the initial selection due to a thumb injury.
Mirza, who has represented Pakistan in 17 T20Is, revealed that he is currently without a team for the domestic first-class tournament, which is scheduled to begin on September 12.
The left-arm pacer sustained a thumb fracture during the National Champions Cup, ruling him out of contention during the initial selection process. After recovering from the injury, Mirza approached several departmental teams, but their squads had already been finalised by that stage.
Taking to social media, the 32-year-old said he remains available to join a team if a fast bowler is required at a later stage of the tournament.
“President Trophy Grade-1 (FC) starting in couple of days.
“I'm not with any team atm because i got injured (thumb fracture) during National Champions Cup. Later on, i contacted a few departments but they had already finalised their squad.
“If any team required fast bowler at later stage of the season, I'm available & willing to play,” he added.
The President’s Trophy Grade-I will mark the start of Pakistan’s 2026-27 domestic cricket season, with eight departmental teams set to compete in the tournament.
The competition will feature 28 four-day matches in a single-league round-robin stage before the final, which is scheduled to begin on October 28.
Several prominent Pakistan players will feature in the tournament, including Shaheen Shah Afridi, who is set to return to first-class cricket with Khan Research Laboratories (KRL).
Imam-ul-Haq will lead Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), while Mohammad Rizwan will represent Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL). Salman Ali Agha has also been named vice-captain of Kingsmen Academy.
In the opening round, scheduled from September 12 to 15, Ghani Glass will face KRL, MIT Solutions will take on Kingsmen Academy, Pakistan Television (PTV) will meet OGDCL, while State Bank of Pakistan will play SNGPL.
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