Lahore Qalandars Players Development Program
Lahore Qalandars Players Development Program is a player development program of Lahore Qalandars that conducts cricket players' trials throughout Punjab.[1][2]
History
[edit]Established in 2016 by the Lahore Qalandars, the Lahore Qalandars Players Development Program identifies and develops emerging cricketers not previously integrated into Pakistan's domestic cricket system.[3] Through this program, representatives visit various cities, conduct trials, and curate city-specific squads.[3] These squads participate in a tournament overseen by Qalandars, with top performers progressing to further training at the Qalandars High-Performance Center (QHPC) in Lahore.[3] The program has expanded to include both male and female cricketers.[3][4]
In the early stages of the program, selected squads played matches in Australia against Big Bash League teams, including the Sydney Sixers, Sydney Thunder, and Hobart Hurricanes.[3] Players such as Haris Rauf, Usman Qadir, Salman Irshad, and Ghulam Rabbani subsequently received contracts with clubs in Australia, with Rauf later participating in the Big Bash and representing Pakistan.[3]
Affiliations
[edit]The Lahore Qalandars have also established affiliations with the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and Yorkshire Cricket Club.[3] Annually, two standout participants of the program receive training at the MCC.[3] A player exchange agreement is also in place with Yorkshire.[3] Matches between Qalandars and Yorkshire are scheduled yearly.[3]
Qalandars High-Performance Center (QHPC)
[edit]Located in Lahore, the Qalandars High-Performance Center (QHPC) provides facilities such as gyms, astro and turf pitches, speed guns, and access to coaching personnel.[3] In addition to physical training, it provides courses in various areas such as fitness, injury management, nutrition, doping regulations, game comprehension, conduct ethics, anti-corruption protocols, career strategies, sports psychology, and media communications.[3]
Graduates
[edit]- Haris Rauf[3]
- Salman Irshad[3]
- Zaman Khan[3]
- Dilbar Hussain[3]
- Sohail Akhtar[3]
- Maaz Khan[3]
- Mirza Tahir Baig[3]
References
[edit]- ^ "Qalandars launch PDP 2023 for young cricketers". The News International.
- ^ "لاہور قلندرز اپنے کھلاڑی کیسے تلاش کرتی ہے؟". BBC News اردو. 18 February 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Abbas, Waseem. "Lahore Qalandars's Players Development Program (PDP): A Success Story". Youlin Magazine.
- ^ "Lahore Qalandars expand player development programme to include women". ESPNcricinfo.