National One-Day Cup: Lions to try out ‘young blood’ in semi-final

Coach eager to test inexperienced players against Stallions.

KARACHI: Lahore Lions will take on Sialkot Stallions in the first semi-final of the Faysal Bank One-day Tournament today, but their coach Mohsin Kamal has emphasised that he would prefer grooming youngsters rather than going all out to win the title.

Kamal, a former player, said that there is a need to give maximum exposure to talented players at the regional level, which will automatically result in bringing about improvement in their skills and give them a chance to test their nerves under pressure.

“I would prefer trying out youngsters for the semi-final in order to groom them for big matches,” Kamal told The Express Tribune. “Teams would field older players who have no future so that they can win the title but my method is a little bit different.

“I’ve come up with a plan to develop players by backing them even if they fail in some matches.”



Several new players have enjoyed a respectable domestic season under Kamal’s coaching, including Imran Butt and Umer Siddique.

Lions’ batsman Usman Salahuddin claimed that they have a good enough side to defeat Stallions but insisted that the players needed to focus in the knock-out match, which will be played at the Pindi Cricket Stadium.

Meanwhile, some players complained over the poor scheduling of the event, expressing anger over travelling for hours during all their group matches. Lions are not the first team to criticise the scheduling during this event, as earlier Stallions and Karachi Dolphins too had lamented over the same reason.

The players have complained over problems of sore back and stiffness due to a hectic schedule that could result in serious injuries during the season.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2013.