First round of trials for emerging camp conclude

Shortlisted players to be announced after assessments in all three centres.

KARACHI:

After concluding the first round of trials for the emerging camp at the National Stadium Karachi on Monday, the national selection committee said that it will shortlist players once assessments are made in all three centres — Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore. 

Players from Karachi, Hyderabad and Quetta participated in the trials, which were monitored by chief selector Moin Khan, Shoaib Mohammad and Saleem Yousuf.

Apart from the original 15, a few other talented players were also called upon to evaluate their potential, including Pakistan U19 and first-class players.

Notable absentees were the winning 2009 World T20 opener Shahzaib Hasan and fast-bowler Tabish Khan, who are currently involved in league cricket abroad.

The trials were held at the main stadium pitch instead of the practice area, where such events usually take place.

When The Express Tribune contacted the committee regarding the selection of players, one of the members stated that at the moment, they were only grading the cricketers, while the final names would be announced after the overall phase of the trials concluded.

“We’ll announce the final names for the emerging camp once the whole process is completed,” a selector told The Express Tribune. “We’ve just graded them today [Monday] to give ourselves a better picture when we sit down to name the final participants. The selection committee would like to see all the probables and only then will it decide on the final 32 names.”

The next phase of the trials will be held in Rawalpindi, while the final one will take place in Lahore.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 24^th, 2014.

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.