Wasim Akram to hold camp for pacers in Karachi

The camp will be held for 12 days to train the best 12 bowlers of the country

KARACHI: Sultan of swing and former captain of Pakistan, Wasim Akram will be training country’s 12 best young pacers during a 12-day camp in Karachi which will commence on August 1, reported NDTV.

The selected dozen were handpicked after a couple of try-outs held at four centres in Pakistan in July.

The bowlers were selected by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and were named on Thursday at Karachi’s National Stadium.

PCB recruited Wasim Akram for the talent hunt programme because a prominent electronic company agreed to fund the entire project but on the condition that it would be led by the legendary player.

According to sources, the bowler will receive his payments directly from the sponsors with no involvement from the Board, with which the player has had a rocky relationship.

Akram has openly reviewed several of the decisions taken by the Board. He recently spoke harshly of the Board’s handling of left-arm pacer Junaid Khan and veteran batsman Younus Khan.

This is not the first time that Akram will be heading such a camp. In 2013, Akram held another sponsored camp in which he worked alongside players such as Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Irfan, Sohail Khan and Junaid.

The former fast-bowler has frequently expressed his desire to help Pakistan cricket in any capacity and to hone young pace bowlers.

The 12 youngsters selected for participation in the camp include some known names from the domestic cricketing circuit.

The list includes Mir Hamza of Karachi, Ahmed Jamal (who won the best bowler prize in the last camp) of Abottabad, Majid Ali and Amir Yamin of Multan, Ahmed Butt and Muhammad Irfan from Sialkot, Bilawal and Ziaul Haq of Lahore.

The list also includes a rookie pacer from the Federally Administrated Tribal areas, Sameen Gul and three others pacers, Azizullah, Altaf Khan and Taj Wali, from Peshawar.