From playing on the streets of Pakistan to honing their skills on the lawns of Bradman Oval, the Pakistani Lahore Qalanders are ready to take on some of the world’s best cricketers.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Qalandars are a T20 Pakistani team that is part of the Pakistan Super League.
And no trip to Australia would be complete without a trip to the iconic Bradman Oval and Museum
The team visited the museum, before a short training session on Bradman Oval.
As part of their tour, they will compete against sides such as the Sydney Thunder and Sixers, Hobart Hurricanes, and Auckland Aces.
Prominent Pakistani journalist and team media spokesperson, Faizan Lakhani said the team had enjoyed its tour of Australia.
“I’ve found Australia very beautiful and cultural.Speaking for myself and the players, we’ve come from a totally different culture and different cricketing background,” Mr Lakhani said.
“We’ve had a couple of practice games here and they’ve been a real learning experience. The conditions here are much different to the ones in Pakistan.”
Lakhani said there were many benefits to this Australian tour including how far the Pakistani players had come as sportsmen.
“What’s been a benefit to the team is learning about community cricket which is something we lack in Pakistan,” he said.
“Before being picked up by the Player Development Program, many of the players were honing their cricket skills on the streets of Pakistan. Many players had not played professional, hard ball cricket before.”
ALSO READ:
The Lahore Qalandars have talent scouts which over the past three years, have travelled all over Pakistan.
More than 500,000 young men tried out in that time, and in places such as Kashmir more than 38,000 boys and men turned up to try their luck at being selected.
Former Pakistani cricketer and captain of the Lahore Qalandars Aqib Javed, explained the scouting process.
“We have eight days in each place, with 30 coaches. There are long queues and lots of waiting. Boys will get about 10 seconds each to show their talent, that’s about two or three balls.”
Javed said that a trained eye could pick talent very quickly.
“Ten seconds is more than enough.”
Javed has represented his country, played alongside the likes of Imran Khan and played in the 1992 World Cup but but his crowning achievement is happening at this very moment.
“When you play for Pakistan you play for country and for self but as coach of Lahore Qalandars you are taking the game to the people and the community. This is special. This is my biggest achievement,” Javed said.
Love local news? Sign up to our weekly newsletter