Shoaib Malik pins ‘cricket talent’ hopes on Champions One-Day Cup

LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain and two-time ICC Event winner Shoaib Malik on Thursday hoped that the Champions Cup would help cultivate more skilled and talented players with guidance from experienced mentors and skilled coaching staff, stressing that the format in the upcoming cricket event will significantly strengthen the domestic cricket structure.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appointed him earlier this week to mentor the Stallions in next month’s Champions One-Day Cup, which will be played at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad from September 12 to 29.

He is one of the five champion mentors alongside Misbah-ul-Haq, Saqlain Mushtaq, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Waqar Younis, who will reveal their respective sides’ names and logos in the PCB-arranged media conferences as part of promotion and publicity as well as creating Champions Cup brand awareness.

Addressing a press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium today, he said, “I am thrilled to be appointed as a mentor for the Stallions, a team with which I have shared many memorable moments as a player and captain. Now, to return in the role of a mentor, is an incredible opportunity. I am confident that I can still contribute significantly to the Stallion brand by sharing my experience and passion for the game.”

“As a mentor, my role goes beyond just providing guidance from the dugout. I will also take to the field in select matches to impart my first-hand knowledge and experience. This will enable our upcoming cricketers to refine their skills and elevate their game, ultimately supporting the PCB’s efforts to bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket.”

Malik said that he is a strong advocate of the Champions Cup format, which unites the best talents from our domestic cricket in a highly competitive, high-pressure environment.

While there will be fierce battles for supremacy on the field, there will also be intense rivalries among the mentors as we strive to outmanoeuvre each other, bringing an extra layer of excitement to every match, he added praising the format.

“In cricket, as in any field, the learning process never truly ends, but it can certainly be accelerated. With this in mind, I am optimistic that the Champions Cup, guided by our experienced mentors, skilled coaching staff, and live broadcasts, will significantly strengthen our domestic cricket structure. This, in turn, will cultivate more skilled and talented players, ready to take on the global stage,” he stressed.

The mentor hoped to develop new champions who will bring glory not just to the team, but to the entire region and the country.

The Champions One-Day Cup will feature the country’s 150 best of the best cricketers. This will be a 50-over tournament that will be played on a single-league format.

All but the September 16 match between Lions and Panthers, which will start at 9.30am, will commence at 3pm. There will be three playoffs in four days with the final on Sunday, September 29.

Malik’s Stallions will take on Lions on September 13, followed by matches against Wolves (September 15), Dolphins (September 19) and Panthers (September 21).

The former skipper represented the country in two 50-over World Cups and featured in six T20 World Cups while captaining the side in the 2007 event. He also featured in six Champions Trophy tournaments.

The Stallions’ mentor is 33rd on the list of ODI players with 1,000 runs, 50 wickets and 50 catches. He holds the record for one of the longest international careers, spanning nearly 20 years as he has so far appeared in 35 Tests, 287 ODIs and 124 T20Is in which he has scored 11,867 runs and taken 218 wickets.

Malik is considered one of the most sought-after cricketers in franchise cricket.

Schedule of Stallion’s matches (all their matches are at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, and will start at 3pm):

• 13 Sep – Stallions v Lions
• 15 Sep – Wolves v Stallions
• 19 Sep – Stallions v Dolphins
• 21 Sep – Panthers v Stallions