PCB Ropes to Abdul Razzaq to lead nationwide scouting program to find new T20 talent

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has chosen former Test all-rounder Abdul Razzaq to head a nationwide scouting program to find new talent for the national T20 team. The program titled “Strike Force” aims to unearth hidden talents across Pakistan, where T20 remains a popular format. A PCB official said Razzaq was tasked with initially scouting 50 players and shortlisting them so that some of them could continue playing for Pakistan.

“We have been struggling in T20 cricket for some time and the idea is that with so much T20 cricket being played in the country, and Razzaq himself being a classy hitter and all-rounder, we can unearth some undiscovered talent” , said the official.

Pakistan are currently at eighth place in the ICC T20 rankings and lost the recent T20 series in Australia and South Africa besides losing a match in Zimbabwe.

Banded tennis ball cricket matches in Pakistan are very successful and some unknown players even get a good amount for participating in these local events and showing off their great hitting skills.

“Pakistan is clearly lagging behind other countries when it comes to hitting sixes, fours and unconventional shots and the idea is that some of these players who are restricted to playing in local events can be good enough to play international cricket,” the PCB official said. .

Razzaq was previously associated with the board as national selector until a few months ago.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)