Sports Desk
LAHORE: PCB Chairman Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi attended the announcement of five Pakistani bowlers who will play Zimbabwe’s full domestic season, in red-ball and white-ball formats, under the Lahore Qalandars Player Development Program and its partnership with Zimbabwe Cricket.
The selected players are fast bowlers Abu Bakar, Ahad Aziz and Fazal Ur Rahman, and spinners Abdul Ali and Fiaz Ur Rehman. They were identified through different pathways: the Qalandars’ 2025 development trials, the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme trials held across 28 cities, and the Pindi Tigers Trials.
The initiative builds on the 2023-24 exchange. Salman Mirza and Jalat Khan were among Zimbabwe’s leading wicket-takers that season. Mirza later won the PSL 10 title with Lahore Qalandars and earned a Pakistan call-up, while Jalat Khan and Hamza Sajjad went on to play in the PSL.
Naqvi urged all franchises to contribute to grassroots cricket, saying Lahore Qalandars leads in this effort. Owner Sameen Rana thanked him and said the program aims to build skills, confidence and experience beyond talent identification.
