Regional Academy Sheikhupura will be formally inaugurated on Friday June 1st 2001, by former PCB Chairman Syed Zulfiqar Bokhari at 9:15 a.m.

PCB has already announced the names of 20 players for the Regional Academy who had been directed to report to Aaqib Javed at the Sheikhupura Stadium on Thursday. Former Test Cricketers Shafiq Ahmed and Aaqib Javed have been named as Coaches with Shafiq as the Incharge of the Academy.

The present team of the Regional Academy at Sheikhupura will last till August 25th, 2001. Located at the Sheikhupura Stadium, both the training and lodging of the players will be at the same venue.

The inauguration of the Sheikhupura Academy on Friday will complete the first phase of launching cricket academies all over Pakistan. The National Academy at Lahore and Regional Academies at Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar have been functioning smoothly since the start and the players undergoing their multi-faceted training and coaching under the respective panel of coaches and the experts, who are assisting them in their task. In addition to this PCB has also embarked on a programme to invite foreign experts and renowned former test cricketers, former test umpires and experts in their respective field to lecture the trainees.

Under the plan besides lectures by local experts like former Test Umpire Khizer Hayat, an Australian Coach Mr. Richard Done is already in Pakistan on an eleven-day visit on a coaching assignment. A former senior coach of the Australian Cricket Academy and one time member of the Australian Coaching Council and a specialist coach in fast bowling sports, science and coach education. He is in Pakistan form May 25th to June 9. Having spent four days at Lahore, he is already visiting Peshawar and Rawalpindi Academies before arriving in Karachi on June 2 for conducting two days training session at Karachi.


Khalid Butt
Media Manager
31 May 2001

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