Shahid Afridi, Darren Sammy and Shoaib Malik named mentors of the inaugural Pakistan Junior League
The tournament will be played on a single league basis with the top four teams qualifying for the play-offs.
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Shahid Afridi. (Photo by ARIF ALI/AFP via Getty Images)
Veteran cricketers Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Javed Miandad, and two-time T20 World Cup-winning skipper Darren Sammy have been appointed mentors for the first edition of the Pakistan Junior League (PJL), slated to be held at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore from October 1 to 15.
The senior cricketers will be part of the team dug-outs as they look to prepare for the tournament, which will be played during the backend of the Pakistan series against England. To note, the Three Lions will face the home team Pakistan in a T20I series that will conclude on October 2.
I am a big advocate of investing in the future: Afridi said after being named as a mentor in PJL
“I am a big advocate of investing in the future. If T20 cricket is a vehicle to promote and develop cricket and identify young talent, then we need to create opportunities and come up with novel ideas to unearth hidden talent, and ensure their skills and performances are duly noticed and subsequently rewarded,” Afridi was quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
“Working as the mentor of a side comprising teenagers will be a new experience for me. I am thoroughly excited and looking forward to playing my part in helping these energetic and skillful cricketers achieve the zenith of glory. I have no doubts with the abundance of talent we have, this tournament will be able to identify, at least, half a dozen cricketers who can be nurtured and developed into star cricketers, who can then go on to shoulder the expectations and hopes of millions of cricket fans and followers,” he added.
Former West Indies captain Darren Sammy also supported the concept of PJL and felt that it will help the young cricketers. “I am pleased to have been awarded with the opportunity to be involved in the inaugural Pakistan Junior League. I am fully behind the concept and believe it will assist in identifying and fast-tracking outstanding cricketers,” said Darren Sammy.
The tournament will be played on a single league basis with the top four teams qualifying for the playoffs. The top-two qualifying teams will take on each other in the Qualifier match with the winner qualifying for the final. The team losing in the qualifier will get a second turn to progress to the final match where it will play against the winner of Eliminator 1 between the number-three and four ranked sides.
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