LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has secured the services of South Africa’s Imran Tahir and New Zealand’s Colin Munro as team mentors for the inaugural season of the Pakistan Junior League (PJL).
This latest development means that Munro and Tahir will join Darren Sammy, Shahid Afridi, and Shoaib Malik as mentors for the six-team tournament to be held later this year.
The appointment of the last mentor for the PJL’s sixth team will be announced later on. Pakistan’s legendary cricketer Javed Miandad will oversee the entire tournament as PJL’s mentor. Once all six mentors will be identified, they will be assigned a team each to look after.
Speaking about the latest development, Imran Tahir said: “Returning to Lahore for the Pakistan Junior League in a team mentor’s role is one of my most satisfying achievements as I still owe a lot to my country of birth. This is an exciting opportunity to work with emerging slow bowlers and help them develop and flourish so that they have a chance to emulate the great spinners this country has produced.”
“I am fully behind the philosophy of Pakistan Junior League as this creates a tough and challenging environment for the players with high expectations, and only those who will clear this scale will go leaps and bounds in their careers. With the amount of international cricket being played, this event will help Pakistan to amplify their pool of players, which, in turn, will increase playing opportunities and earn the prized national cap,” he further added.
Colin Munro also expressed his delight after being named as one of the mentors for the PJL.
“I am excited to be part of the inaugural Pakistan Junior League, which I believe will be a game-changer for Pakistan cricket. Investing in youngsters, securing the future of the game, and ensuring the national side continues to move in an upward direction should be the objectives of all administrators and I think the PCB has taken a lead here by launching this tournament, which will expose the young talent to the rigorous and demands of top-level cricket and help Pakistan in the longer run,” he said.
“Working with youngsters, sharing knowledge, and helping them grow in their careers is something that interests and excites me, and I am really looking forward to being a part of the Pakistan Junior League. Having seen firsthand experienced the tremendous talent at the Pakistan Super League, I have no doubts the Pakistan Junior league will produce future champions of world cricket,” Munro added.
