ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari has stressed the need to improve cricket infrastructure and training facilities in Sindh to promote young talent at the provincial level.
According to a President House statement on Wednesday he called for exploring the possibility of joint ventures in the cricket sector to develop state-of-the-art stadiums, and provide modern coaching and mentoring opportunities to the youth of Sindh.
The President said this while talking to a delegation of Sindh Premier League (SPL), led by Chairman SPL Malik Aslam, at Aiwan-e-Sadr. Secretary Sports and Youth Affairs Department of Sindh, Jalaluddin Mahar, Vice Chairman SPL, Major General (r) Zahid Mehmood, President SPL, Arif Malik, CEO SPL, Chaudhary Shahzad Akhtar, and senior government officials were also present on the occasion.
During the meeting, the President said that the Sindh Premier League (SPL) was providing a great platform to show Sindh’s cricket talent. He stressed the need to devise a comprehensive long-term policy to promote cricket in the province. “Promoting sports and cricket leagues in Pakistan will not only enhance sports tourism but will also boost economic activities,” he remarked.
The delegation briefed the President about the role of SPL in promoting Sindh’s cricketing talent and improving overall cricket infrastructure. The delegation also highlighted the achievements of SPL’s inaugural season and shared future plans for founding a high-performance centre in Karachi to train young talent, especially in rural and underrepresented areas of Sindh. The delegation also apprised the President about the problems being faced by the cricket league.
President Asif Ali Zardari assured the delegation of his full support to encourage and promote cricket in Sindh. He said he would ask the Sindh Government and the Pakistan Cricket Board to extend all necessary assistance to help improve cricketing infrastructure in Sindh. Later, the SPL delegation presented an SPL shirt to President Zardari.
