File photo of Abdul Razzaq.© AFP
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has picked former Test all-rounder Abdul Razzaq to head a country-wide scouting program to find new talent for the national T20 squad. The program titled “Strike Force” aims to unearth hidden talent from all corners of Pakistan where T20 remains a popular format. An official of the PCB said that Razzaq has been given the task of initially spotting 50 players and shortlisting them so that some of them can go on to play for Pakistan.
“We have been struggling in T20 cricket for a while and the idea is that with so much T20 cricket being played in the country, and Razzaq himself being a class hitter and all-rounder, can unearth some unknown talent,” the official said.
Pakistan is presently lagging in the eighth position in the ICC T20 rankings and has lost the recent T20 series in Australia and South Africa besides losing a match in Zimbabwe.
Tape Tennis ball cricket matches in Pakistan are a big hit and some unknown players even command a good fee to appear in these local events and display their big hitting skills.
“Pakistan is clearly lagging behind other countries when it comes to hitting sixes and fours and unconventional strokes and the idea is some of those players who are limited to playing in local events can be good enough to play in international cricket,” the PCB official said.
Razzaq was previously associated with the board as a national selector until a few months back.
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