With young guns (such as Rameez Raja Jr.) recently creating a buzz in the recently concluded Faysal Bank T20 competition, PakPassion.net caught up with Hyderabad Hawks’ Coach Tauseef Ahmed, for his views on Pakistan’s young talent.

By Anum Rehman ( 2nd July, 2011)

 

Even though this year’s Faysal Bank T20 (FBT20) lacked the likes of players such as Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, and Shoaib Akhtar, the dedicated fans nevertheless, poured into Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium to support their local teams. The one thing, which has inevitably emerged from this tournament, is perhaps the availability of great talent in Pakistani youngsters.

With young guns (such as Rameez Raja Jr.) recently creating a buzz, PakPassion.net caught up with Hyderabad Hawks’ Coach Tauseef Ahmed, for his views on Pakistan’s young talent.

When asked about players who possess the flair and skill for securing a spot in the national team, the Coach alluded to the local T20 scene and responded, “I think Sharjeel has shown a lot of potential and has a good chance in the future. He played a great innings today [vs. Stallions] and even in the last match [vs. Leopards], I think he made around 70 runs. As compared to other players in the domestic scene, I rate him quite highly. This [Sharjeel Khan] is how you play T20 cricket”.

The 21 year-old left-handed batsman, Sharjeel Khan, plays for Hyderabad Hawks and also maintains an average of 35.72 in first-class batting. Recently, he was also noted for his solid performance in the Pakistan A vs. Afghanistan series.

On his views about other players who could get a spot in the Pakistani squad, Tauseef Ahmed emphasized the importance of technical abilities and claimed, “Even though Sharjeel Khan plays for my team, I still see him as having one of the best chances. Sharjeel, unlike some players, has the shots and is not simply a slogger. After he works on some of his weaknesses (and given his aptitude), I think he will surely play for Pakistan in the future”.

Apart from talented youngsters like Sharjeel Khan, players such as Raza Hasan have also looked promising. Playing for the Rawalpindi Rams, the 18 year-old quickly made an impact with his fabulous 4 wicket haul against the Multan Tigers (conceding only 21 runs). In contrast, Naved Yasin (a 23 year-old left-handed batsman), has not performed that well. However, on this young batsman's abilities, Tauseef Ahmed maintained, “Even though he didn’t perform to his potential in this tournament [while playing for the Tigers], this guy has the talent to succeed at the highest level. I have very high hopes from him”.

The Hawks’ Coach also had a positive attitude towards PCB’s accommodations regarding FBT20 players. He asserted, “PCB has good facilities for the players. All the teams are in 5-star type hotels. Also, we are always being looked after”.

In addition, Tauseef Ahmed also applauded the fans for their enthusiasm towards the tournament: “People are coming in huge numbers and the stadiums are full. Although it was very hot, the public still came to the ground to watch the matches".

Aside from potentially unearthing talent for the future, the FBT20 Cup has been an enthralling experience. Regarding this tournament, Tauseef Ahmed affirmed, “The matches have been very tight as well. Although Karachi was one of the strong teams, they lost against Multan. So, it has been a very successful tournament”.

The pursuit of the T20 Cup has generated quite an interest this year, despite the absence of some famous cricketers. Some remarkable young Pakistani talent has come to the fore during the course of the tournament, and fans themselves, have enjoyed every moment of it.

The tournament concluded on 1st July, with an unlikely victory by Rawalpindi Rams over the much fancied Karachi Dolphins in front of another packed house at the Iqbal Stadium.