President Asif Ali Zardari Wednesday emphasized the need to improve cricket infrastructure and training facilities in Sindh province to nurture and promote the province’s cricket talent, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
The president called for exploring the possibility of joint ventures in the cricket sector to develop state-of-the-art stadiums, besides providing modern coaching and mentoring opportunities to Sindh’s youth.
The president expressed these views 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 attended the meeting.
During the meeting, the president said that the SPL was providing a great platform to showcase Sindh’s cricket talent. He urged the need to devise a comprehensive long-term roadmap 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 uncovering and promoting Sindh’s cricketing talent and improving cricket infrastructure. The delegation also highlighted the achievements of SPL’s inaugural season and shared future plans for establishing a high-performance centre in Karachi, aimed at training young talent, particularly from rural and underrepresented areas of Sindh. The delegation also apprised the president about the problems being faced by the League.
President Asif Ali Zardari assured the delegation of his support to encourage and promote cricket in Sindh, stating that he would ask the Sindh Government and the Pakistan Cricket Board to extend all necessary assistance to help improve cricketing infrastructure in Sindh as well as provide mentoring to make SPL a success.