Written by: Waseem Abbas
Posted on: April 26, 2023 | 
| 中文
Staff and players during the trials conducted by Lahore Qalandars
When Pakistan played New Zealand in the first two T20Is recently, all three fast bowlers playing for Pakistan were part of Lahore Qalandars in the recently concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL). One of them was leading the franchise, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and the other two are the products of their Players Development Program (PDP), Haris Rauf and Zaman Khan. The same trio had helped them in winning the second connective PSL trophy earlier this year. Lahore Qalandars' stupendous success, particularly of their Players Development Program, is a testament that with hard work and perseverance, any milestone can be achieved.
Zaman Khan and Shaheen Shah after winning PSL 2023
It was the very same team that was a laughing stock for all and sundry in the first six editions of the PSL. It was the most unsuccessful franchise, having been eliminated in the very first round five times in the first six PSL editions, and finishing bottom of the table thrice. Qalandars and their owners, specifically Fawad Rana, were the target of trolls and memers, as fans criticized their coaching staff that was led by the former fast bowler, Aqib Javed. Qalandars acquired the services of many greats of the game, including AB Devilries, Brendon McCullum and Chris Gayle, but to no avail. Many former cricketers opined that Qalandars’ owners should revamp their structure, remove the coaching staff and select players based on form, but Qalandars persisted with their strategy: grooming future stars from their talent hunt programs and their Players Development Program.
A match between two Players Development Program (PDP) teams at Qalandars High Performance Center (QHPS), Lahore
The Players Development Program (PDP), initiated in 2016 by Lahore Qalandars, aims to provide a platform and opportunity to upcoming cricketers, who have been ignored in Pakistan’s domestic setup, to showcase their talent and prove their mettle to progress further. Their talent hunt team visits various cities to conduct trials and selects squads from each city. The teams from different cities play against each other in a tournament organized by Qalandars, and the best performers of the event are invited to Qalandars High-Performance Center (QHPC), Lahore, for further training and to hone their skills. Players Development Program (PDP) is now extended to both male and female cricketers, which was a much-needed step.
Nets at Qalandars High Performance Center
The best squads of the first two PDPs toured Australia for matches against Big Bash teams, including Sydney Sixers, Sydney Thunders and Hobart Hurricane. Four players from PDP, including Haris Rauf, Usman Qadir, Salman Irshad and Ghulam Rabbani, impressed the Aussies and signed contracts with different clubs in Australia. One of them, Haris, went on to play Big Bash, Australia's premier domestic T20 tournament and impressed everyone. He went on to represent Pakistan, and is currently the mainstay in our shorter formats team.
Qalandars have also contracts with Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and Yorkshire Cricket Club for the development of players’ skills and nurturing of their talents. Two top performers of Qalandars PDP will get training in MCC every year, while they have signed a contract with Yorkshire for the players' exchange program. Moreover, matches between the two teams (Yorkshire and Qalandars) are scheduled annually, and contracts are offered for each other's players in their respective tournaments (County and PSL). The Chair of Yorkshire Club said about PDP: “The Players Development Program is an incredible achievement – breaking the mould for how teams can be created within our sport, and demonstrating that through offering access and support, great cricketing talent can be found from all backgrounds.”
Darren Gough, Interim MD Yorkshire Cricket Club, Sameen Rana, COO Lahore Qalandars and Professor The Lord Patel, Chair of Yorkshire Cricket Club
QHPC has all the facilities required for a professional cricketer: gyms, astro pitches, turf pitches, speed guns and the availability of professional coaches. It also imparts detailed knowledge about the way to improve physical fitness and conditioning, injury management, nutrition and diet, doping, game awareness, code of conduct, anti-corruption lectures, future management, sports psychology and media handling amongst other skills required for a professional athlete to succeed. The center has regular classes for all the sportsmen/women to impart these skills, besides training them for bowling, batting and fielding.
Due to their intensive training, many PDP graduates have made big names for themselves both nationally and internationally. Zaman Khan, who was impressive in this year's PSL, is playing with another PDP product, Haris Rauf, in the Pakistan team. Other PDP players to play in PSL include Dilbar Hussain, Salman Irshad, Sohail Akhtar, Maaz Khan and Mirza Tahir Baig amongst others. Salman Irshad was particularly impressive in the last two seasons of PSL, playing for Peshawar Zalmi, and it should not come as a surprise if he finds a place in the national team soon.
Haris Rauf and Zaman Khan
Lahore Qalandars transitioned from being the most unsuccessful to the most successful team in the PSL, by focusing on the process and not looking for shortcuts to success. It has not only created a legacy in Pakistan cricket, but has also become a living example for sports clubs around the world as to how teams are developed and nurtured. Their Players Development Program (PDP), which provided cricket facilities for many underprivileged kids, is a case study for all policy makers who want to develop cricket at the grassroot level.
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