Rise in cricket standard in Balochistan delights Nadeem

KARACHI: Nadeem Omar, the owner of Quetta Gladiators franchise, has expressed his delight at the phenomenal rise in the standard of cricket during the last few years in Balochistan.

“At the time of the bidding for PSL franchises about four years ago we were being advised by all quarters not to do so because of the lack of cricketing talent and resources in that province. But we had our own parameters of assessment and we went ahead with our plans,” he said while talking to ‘The News’ here on Tuesday. “The results are there for everybody to see,” he added.

He was referring to the title clash between Heroes Cricket Club Quetta and Quetta Gladiators Academy in Karachi Gymkhana-Omar Associates Ramazan Festival Cricket Tournament 2019. “Isn’t it quite remarkable that both the finalists of one of the leading tournaments of the country belonged to Quetta! Their outfits comprised players from all over the province and what a splendid performance they have come up with!” he said.

Nadeem, who was elected as president of the Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) last year, said that integrated efforts were needed to groom the talent and polish the skills of the young cricketers. “Quetta, like the rest of the country, has always been blessed with talented cricketers. They have come of age after being taken care of during the last few years. Obviously this is just the beginning. They will be hitting headlines in future,” he said.