Clubs’ registration issue to be taken up with Mani, says Saleem

ISLAMABAD: As the First Board of the Northern Cricket Association here Tuesday held its first informal meeting, its chairman Saleem Asghar Mian vouched to take up clubs’ registration process issue and the relatively tough conditions associated with it during the scheduled meeting on March 13 in Lahore.

Talking to ‘The News’ following the first meeting, the former first-class cricketer said that it was some sort of introductory meeting.

“Northern Association met today in Islamabad but a few faces were new to me. It was sort of introductory meeting aimed at knowing each other.”

Saleem said the PCB chairman has convened the associations’ heads meeting on March 13. “After the meeting with the PCB chairman, we would arrange a formal meeting of the association. I would be taking up different matters in the meeting including club registration and conditions associated with it.”

The first board’s chairman also vouched to protect the rights of all the genuine clubs falling within the Northern’s jurisdiction.

“I am a cricketer and I know that running the clubs and generating cricket activities at the grassroots level is are tough and demanding tasks. My efforts would be to protect the rights of genuine clubs and generate the game’s activities in the regions during our tenure.”

Saleem added that his focus would be to promote school and college level cricket.

“It is the school and college level cricket which holds the key. I will put focus on generating cricket activities in schools and spot the talent at the right age.”

He said that doing work on genuine talent in teenage was very important. “Work on talent’s technique is not possible when a player crosses a particular age. Proper technique starting from childhood plays very important role in shaping the talent on modern grounds. I would be stressing the coaches to work on these lines.”

The participants included Saleem Asghar Mian (chairman) and the members Abdus Sami, Asif Faridi, Mohammad Ayaz Butt, Nadeem Ahmed Abbasi, Col (r) Naushad Ali, Raja Muhammad Zia Ashraf and Tanveer Ahmed.