LAHORE: A total of 12 foreign players including eight from the United Kingdom, three from Afghanistan and one from Sri Lanka have arrived here to take part in the first edition of the Pakistan Junior League (PJL), which begins at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Thursday (October 6).

The remaining 12 foreign players are expected to reach in the next two to three days. The local players will also arrive from their respective homes to Lahore over the weekend. The players that reached Lahore include: Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar (Rawalpindi Raiders), Archie Lenham (Mardan Warriors), James Ross Wood (Hyderabad Hunters), Joseph Eckland (Gwadar Sharks), Ibrahim Masood (Hyderabad Hunters), Gabriel Gallman-Findlay (Bahawalpur Royals), George Thomas (Mardan Warriors), Luc Martin Benkenstein (Gwadar Sharks), Shevon Daniel (Gujranwala Giants), Thomas Aspinwall (Gujranwala Giants), Nangeyalia Kharotai (Bahawalpur Royals) and Olly Cox (Mardan Warriors).

The players expressed their excitement at playing the PJL in the presence of some of the greats of the game who would be working as mentors during the tournament.

Nangeyalia Kharotai of Bahawalpur Royals said, “This is a great opportunity for us at this new and exciting platform for young players from around the world. I aim to help my team win the tournament and work closely with my mentor Imran Tahir who is a legend of the game and has a great experience of leagues and T20 format around the world.”

Thomas Aspinwall of Gujranwala Giants said, “The Pakistan Junior League is a great initiative and I am thrilled to be a part of this tournament. At Gujranwala Giants we have Shoaib Malik as our mentor who is a T20 legend. I look forward to talking to him and taking his guidance which will help me in my future cricket. There are also some wonderful mentors with the rest of the teams and I look forward to chatting with them.”

Joseph Eckland of Gwadar Sharks said, “This is an exciting time for all of us and I am really looking forward to playing the Pakistan Junior League for the Gwadar Sharks. We have an all-time legend of the game Sir Vivian Richards as our mentor his presence will be a huge motivation for me and my team. There are some incredible mentors in other sides and it will be great to interact with them.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022