Nelson Mandela Talent Hunt Program

The final round of trials of the Nelson Mandela Talent Hunt Program was held today at the Asghar Ali Shah Cricket Stadium with more than 180 shortlisted players showed up to selectors to further evaluate their skills which included Head Selectors Shadab Kabir, Tahir Khan, Mohtsham Ali and Ahmar Saeed.

A first-of-its-kind talent hunt program to provide equal opportunities to underprivileged children of Karachi has been devised by Mr. Majeed Bashir Ahmed, Chairman of Bristol Engineering and Honorary Council of South Africa in Karachi. This program is strongly supported by the South African High Commission in Pakistan.

The idea developed by Mr. Majid Bashir Ahmed is shaping up well as 60 selected players were announced today after two phase trials.

Champions Trophy 2017 winning captain Sarfaraz Ahmed and courageous batsman Fawad Alam are part of the program as mentors. Both interacted with the kids, shared their words of wisdom and praised the upcoming stars and the initiative.

Sarfraz Ahmed is the brand ambassador of the programme, he said: “We have an experienced selection panel and they have done a great job. I have been through this phase and I know the challenges very well so from my experience I will try to give the players the best performance and share some valuable advice with them.”

Fawad Alam added: “It is a Great initiative and there is a lot of talent in Karachi. I am happy to see that this initiative is being taken to give the local talent of Karachi an opportunity to shine at the biggest level”

Four teams will be formed from the shortlisted 60 players who will compete in the matches leading to the selection of the final 16.

The final selected players will then travel to South Africa for the best training and get the international exposure they need to hone to shine.