Lahore:PCB Hall of Fame, former Captain and one of the fastest bowlers Waqar Younis has expressed his resolve to share his knowledge and insight with both the coaching staff and the players as mentor of the Lions in the Champions One Day Cup 2024 to be held between September 12 and 29 at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad.
Addressing a press conference at the unveiling of team logo at the PCB Headquarters Gaddafi Stadium here on Monday, he said his goal is to help this pool of cricketers grow into more effective and impactful players, ensuring a bright future for our Lions and the Pakistan cricket team.
Veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik and most successful former captain Misbahul Haq have already been named mentors of the Stallions and Wolves in the Champions One Day Cup. The Lions have been allocated National Cricket Academy for training and practice during the 2024-25 domestic cricket season.
Details of the player names and player support personnel will follow later this week.
‘With a series of high-profile 5
0-over international matches on the horizon, culminating in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the Champions One-Day Cup is an invaluable opportunity for players to showcase their skills and stake their claim for national selection,’ Waqar said, adding ‘I have no doubt that this tournament will help us identify future stars who, with the right guidance and development, can serve our country for many years to come.’
Waqar Younis further said that he was excited about the opportunity to once again contribute to player development, adding that the new role presented a fresh challenge. ‘Beyond the chance to work with some of the most talented cricketers, there will be a fascinating dynamic among the mentors as each of us will strive to outmaneuver the others and the rivalry will certainly add an extra layer of excitement and intensity to the competition,’ he added.
Champions One Day Cup 2024 with its unique format, where every match counts, promises to bring a new level of excitement to the game. Fans can look forw
ard to a thrilling 14-match tournament over 17 days, filled with high-stakes action and memorable moments.
The Champions One-Day Cup will feature country’s 150 best of the best cricketers. This will be a 50-over tournament that will be played on a single-league format. All but 16 September match between Lions and Panthers, which will start at 9.30am, will commence at 3pm. There will be three playoffs in four days with the final on Sunday, 29 September.
Waqar Younis captained Pakistan in 17 Tests and 62 ODIs besides playing in three 50-over World Cups. He holds the record for fastest to 400 ODI wickets and leads the list of captains with best ODI bowling figures. Waqar was named as one of Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1992 and inducted into the ICC and PCB Hall of Fames in 2013 and 2021 respectively besides coaching Pakistan in the 2010 and 2016 T20 World Cups and 2011 and 2015 World Cups. The ace fast bowler last served Pakistan as bowling coach from 2019-2021.