TALENT HUNT FROM SEPTEMBER 2007 Mobilink & PCB launch Countrywide 'Hunt for Future Cricket Heroes' program

Lahore: August 31, 2007 - Mobilink and the National Cricket Academy of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), today announced their grand countrywide program for the Hunt for Future Cricket Heroes of Pakistan, in collaboration with GEO television.

It is a first of its kind activity of a magnitude that will present an opportunity for genuine talented cricketers throughout Pakistan playing in unstructured environments on the streets and pavements around the country, to prove their mettle. The program is expected to draw thousands of prospective cricketers, who after proper coaching will be nurtured to become the future cricket heroes of Pakistan, emulating the feats of several Pakistani greats including Zaheer Abbass, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, or Wasim Akram .

Mobilink will be assisting the cricketers through an 'Educational Fund' who would require support to further their education while continuing playing cricket. The selected individuals through assured quality educational assistance from the company will eventually groom into becoming the face of the nation representing Pakistan in various international arenas.

Commenting on the countrywide launch of the program, Zouhair A. Khaliq, President & CEO, Mobilink said, "Cricket is the game of yesterday, today and tomorrow, and we understand how important and how close the game is to every Pakistani's heart throughout the country. Being the official mobile phone service company of Pakistan Cricket, it was our promise to create a nationwide talent and outreach program that could one day change the lives of ordinary young men to become heroes of tomorrow. This massive activation would benefit potential talent from every nook and corner of the country reshaping lives for the well deserving youth while promoting the game at all levels."

Chairman PCB, Dr Nasim Ashraf while appreciating the support of Mobilink opined, "Cricket as we all know is engrained in our lives and therefore, we would like to discover and nurture the finest talents from the cricket fields of the country without any prejudice. I would like to thank Mobilink for their support and involvement. This is the first time the PCB will be reaching out to the rural areas of Pakistan directly in search of potential talented cricketers; the most important element of the 'vision' of this PCB Management, through its Game Development program. It is with the help of Mobilink that we have been able to launch such an extensive level program The hunt will reach out to the people countrywide and every single Pakistani, no matter where they live, poor or rich, will be able to get a chance of making it to the cricket team based solely on talent."

According to the format of the scheme, open trials will be held simultaneously in all the 4 provinces at one time, spread over ten days; two day trials followed by five days of coaching of the short listed players. The short listed players would then be given a chance to play three one-day matches to prove their talent and get selected in the final fifteen of each of their respective regions, to be selected by regional selection committee. The hunt will start from the first week of September and will continue till Jan 2008. The main aim of this program is to bring in talented players for the U-16 team of Pakistan who will then be trained over the years and seasoned to join the National team of Pakistan.

While talking to the press Mr Imran Aslam , CEO of Geo TV said, "It is great to be part of this alliance, cricket is a game which is loved by all Pakistanis and promoting it in a way that will reach people in all parts of the country is not just a big responsibility but a commitment on the part of our three organizations; we look forward to the success of this venture."

The selected cricketers will then be nurtured, under the watchful eyes of seasoned coaches and mentors, at the prestigious cricket coaching institution of Pakistan, the "National Cricket Academy" of PCB in Lahore for a period of 6 weeks. This activity will be a part of the second phase of the talent hunt program. The Mobilink 'Hunt for Future Cricket Heroes' program will be directly channeled to the Pakistan U 17 team, making pathway for them to the U-19 World Cup in 2010 and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.