International cricketer Zaheer Khan was in Jaipur on Wednesday to promote an amateur cricket tournament. Talking to media, Khan clarified that the tournament though is independent of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), yet assures to provide a platform to young cricketers. “It’s an amateur tournament and won’t even be played with the same ball as professional cricket,” Khan said. “Yet, it will provide the participants a near experience of professional cricket and an opportunity to showcase their talent,” he added.
Zaheer is a co-founder of the tournament, Ferit Cricket Bash and was in Jaipur with the other two founders, Jasmeet Bhatia and Mitesh Sharma to further explore the possibilities in Rajasthan. The promoters stated that they do not wish to establish it as a parallel IPL tournament. “It’s just for amateurs, those to have lost the touch with cricket and got involved in other professions, anyone above 15 years of age can apply without any upper age limit,” said Jasmeet Bhatia.
The tournament, in its first edition, will hold matches only for the men’s category, however, the promoters have expressed a desire to introduce women cricket matches in future. Trials for the tournament are scheduled to be held in Jaipur from February 1, following which experts will select players for training camps. While Zaheer Khan remains one of the prominent trainers, the promoters also informed of their efforts to associate more international cricketers with the process, among these are Muttiah Muralitharan, Chris Gayle, Praveen Kumar and others.
The promoters, meanwhile, insisted that the tournament does not wish to impact new selection procedures or impact the working of domestic cricket in India. They said that the event is an attempt to make people of all age restore their lost connection with the most beloved game of the country.
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