Academy at NSK to be inaugurated today

KARACHI: The Regional Cricket Academy (RCA) at National Stadium Karachi (NSK) will be inaugurated on Thursday (today). The academy will train players of Sindh and Balochistan.

The academy is already functional as women cricketers are training there.

The inauguration is likely to be attended by top PCB officials as well as former Test and international cricketers.

PCB officials claim it will be a state-of-the-art academy with a number of international level facilities.

Sources in the National Stadium management said the academy has 15 rooms at the ground floor and 15 at the first. Each room has two beds, a TV or LCD, split AC, refrigerator, said Arshad Khan, General Manager, NSK.

Each room will accommodate two players.

The academy has an auditorium for conferences with seating arrangements for more than 60 people.

The academy also has a swimming pool and a gymnasium with a number of facilities.

The swimming pool will have hot water during winter.

Advances machines will be installed very soon. The players will also have the facility of sauna bath.

After the completion of construction work, the other big task for PCB is to appoint a qualified and sensible cricket coach who knows the advanced methods.

Informed sources said that many former cricketers are lobbying for getting jobs at the academy. Former left-arm spinner Iqbal Qasim, who has served PCB in different roles for a long time, may be given the charge of the academy.

Some former cricketers said the PCB should appoint someone who has credentials as a qualified coach or there would be no benefit of launching the academy and such a big exercise.

They said PCB high-ups should remember that the academy would always be on the radar of PCB’s critics and media would be only too ready to highlight any shortcoming.