England's Nottingham County Cricket Club is helping develop its talented young Asian cricketers by giving them the opportunity to experience first-hand the thrills and challenges of playing international cricket. Under the leadership of Usman Afzaal, a current Notts player and recently selected for the England 'A' team, 16 young players have been selected to take part in a tour to Lahore, scheduled to leave for Pakistan on 21st October. The tour has been sponsored by CricInfo, who have provided all the players kit, and Lahore Country Club, the venue for the matches.

The young cricketers will play in a variety of matches, comprising four one-day games, one three-day game, and two two-day games, against strong local sides. The tour will give these youngsters exposure to the unique pressures and excitement of playing international cricket and develop their skills and potential while playing against first class opposition.

Usman is confident that these players have the potential to become future Nottinghamshire county players and believes that what they currently lack in experience this tour will be able to provide.

The players on the tour are all talented young cricketers from the ethnic minorities. The squad details are:

Usman Afzaal- (Captain)- LHB, SLA
Lee Ali - (Vice Captain) - RFM
Kamran Afzaal - RHB
Hamza Shujaat - RM, RHB
Umar Zamman - OB, RHB
Shane Ghazni - RHB
Bilal Shafiyat- RHB, WK
Waeed Khan- RM, RHB
Mohammad Masood - RHB
Nadeem Malik- RFM, RHB
Rashad Shafiyat -RM, RHB
Azhar Zamman- WK, RHB
Zahid Iqbal- RFM, RHB
Jason Lewis- RFM, RHB
Aquib Afzaal- OB, LHB
Rahim Karim- RFM, RHB
Wasim Khan- LHB, LB

Mick Newell - Manager
Khalid Masood - Team Official
Khabeb Mansha - Tour co-ordinator 

Mick Newell, Manager of the tour party and the Notts Second XI manager, has helped groom many young players who are now making a name for themselves in the first team.

The Tour Headquarters will be at the recently completed Lahore Cricket Academy, located just outside Lahore and housed within the Lahore Country Club. The academy is managed by Intikhab Alam, Ex-Pakistan Captain and Manager who took them to world cup victory. Many other top players will be on hand to offer the advice and support to the tourists. The academy campus is an impressive facility and its facilities include a full size cricket ground, practice nets, clubhouse, fresh water swimming pools, fishing lake, jogging tracks, gymnasium, badminton and tennis courts.

The tour match details are:

October 24th 2000: One Day Match Against Gujranwala XI
October 26th 2000: One Day Match Against Habib Bank XI
October 28th 2000: One Day Match Against National Bank XI
October 30th 2000: One Day Match Against Muridke Gymkhana XI
Nov 2nd & 3rd 2000: Two Day Match Against Syed Bhai XI

The tour captain, Usman Afzaal hopes the players will come away from the tour with more confidence in themselves and their game. The skills they acquire from playing in such a difference environment will be invaluable, and the experience of playing within a professional set-up will utilise the opportunity to be coached by ex-Test cricketers from Pakistan.

Lets hope these youngsters will not only gain valuable experience while playing matches against the local sides, but will also have a great time experiencing the unique culture and hospitality of the people of Pakistan.

© CricInfo