The ICC-ACC (International Cricket Council-Asian Cricket Council) Under-17 Tournament is starting in Bangladesh from 17th of February. The final of the nine-day tournament will be played at Dacca on the 25th of the same month. Teams from ten countries of Asia have confirmed their participation in the tournament. They have been divided into two groups. Group A is comprised of India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the UAE, and Oman. Group B has Pakistan, Nepal, Singapore, Kuwait, besides the host, Bangladesh.

Preparations for the tournament are underway in Pakistan. The initial trials conducted at different cities of the country have attracted aspiring youngsters in large numbers. According to information, the numbers of boys reporting for initial trials at only Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad collectively exceeds twelve hundred.

The reports about the trials reveal that around 250 boys have been short-listed for final trials to be conducted at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore from 16th to 19th of this month. The Pakistan Cricket Board has appointed a three-member selection committee, headed by former Test cricketer Haroon Rasheed, to select twenty to twenty-five players for the camp. Haroon will be assisted in his task by Sultan Rana and Farrukh Zaman as co-selectors.

Expressing his views on the subject, Col. Noor ud Din Khwaja, manager domestic cricket and the organizer for the trials, looked satisfied at the successful completion of the initial stages of the trials. Why shouldn't he be, he knew well that the organization of trials featuring youngsters in such large numbers was never going to be an easy assignment. "No doubt, the trials have been a great success so far, and the final episode at Lahore will also be a success," a confident looking Colonel asserted. He further added, " Some of the boys are really excellent. They have the talent to serve the country for a long time."

Sultan Rana, one of the members of the selection committee, mentioned the names of two boys – Salman Akbar Butt and Khakan Arshad – who have the ability to raise themselves to the highest level of cricket. "All they need is proper training and guidance to become top international cricketers," opined Rana. He told that the selection committee has been entrusted with the task of picking a maximum of 25 boys out of the 250 that are going to report at the Gaddafi Stadium on 16th January.

Looking at the talent that these boys possess, it would not by an easy task for the selection committee to pick such a small number of boys from the lot. However, one thing is for sure, that the team sent by Pakistan to Bangladesh would be one of the toughest sides of the tournament.

© CricInfo