RIYADH, 27 March 2007 — Riyadh Cricket Association (RCA) will soon ready a turf pitch for its players in Riyadh in preparation for the June tour to London.
Wishing the team all success, Dr. Mansoor Ahmed, Vice President of RCA, said the preparation of a special pitch and arranging more matches for the London-bound team was part of their intensive drive to groom the players for the overseas fixtures. He also exhorted the players to put their best foot forward into the game, which instills a sense of discipline if played in the right spirit.
Dr. Ahmed was speaking at a felicitation for the players got up in their honor by Iqbal Shahid, the team manager. The team will be led by Asif Sheikh along with Rizwan Manzoor.
The other players are: Mohammed Afzal Pasha, Rizwan Qayyum, Asif Butt, Yassir Butt, Ghulam Nabi, Adnan Shazad, Shiraz Shafiq, Zia-ul-Haq, Obaid Ullah, Nabeel Ahmed, Waseem Ahmed, Mohammed Maqbool, Tasawar Hussain, Mohammed Maqsood, Mohammed Adeel, Syed Aamir Rizvi and Abdul Salaam.
Among the hopefuls expected to be on board for the London tour are: Waleed Yousuf, Basit Butt, Waqas and Raja Talha. It will be the first time that a cricket team from Saudi Arabia will be touring London for a month during which they will play eight one-day matches and one three-day Test match.
Team captain Asif Sheikh said this tour would be a learning experience as they will be playing under different conditions against a stronger side. They will have to harness their full potential by developing a strong sense of motivation, direction, determination, and most important of all, the spirit to win. He also thanked Iqbal Shahid for his initiative in the matter.
Earlier, Mansoor presented awards to the players for their outstanding performance. Iqbal Shahid said he was exploring the possibility of letting the players polish their skills in Damman and Bahrain by playing a few matches before heading off to London for the big day.
Among the other speakers were Farooq Hassan, business development manager of a telecommunications company, and Dr Azhar Hussain, who recently landed the best scientist award for two consecutive years in the Kingdom.
