Melbourne Stars signs another player from the Qalandars development program
Lahore Qalandars High-Performance Center has unleashed Syed Faridoun, an aspiring left arm wrist spinner, to play in the Big Bash League in Australia. It will be the third product in Qalandars' player development program to be signed by Melbourne Stars as Haris Rauf and Dilbar Hussein each had a stint.
19-year-old Faridoun from Lahore is currently in Australia and will make his debut in competitive T20 cricket for the first time in his small career so far. So far he has played in the U16 and U19 age groups at city level. He was part of the bench in the PSL 5 second leg in Karachi and later part of PSL 6 as part of his development with the elite crickets on the team.
It was originally selected via a virtual scouting program last year when the government imposed a lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak.
During the first wave of Covid-19, Lahore Qalandars was unable to start a nationwide hunt as part of their annual player development program and asked the children to record their talent and send in the videos.
Sameen Rana (COO Lahore Qalandars): “Wrist spinners with the left arm are rare and it is arguably the toughest skill in cricket. He was raw, but at least he was bowling and ambitious in terms of skill and it wasn't a really difficult choice. We identified his talent in a video and invested in his development and made him fit for the big stage. We are always open to all the young people out there who are talented, ambitious and with the prospect of serving the country.
“We did our part and now it's up to Faridoun to show his talent. I'm excited about his prospect of playing in Australia and in our relationship with stars we can give them another player. I would like to thank Nicholas Cummins (CEO Cricket Victoria) for his support and trust in our development program process and player selection. I wish Faridoun and Stars the best of luck before the news season. "
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Nicholas Cummins (Cricket Victoria): “We are excited to continue our relationship with the Qalandars with Syed at BBL11. He has already impressed in his two training games against Melbourne Renegades and we hope that he will follow in the footsteps of Haris Rauf and Dilbar Hussein and write another success story. "
Syed Faridoun: “I'm really excited about this opportunity and I haven't even dreamed of it. This is a tremendous rise in my career and I am very grateful to Lahore Qalandars for playing a huge role in my development and enabling me to compete at this level. I've worked hard with Aqib Javed at the High Performance Center and it's time to show my skills to the world. I look forward to building my skills further by paying some of Australia's best cricketers and contributing to the success of stars. "