KARACHI: Pakistan, today, is celebrating what can easily be called the revival of the golden days of cricket. With the World XI series being hosted in the country, the embargo on international cricket has been lifted.
This almost seems like a dream for Pakistan which has seen its share of discrimination, persecution and systematic dismantlement as a cricketing nation.
So crippling was the effect that the country’s cricketing infrastructure was going to ruin and the nation’s confidence hitting an all-time low. The journey to today has been a long and arduous one. In a sea of naysayers labelling Pakistan as unsafe and international cricket teams adamant not to visit, there have been beacons of hope which have consistently been working to push the country out of the abyss.
The first significant international fruition of their efforts came in the shape of the immensely successful Pakistan Super League (PSL) held in 2016 and consecutively in 2017. The nation was glued to their TV screens as Najam Sethi, the proponent behind the event opened the second season’s finale in Lahore.
The triumph of this endeavour is enough to outshine any other achievements but it is absolutely pertinent to look beyond the dazzle to the entities who have long stood steadfast to the dream of uplifting Pakistani cricket. One such powerhouse has been Jazz, Pakistan’s largest telecom operator boasting a market share of more than 52 million consumers.
Linked strongly with the vivacious Lahore Qalandars in the PSL and beyond, it might be easy to mistake the telecom’s association with cricket as a more recent one. However, scratching the surface reveals that strategically cricket has been one of its main and consistent platforms for the past two decades.
On the local front, Jazz took it upon itself to support local cricket in all its forms by hosting cricket matches for students and the physically challenged to name a few and talent hunts such as ‘The Hunt for Heroes’ in collaboration with the PCB and 10 cricket stars.
‘Cricket cannot be looked upon as a sport. It is a passion that will never die. They took cricket out of Pakistan but they can never take cricket out of a Pakistani. And we won’t let them’ said Asif Aziz, Chief Commercial Officer, Jazz.
‘Jazz Rising Stars, like all our efforts, is our investment in the country. We want to be the proponents that bring international cricket home, so our people can see their idols and heroes play LIVE in front of them’ said, Shahbaz Maqsood Khan, Director Marketing, Jazz.
The second instalment of Jazz Rising Stars is currently underway and promises to be bigger than its first season. Till date, more than XX participants have given trials in Mirpur, Muzaffarabad, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Layyah and Bahawalpur. A 22-year-old bowler who can consistently bowl at 142/143kph has been discovered and sent to an academy for further training.
Jazz Rising Stars has set a revolution in motion. Motivated, other PSL teams have announced that they too will be conducting trials for aspiring cricketers.—PR
