Six of China's national men's team have gone to Karachi at the special invitation of Pakistan's Ambassador for Cricket to China Javed Miandad. The elite China players will be training at the PCB Regional Academy and playing in matches for Karachi sides. "The plan is for the boys to learn and play in teams where they will be asked to take a lot of responsibility," says China's coach Rashid Khan.

“It’s a lifetime opportunity for the Chinese players,” says China’s coach, “to have direct input from Javed Miandad at this stage in their careers. Javed Bhai is taking his job to help China cricket very seriously and it is just the small things he knows that are very big help to the boys.” Javed Miandad (124 Tests and 233 ODIs for Pakistan) was given a special brief to assist cricket in China by Pakistan Cricket Board Patron-in-Chief President Asif Zardari at the start of 2009. From now, until the Chinese cricketers leave on May 10, Mr. Miandad is with the cricketers almost every evening in technical sessions. Last year Mr. Miandad spent time with China’s women’s cricketers in China and in Malaysia.

Pakistan’s Ambassador for Cricket to China Javed Miandad and China’s coach Rashid Khan

“The boys start training at 7AM for 90 minutes, then start a Twenty20 match. After a break they come back for more training from 4 to 6.30 PM,” says Rashid Khan. Mr. Khan is also bringing in Shoaib Akhtar, Faisal Iqbal and Danish Kaneria to work with the Chinese cricketers Song Dou, Zhao Gaosheng, Li Jian, Zhang Peng, Jiang Shuyao and Zhang Yufei.

Pakistan’s Danish Kaneria coaching leg-spin during a Chinese visit to the PCB Regional Academy in Karachi, April 2010	With Shoaib Akhtar

China’s women, who are just coming to the end of their tour of Bangladesh (P7 W5 L2), and the men are receiving the benefit of support of Asia’s Test-playing countries in preparation for the Asian Games in Guangzhou in November 2010.

Related:
China: Advancing in Cricket
Javed Jumps In
China Cricket Profile

Filed April 22nd, 2010